I was reluctant to come to this conclusion, but the ethics bill broadening the definition of lobbyists is a subterfuge to shield lawmakers from citizen input. Under the bill any person talking to multiple legislators about an issue would be defined as a lobbyist, and be required to pay the $300 fee.
The thing which moved this from badly crafted legislation to a deliberate attempt to suppress voter input is contained in this article from the AJC. In it a supporter of the bill states that a 17 year old meeting legislators and talking to them about an issue is a lobbyist.
This is ridiculous. We are seriously in need of ethics reform, and the legislature is using that to try to stifle, rather than extend, transparency and access.