JEFFERSON CITY -- When Steve Tilley announced two weeks ago that he was resigning from his position as Speaker of the Missouri House, it was no secret that he was going to return to the Capitol as a lobbyist.

Today, he made the transition official by registering with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

His first three clients are Fred Weber Inc., a construction company based in Maryland Heights; Supermarket Merchandising Inc., a St. Louis-based manufacturer of merchandise displays; and Tilly's own company, Strategic Capitol Consulting LLC.

He is currently the only lobbyist registered to represent each company.

During the most recent legislative session, Tilley faced accusations from Republican Sen. Jason Crowell that he was already lining up potential clients while serving as House Speaker. Specifically, Crowell pointed to Tilley's insistence that Southeast Missouri State University receive funding in excess of the state's other public universities.

Tilley dismissed Crowell's accusations and consistently said he had not made any decisions about his post-legislative career.

In a letter to his House colleagues earlier this month, Tilley said he was resigning in order to do consulting work on political campaigns and public policy issues, adding that he "did not want to be a paid consultant while serving as the Speaker of the House."

At one time Tilley was considered the frontrunner for his party's nomination for lieutenant governor. But he dropped out of the race last November, citing a pending divorce and his desire to spend more time with his two daughters.

He had five months left on his final term in the House when he resigned. Lawmakers will return to the Capitol Sept. 12 to consider overriding any of Gov. Jay Nixon's vetoes.