Lobbying is a growth industry. The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has more than doubled during the past decade, to 26,013, and last year clients paid lobbyists an unprecedented $2 billion to help influence Congress. Lobbyists meet with lawmakers and their staffers so often they have become part of the nation's legislative machinery. In addition, they raise and donate millions of dollars in campaign cash. Political professionals of all stripes view lobbyists as indispensable experts and persuaders - and as honorable professionals in most cases. But lobbying and corruption have gone hand-in-hand since the 19th century. The latest cloud to shadow lobbyists is a controversy over tens of millions of dollars in fees paid to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff by Native American tribes seeking to keep their legal casinos flourishing. In the wake of the still-unresolved allegations against Abramoff, open-government advocates say new disclosure rules are needed so lobbyists operate with more transparency.

Peter Katel is a CQ Researcher contributing writer who previously reported on Haiti and Latin America for Time and Newsweek and covered the Southwest for newspapers in New Mexico. He has received several journalism awards, including the Bartolomé Mitre Award for drug coverage from the Inter-American Press Association and awards for investigative and interpretive reporting from the New Mexico Press Association. He holds an A.B. in university studies from the University of New Mexico.