Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Texas Lobbyist
Seven questions on scope, the people who will do the work, and the record you will see.
By James Dickey | Published January 2026 | Updated September 28, 2026
TL;DR
- •Many Texas project decisions are made by a city or county. A lobbyist belongs in the hire when a bill or an agency rule is part of the assignment.
- •Ask who will do each task and what share of their time is committed. The names should match the work in the proposal.
- •Require a conflict check and a 90-day plan before you sign.
- •Ask how the firm will work with your counsel, technical specialists, lobbyists, and public relations team.
- •The plan should include listening, a map of support and objections, constituent outreach to their own officials, and a contact record.
Executive note: Early visibility gives leaders time to decide. The sequence is monitor, interpret, decide, act, and report.
Why these questions matter
If leaders first hear about a local objection at the hearing, the choices left on the table are fewer and the cost of a change is higher. The aim is a record of what residents and officials are saying while the plan can still respond.
A useful partner does three things:
- 1)Gives you early visibility into the city, county, bill, or agency calendar that affects the project
- 2)Turns that information into options, with cost and timing
- 3)Carries out the agreed tasks and reports on a set cadence
For how local work sits beside legislative advocacy, see government affairs and lobbying. For the decision to add an outside local voice, see why companies need local public affairs help.
The 7 questions
1) Who will do the work, and what share of their time is committed?
Good answer:
Named people, the tasks each one will perform, a weekly cadence, and a clear path when a decision is needed.
Ask again if you hear:
“The team will take care of it,” with no names and no time commitment.
Why it matters: The proposal should describe the same people who will attend the meeting and send the report.
2) Where will this decision be made?
Good answer:
They name the city or county first, then any bill, agency rule, or federal step in the agreed scope, with dates.
Ask again if you hear:
Every issue is treated as a bill, and the local hearing is left off the calendar.
Why it matters: Permit conditions, local hearings, and agency rules often decide how a project operates.
3) What work have you done on a subject like ours, and can you explain the operation?
Good answer:
Comparable tasks, the arena, the timing, and a plain explanation of the technical facts your specialists will stand behind.
Ask again if you hear:
A list of well-known names, with no account of the tasks or the subject.
Why it matters: Officials and residents ask about water, power, traffic, and how the site will run. Your specialists remain the source of those facts.
4) How will you work with our counsel, specialists, lobbyists, and public relations team?
Good answer:
A written split of tasks, one set of facts, and a single way to report what residents and officials said.
Ask again if you hear:
No plan for the advisers already on the project.
Why it matters: Local conversations, legislative advocacy, legal advice, and the company message can proceed together when each owner is named. See also local public affairs and public relations.
5) How do you identify and disclose conflicts of interest?
Good answer:
A written process for finding conflicts, disclosing them, and offering options.
Ask again if you hear:
A claim that conflicts never arise, with no description of a check.
Why it matters: You need to know when another client's assignment touches yours, and what choices you then have.
6) What does the next 90 days include, and how will you report it?
Ask the plan to include:
- • The officials who will vote, and the staff who prepare them
- • Support, objections, and the reason for each
- • How willing constituents will contact their own officials
- • Interviews, opinion articles, or testimony, if those tasks are in scope
- • Dates, milestones, and the reporting cadence
Good answer:
A roadmap with assumptions, milestones, and a weekly or monthly report leaders can use.
Ask again if you hear:
“We will see what happens,” or “Success is getting it done,” with no interim report.
Why it matters: Leaders need the contact record and the next decision, on a date they can see.
7) How do you handle registration and activity reporting?
Good answer:
A clear account of Texas Ethics Commission registration, activity reports, and the documents you will receive.
Ask again if you hear:
Registration and reporting treated as an afterthought.
Why it matters: Lobby registration is public. Your leaders should know what will be filed and who is responsible for it. Counsel remains responsible for legal advice.
Selection scorecard
Score each candidate from 1 to 5:
- ☐Decision fit (city or county, legislature, agency, or a defined mix)
- ☐Named people and committed time
- ☐Technical understanding of the operation
- ☐Coordination with counsel, specialists, lobbyists, and public relations
- ☐Conflict process
- ☐90-day plan, contact record, and reporting cadence
How JD Key works
JD Key focuses on Texas local government and public affairs. James Dickey leads strategy. Blake Sbrocco, Vice President, takes part in the outreach and the public case. The scope names the work each of them will do.
They listen to residents and officials, map support and objections, and help willing constituents contact their own officials. They track each outreach. They also speak for the client in interviews, opinion articles, and testimony. Advocacy may omit the client's name. A named client is disclosed at the client's request. They explain the operation from facts the company and its technical specialists can support.
Counsel, technical specialists, lobbyists, and public relations professionals keep their assignments. State or federal work is added when the agreed scope includes it. A way to compare firms is in How to Choose Texas Government Affairs Support in 2026.
What to do now
- ☐Write the city or county, the decision, and the date in one sentence.
- ☐Interview three candidates with these questions.
- ☐Require a conflict check, a named lead, a 90-day plan, and a reporting cadence.
- ☐Ask each candidate: “What is the main risk to this decision, and how will you report it?”
- ☐Choose the team that names the work, the people, and the tradeoffs.
See the calendar before the hearing
The Texas Government Affairs Intelligence Briefing goes out twice a month.
Subscribe to NewsletterFrequently Asked Questions
When should we hire a lobbyist, and when should we add local public affairs?
Hire lobbying for a defined legislative or agency task, such as a bill, an amendment, or a rule. Add local public affairs when a city council, a commissioners court, or another local body will hear the project. Many companies keep both and write down who does each task. Ongoing exposure needs a watchlist and a reporting cadence. A single hearing needs a plan for that date.
Why does it matter who does the work?
Ask for the names of the people who will attend meetings, prepare testimony, and send the reports, and ask what share of their time is committed. That answer shows whether the scope you discussed is the scope you will receive.
How do I verify a Texas lobbyist's registration?
The Texas Ethics Commission publishes a database of registered lobbyists, their clients, and activity reports. You can search by name at ethics.state.tx.us. Also ask which cities, counties, or agencies were involved and which tasks the person performed.
What should the written scope include, and how long should it run?
Name the cities or counties, any state or federal task in the agreed scope, the people responsible, the reporting cadence, and the date you will review the work. A single legislative assignment often runs one session, about five or six months including preparation. Local work follows the hearing calendar in each place. Set a review date either way.
How should a firm work with the team we already have?
Counsel, technical specialists, lobbyists, and public relations professionals can stay in place. Ask who will own the local conversations, who will track outreach, and how facts will be checked with your specialists before testimony or an opinion article.
What should I ask for before I sign?
Ask for a conflict check, the names of the people doing the work, a 90-day plan with milestones, and a reporting cadence. The plan should say how support and objections will be recorded and how willing constituents will be invited to contact their own officials.