Lobbying and Political Action Committees (PACs) are often discussed in the news, usually in relation to "money in politics." While they are controversial, they are also protected by the First Amendment right to petition the government.
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence the decisions made by officials in the government. A lobbyist is someone who is paid to educate or persuade lawmakers on behalf of a group or company.
A PAC is a group that pools donations from members and uses that money to support or oppose political candidates. There are strict limits on how much a standard PAC can give directly to a candidate's campaign.
Unlike standard PACs, Super PACs can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations and individuals. While they cannot give money *directly* to a candidate, they can spend it on their own advertising to support or attack them.
Lobbyists and PACs must register and file reports with the government. This allows the public to see who is spending money to influence our laws and our elections.