Rep. Matt Gress is a registered lobbyist in four other states, report says
Based on reporting by Jessica Votipka for Arizona Agenda, published April 9, 2026.
Republican Rep. Matt Gress, who represents Legislative District 4 in north central Phoenix, is a registered lobbyist in New Hampshire, Iowa, Indiana and Arkansas, the Arizona Agenda reported, citing documents from those states.
He lobbies for Americans for Fair Treatment, an Oklahoma-based nonprofit that the Agenda describes as backing legislation that impedes union operations. Gress is the group's vice president of government affairs and registered in all four states in late 2025.
The Agenda reported that the group's priorities track Gress's own agenda. As chairman of the House Education Committee, he used his position to pass a strike-everything amendment to HCR2040, technically sponsored by Republican Rep. Justin Olson, that would ban school districts from deducting union dues from employee paychecks, a policy the group has called a major priority. He also sponsored a bill to block public and charter school teachers from taking part in organized work stoppages.
Arizona law bars legislators from lobbying in Arizona but not in other states, and the Agenda noted that nothing Gress is doing is illegal. Gress was himself a registered lobbyist in Arizona from 2016 until January 1, 2023, and took office eight days after canceling that registration.
"I follow all the laws in the other states," Gress told the Agenda, adding that he sees no conflict. He said he had not told legislative colleagues about his out-of-state registrations but that his job is listed on his financial disclosure form. The Agenda found the form lists his work for the group but does not say he is a registered lobbyist. Gress also said he has done no work for the group at the Legislature, calling that "inappropriate."
As far as the Agenda knows, Gress is the only Arizona lawmaker who is also a registered lobbyist.