6 minute read
A Day in the Life
Lobbyist stays on the move during the Kansas legislative session
Story by Jackie Hostetler
Photography by Brooke Buck
Natalie Bright starts her day bright and early, leaving her Shawnee home around 7 a.m. to reach the Kansas State House in Topeka by 8:30. Lawmakers start meeting around this time, sometimes sooner. Bright likes to get there early so she doesn’t miss a moment of the action.
Bright is one half of Bright and Carpenter Consulting Inc. Alongside her business partner, Marlee Carpenter, Bright lobbies on behalf of organizations and nonprofits across Kansas, including the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce.
Bright attended Washburn University, where she and Carpenter met, and the two of them have been in business together for 15 years. This January will mark Bright’s 29th year attending sessions of the Kansas Legislature
The legislature is composed of 165 part-time legislators who gather once a year. Meetings begin in January and usually last 90 days. Bright is there for all of it.
It’s her role to advocate at the state level on behalf of her clients. She acts as a liaison between the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce and elected officials.
“I’m that mediator, the facilitator between them to make sure we get it right. To make sure we get the legislation passed in the way it was intended to be,” says Bright.
Sometimes she lobbies in a proactive manner, including introducing legislation on behalf of a business or client. Other times, Bright works in a defensive mode.
“When something has been introduced, and our clients have concerns or think it might not work in practicality, we need to talk about changing it to make it look different,” Bright says.
How does that change occur? This is where the “bright and early” part comes in.
The Process
Lawmakers begin meeting early in the day, and they hit the ground running.
“Traditionally, for us in the Kansas Legislature, they start out with introductory meetings and educational backgrounds on different agency reports. As we progress into the session, it really gets to be a pretty chaotic schedule. Committees run all the way up until 5 p.m.,” Bright says.
It’s the lobbyist’s job to look at the various committees and figure out exactly where they need to be to have the most positive impact on their clients. They attend some meetings in person while interns attend others and report back. Still other committee meetings are held remotely. According to Bright, if you can’t be there in person, then you better go back and watch the meeting in its entirety.
“We will try to catch legislators when we can. It’s an elevator speech of how quickly you can get out as much as you can as fast as you can before they are darting to their next meeting. And we’re often walking with them back and forth. We try for
lunch meetings because that’s a time when you can get them out of the building and get them to focus on you. You can meet them in their office, but you’re lucky if you get 5 to 10 minutes because there’s always someone else waiting,” says Bright of the hectic schedule.
After the committee meetings comes the general session—when lawmakers all meet as one body on the floor of the house. This session is followed by still more advocating at evening events, often provided for those legislators coming from the far reaches of the state.
“During the legislative session there are specific events happening each evening, so the lawmakers have a place to catch a drink and eat dinner. A lot of them are living away from home, so they’re looking for things to do at night. As an advocate, I’m still looking for ways to connect with them,” she says.
Bright knows that relationships are key in her business and she’s keen to take advantage of every opportunity she can, even if it makes for an extremely long day.
For the Chamber
The Shawnee Chamber of Commerce has benefited from Bright’s diligence, most recently through economic development policy.
“That’s important to the community. What are we doing to grow the businesses we have, but also attract new businesses? We want to grow consistently, and there’s still lots of area for Shawnee to grow on,” says Bright.
Bright was engaged in the APEX Act (Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion), which passed in 2022. This act was instrumental in bringing Panasonic to the area. Though it’s in De Soto, the proximity to Shawnee will hopefully lead to positive effects for the community.
“We’ll have housing growth, and it can potentially impact our schools, so we’ll watch it from that angle,” Bright says of the APEX Act.
She also lobbies in the areas of transportation, infrastructure, and healthcare, all for the benefit of the businesses and citizens of Shawnee.
“These are all chamber issues for sure. We want to be as competitive as we can be,” Bright says of her work on behalf of the Shawnee Chamber.
And, at the end of the day for Bright?
“I feel very blessed to represent a great chamber like Shawnee because it really gives me those opportunities to make things better in the community. It’s important to me.”
For More
Bright and Carpenter Consulting Inc.
825 S. Kansas, Suite 502
Topeka, KS 66612
email: office@brightcarpenter.com
A Typical Day
Lobbyist Natalie Bright’s days at the statehouse in Topeka are long and jam-packed. Here’s a typical day:
7:15 a.m.: Leave Shawnee and hit I-70 to head to Topeka.
8:15 a.m.: Stop by a legislator’s office. Discuss a client’s position on an issue.
8:30 a.m.: Attend Senate Public Health Committee meeting.
9 a.m.: Pop into House Appropriations Committee. Catch committee members to talk about a budget issue.
9:30 a.m.: Attend Tax Committee with a client who is testifying on a bill. Take notes.
10:20 a.m.: Talk and walk with a senator on tax issue discussed in committee.
10:30 a.m.: Attend Senate Commerce Committee. Send notes to clients.
11 a.m.: Monitor House session.
Noon: Host Shawnee delegation for lunch.
1 p.m.: Meet with a fellow lobbyist to discuss strategy on upcoming bill.
1:15 p.m.: Catch legislators coming back from lunch. Elevator pitch regarding a client issue.
1:30 p.m.: Testify before House Commerce Committee.
2:15 p.m.: Meeting with the governor’s chief of staff. Discuss issue on behalf of a client.
2:30 p.m.: Monitor Senate session. Draft testimony for the next day’s hearing.
3:30 p.m.: Attend House Taxation Committee.
5 p.m.: Stop by legislative reception. Talk to the speaker about running a bill.
6:30 p.m.: Dinner with a committee chair.
8 p.m.: Stop by office. Check mail and draft testimony.
9:30 p.m.: Back home to Shawnee
10 p.m.: Check House and Senate calendars for the next day.
10:30 p.m.: Email committee members with information regarding a question asked during a hearing when a client testified.
11 p.m.: Hit the sheets. Think about doing it all over again tomorrow.
