Mr. Stedman, you mentioned knowing that there are new members on this committee, and I am one of them. It's a privilege to be here, particularly given that we're speaking on a topic that I find so fundamental to our democracy. In many ways, our lobbying regime is the gold standard, but there are always improvements to be made, and that's exactly the point behind the statutory review. I thank you both for taking the time to be with us today.
One thing we hear often is that not all voices in the lobbying space have the same capacity. Larger, well-funded organizations can dedicate significant time and resources to sustained lobbying efforts, while others like physician groups or health care professionals are often balancing this work alongside demanding responsibilities, like patient care.
How do we ensure that groups with less time and fewer resources, like doctors or smaller professional organizations, can still effectively be heard as we conduct our review of the Lobbying Act and potentially look to harmonize rules between consultants and in-house lobbyists in corporations and organizations?