Lobbyists going underground because of new rules

New rules have lobbyists gone, but not forgotten.

A new study by the Center for Responsive Politics and OMB Watch says lobbyists are taking their names from the registration rolls even as they continue to work to influence government.

The study says the lobbyists are going underground as new rules that restrict how registered lobbyists deal with TARP and stimulus money.

The report suggests it could be lobbyists are looking for ways to maintain an influence over the delivery of billions of tax dollars without leaving fingerprints or running afoul of new restrictions.

Here's an excerpt: "

"OMB Watch's Lee Mason, the organization's Director of Nonprofit Speech Rights, commented on the timing of the acceleration of terminations and the president's policies on lobbyists.

“While we can’t draw a direct link between the president’s executive order and the increased pace of terminations during the second quarter of 2009, we can say that they came at a most controversial time,” Mason said."