As a lobbyist, Jay Kaprosy realizes that very few people know what he does for a living or what the term actually means.

He usually explains in a way that disarms people before launching into the particulars of how he decides to help educate lawmakers on a variety of issues for his clients.

Kaprosy has been working as a lobbyist for more than 25 years, starting as an assistant liaison with the Arizona Department of Education and rising through the ranks with various organizations before joining with two of his colleagues at lobbying and public affairs firm Veridus.

Kaprosy recently discussed his career, biggest accomplishments and why he enjoys the process of debating and discussing policy.

How did you get your start as a lobbyist?
I started it as a House Ways and Means intern, and one of the primary bills that year was school capital finance. And then upon my graduation, a semester later, I got hired at the Arizona Department of Education to represent the superintendent of public instruction and the State Board of (Education) and the State Board for Charter Schools. 

I was a liaison for the Department of (Education). I started as the assistant liaison, and then was quickly promoted in the first session that I was there. That was (1998), I hadn’t quite turned 23 yet. So I was 22 years old and very scared, but I learned quickly, and learned a lot, and had the confidence of the superintendent, and, you know, been doing it ever since.

So I worked for Lisa (former Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan) for, I think, four sessions. And when Lisa resigned to go follow an opportunity in D.C., I got hired at the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

What issues did you focus on when you moved over to the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce?

One of the things that I really enjoyed is the breadth of the issues that I then got to work on. So we worked on … everything from the small business issues to the big business issues. Still got to keep working on things like education, like property tax, but also got … introduced to other areas, such as environment and environmental issues, transportation issues, etcetera. And so I really enjoyed my time working there as the lobbyist, and then eventually also had an opportunity to coordinate a large event series and to focus on the political activities of the chamber, including their political action committee and independent expenditures. 

And while I was the vice president, is when we got our initial Mega PAC status, which very few organizations have been able to attain. 

How did you end up with Veridas?

I left the Phoenix Chamber and joined with my partners, Wendy Briggs and Jeff Sandquist at Steptoe & Johnson initially, which was a large law firm. So I joined them as a non-attorney. 

The founder of that practice was Bob Fannin. There was little reason for me to leave the Phoenix Chamber unless I went to a place that was really the best of the best in my mind. And Wendy and Jeff represented that to me. And so when that opportunity came about, I jumped on that. So that would have been November 2005. And then a few years later, we began a discussion about what our own firm would look like. So then we started Veridus in 2008 with the goal of providing, you know, a broader suite of services to our clients and so ultimately, that’s what we’ve been able to do as we’ve grown Veridus since 2008.

What are some of the areas that you currently specialize in now?
So I’m really fortunate that I still get to do a great deal of work in the education space, which is something that I’m not only knowledgeable about, but passionate about and so representing the (Arizona) Charter Schools Association, a number of other entities in the education space, as well as getting to work on financial industry legislation and a number of other clients. As the years have gone on, in addition to the more traditional business clients, we’ve also had an increasing number of opportunities to work … with some clients who are seeking to do really, really great things. So a number of nonprofits and others, including some in the state, that are doing work in substance use treatment, health care, services for children and students, etcetera. So that diverse set of responsibilities has been something that I’ve really come to appreciate and feel really fortunate about.

So what are some of the biggest issues that you’re paying attention to this session?

I think the biggest pieces of legislation are generally opposing new regulations and new mandates across the board. There seems to be an explosion in the number of proposals that would add new government mandates, oftentimes, for political purposes. And then other times, they may be well intentioned, but they’ll ultimately add new costs to operating a school or operating a business, or will ultimately result in increasing health care costs. And so those are probably the biggest general issue that just seems to have exploded over the last several years. And so those impacts to many of the businesses that we represent are troubling. The days of hands off, low regulation, free market perspective seem to be behind us.

What do you enjoy most about this job?

So I think what I enjoy the most is the process itself. I’m a very mechanical person in my personal and my professional life. I like to tinker and … make things work and figure out complex problems. Tthe Legislature certainly has its share of those complex problems, not only the process, but the policy. And so those are the kind of things that keep me engaged. And then that can be hard work. And so when that gets tough … I can kind of fall back and work on some of the things that are not only professionally rewarding, but also personally rewarding in terms of making a difference in our community, working alongside some of our community clients.

What are some of the most challenging parts about being a lobbyist?

I think the most challenging parts are really that, as a mechanical person, as a technician of sorts, I very much enjoy the policy and love a good debate. But nowadays, politics plays such an outsized role in the discussion that it too often leaves little room for that spirited policy debate because it’s overshadowed by the political considerations.

What are some of the misconceptions that people might have about lobbying?

I’ll answer it in a little bit of a story. For years and years, I’ve been in polite company with school functions, or  community gatherings or … meeting new people. And you know, just in casual conversation, they always ask what you do? And a few years ago … my answer became, I’m an evil lobbyist for the forces of good. And the reason I did that is because for years, I came to discover how few people really know what a lobbyist is. This was a way to speed up that conversation and disarm people enough to where they might actually ask to try to better understand what a lobbyist does. And, without sounding too pretentious, we’re educating the Legislature on topics … we could never expect a legislator to know everything about every topic that’s going to be put before them. So we have an obligation to educate members about the issue, about the pros and the cons and the arguments for and against, and ultimately, in hopes that our arguments will be strong enough to win the day.