Appropriations lobbyists used to have one certainty this time of year: forms to fill out. Piles and piles of forms requesting Congressional earmarks.

Spring was the deadline for most Member-sponsored earmark requests, and so this was the silly season for much of K Street. But with earmarks out of favor, lobbyists who specialize in the federal appropriations process have watched their business transform dramatically. In many cases, they have lost business and are working to figure out how to woo new clients on the hunt for government dollars.

But it isn’t all bad.

“The one plus of this thing is, we haven’t had to fill out any forms,” quipped Howard Marlowe, president of the American League of Lobbyists who runs Marlowe & Co.

Still, Marlowe said, there’s plenty do to.