Lobbying 101: What Gen Y Should Know

September 28, 2011 by Tamara Bell

[HTML1] For many people, the word “lobbyists” means cigar-chomping fat cats wining and dining legislators with fancy meals and days on the golf course. But like most stereotypes, that picture doesn’t come close to reality.

Jay Propes, an Austin, Texas-based political and strategic consultant and lobbyist, joins Keeping Up with Gen Y to talk about the integral role lobbyists play in our democratic political process. He also discusses why Gen Y should pay attention to lobbyists and legislators, especially since policy decisions made right now will impact the first decade of their adult lives.

More about Jay Propes
Jay Propes is an Austin, Texas-based political and strategic consultant and lobbyist with more than a decades’ worth of public-affairs experience at the state and federal levels.

Jay began his career on Capitol Hill working for a Texas Congressman, dealing with issues related to taxation, telecommunications, healthcare and energy/environmental policy. In Texas, Jay served as a trade association executive, and then managed a political action committee that raised and contributed over a million dollars during his tenure.

A graduate of Baylor University, Jay has specific public-affairs expertise in construction, development, education, healthcare and the restaurant industry.

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About Tamara Bell

Tamara Bell is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Y Gen Out Loud, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that provides a platform for Generation Yto discuss national politics and public policy issues.

Tamara began her journalism career as a staff reporter for the Dallas Times Herald. A few years later, she moved to York, Pa., as a political reporter for the York Dispatch, covering local, state, and national government as well as writing investigative stories for the mid-sized daily newspaper.

A Texas girl at heart, Tamara returned to Dallas a year later to work as press relations director for the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. John Bryant. The next year, she moved to Austin and the Texas Legislature, where she stayed for 15 years. While at the Legislature, Tamara worked for Democratic House members as Chief-of-Staff and Press Secretary, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Senate State Affairs Committee chaired by a Republicansenator.

In 1996, Tamara became co-owner of a political newsletter covering state issues and elections. As Editor-in-Chief, Tamara helped shape the weekly publication into a must-read for state officials, legislative aides, and lobbyists. More recently, Tamara wrote a regular column analyzing coverage by the Texas Capitol Press Corps for an online political publication. She also works as a lecturer in the Advertising Department at The University of Texasat Austin.

Tamara has also been a judge for the 2010 Bright Ideas Award given by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, served as a panelist at the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Region 8 Conference where the theme was How to Save Journalism, and has been a guest lecture for the Advertising Department’s Internship course, speaking about the jobs outlook for graduating seniors.

Tamara earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M University. She resides in Austin with her son, Jackson.

Tamara Bell is also the Host of Keeping Up with Gen Y on WomensRadio. Keeping Up with Gen Y offers discussions, interviews, and commentary about important issues of the day from the perspective of Generation Y (18-to 30-years-old). Aimed at all generations interested in learning about and inspiring young people, this show features professionals, experts, researchers, and members of Gen Y who share insights and experiences about the topics on the minds of today’s young adults.