Nagoshiner

(GAMMA OMICRON—LAMBUTH ’95)

What are you reading right now and why?

I like to think of myself as a reader, or at least well read. BUT, my pile of books to read has not gotten any smaller over the last year. The last two books that I read were “Get in the Van” and “Horse Soldiers.” I feel smarter having read one of those!

What is in your streaming queue and why?

This is one area of my life that I have not cultivated very well. And that is maybe my attempt at saying that I do not have anything in the queue.

What is on your music playlist and why?

My playlists are fairly diverse. Chances are that you will find everything in my playlist except anything coming out of Nashville in the last 20 years.

What do you do for leisure/hobbies?

• Golf

Jeremy Nagoshiner has a combined eighteen years of experience working for both the legislative and executive branches of Tennessee state government and private practice lobbying. He has served as a budget analyst for the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Legislative Liaison for the Governor’s Office, and Executive Assistant to the Finance and Administration Commissioner. He also served as an assistant research analyst with the Tennessee Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. Nagoshiner most recently spent 5 years as Senior Public Policy Advisor at the law firm of Baker Donelson. He has been instrumental in several policy initiatives for fraternities and sororities, especially for KA. He is a member of the Loyal Order.

• Cycling

• Shooting birds/training dog

• Coaching my daughter’s soccer team

What is a common misconception about lobbying ?

We often hear that special interests/lobbyists are bad for democracy and that all they do is wine and dine or buy votes. Laws are complicated and their reach can go terrifyingly far. As a lobbyist, my job is to bring information, or a perspective to the table. In a perfect world, most lawmakers and executive branch officials want to gather all of the available information before they set policy. In Tennessee our legislative season only lasts 4–5 months, meaning a lot happens in a very short time. A lobbyist brings a firsthand account on how a law would impact a business to the table. Also, due to the speed of our legislative sessions, we have to be able to understand the unintended consequences of a bill and communicate that quickly and concisely back to legislators.

What are some primary the table. ” differences between federal and state level advocacy?

I am biased, as a state level lobbyist I see firsthand how impactful state level decisions are on the general population and the health of the business community/economy. We often talk about states being the laboratory of democracy and many legislators take that to heart. While I understand the scope and impact of federal level decisions, we are able to generally get things done quicker on the state level. State legislators are also generally closer to the voter since they go home on the weekends and are only in session for 4-5 months per year. This means, from a lobbyist perspective, we have to be more responsive.

What has changed in your experience with state-level government in your career?

I am stating the obvious, technology has changed everything. Technology has created a giant megaphone for anyone that wants to use it. While ensuring everyone has a voice in their government, we now have a harder time distinguishing between volume and noise.

What has been your most satisfying professional experience/outcome?

I have been part of some really satisfying legislative outcomes, particularly in the realm of easing taxation and regulatory burdens on private business. I hate to single any out over the others, however, early in my career I helped pass legislation to provide regulatory relief to climbing gyms in Tennessee. I single this one out in particular because it demonstrates how government has the ability to shut down businesses. An agency of Tennessee government decided that they were going to charge new fees for climbing gyms and assess the fee based on the number of fixed ropes in a gym. The state visited one gym and after inspection decided that the fee was going to be an exorbitant number, a fee that would have put them out of business. We met with the state and they were not willing to revisit their new policy that was based loosely on new regulations. So, we passed a bill clarifying that the state could not charge these small businesses fees based on arbitrary measures. This was a great outcome and ensured that these businesses would not close down due to a state agency needing more revenue. Again, these were not big and sophisticated businesses, but mostly small businesses who found themselves in the crosshairs of government regulators. While I was acting as a special interest, I don’t think most people think of lobbyists in this way in a wide range of capacities!