Hill a Steppingstone to K Street for Some

More Ex-Lawmakers Who Join Private Sector Are Becoming Lobbyists, Study Says

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 27, 2005; Page A19

Election to Congress used to be an end in itself. Now, for nearly half of federal lawmakers, it is a steppingstone to a second career: lobbying.

A new study has found that 43 percent of the 198 House and Senate members who left government to join private life since 1998 have registered to lobby. Of the 36 senators who left during that period, half have joined the lobbying ranks.