Lobbyists who are paid to press their case in Springfield or to urge Cook County and Chicago leaders to vote their way are required to register — but hundreds of others are free to lobby with little to no oversight, without ever having to record their activities or even officially acknowledge they lobbied at all.

Members of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform on Wednesday heard from advocates and experts about all matters lobbying, including whether state law should require that activity to be tracked and regulated.