TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The lobbying and consulting firm of a former U.S. representative has sent letters to several Kansas businesses offering to represent their interests before the state legislature.

The Wichita Eagle reports former U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt’s firm, Tiahrt Enterprises LLC, sent the letters seeking new clients April 20.

Tiahrt recently became senior vice president O’Neill and Associates, which is a Washington, D.C. firm that provides lobbying and other services for businesses at the state and federal levels. He says Tiahrt Enterprises is a separate venture, and that he is a consultant, not a lobbyist, for the firms.

Tiahrt Enterprises registered with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office in 2011, but Tiahrt said he did not hire a lobbyist until this fall.

Tiahrt served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2011.