Lobbyist Regulation

     The bill allows a person to select a day (advocacy day) that individuals may lobby a covered official on the person's behalf (advocacy day participant). A person who will have an advocacy day participant lobby a covered official on their behalf during an advocacy day must register and file specified information with the general assembly for each advocacy day during which an advocacy day participant is expected to participate. An advocacy day may only occur if the person has filed the form and the general assembly is in a regular or special session.

     An advocacy day participant is not a volunteer or professional lobbyist and is not required to annually register with the secretary of state or complete monthly disclosure statements. An advocacy day participant must not accept compensation for lobbying during an advocacy day, lobby on behalf of a person not registered with the general assembly, lobby outside of a one-mile radius of the state capitol, or lobby on a day other than that designated as an advocacy day.

     The bill provides that a lobbyist exclusively employed by a single nonprofit entity who engages in lobbying of covered officials on behalf of the nonprofit entity as an incidental duty of the individual's role is a nonprofit advocate (nonprofit advocate). A nonprofit advocate is not a professional lobbyist but must comply with the registration and disclosure requirements of professional lobbyists.

     Currently, each principal department must designate one person who is responsible for lobbying a state official or employee on behalf of the department (legislative liaison). The bill provides that the judicial branch must also have one legislative liaison who lobbies on the judicial branch's behalf (judicial lobbyist). A legislative liaison, a judicial lobbyist, or an individual who lobbies on behalf of the offices of the governor or lieutenant governor as a member of the governor's cabinet or as a personal staff employee in the offices of the governor or the lieutenant governor (governor's lobbyist) must register with the secretary of state annually.

     In addition to annually registering with the secretary of state, a legislative liaison, judicial lobbyist, or a governor's lobbyist must file a monthly disclosure statement with the secretary of state (disclosure statement). The bill provides that a legislative liaison, judicial lobbyist, or a governor's lobbyist must indicate on the disclosure statement the bill number of any legislation for which they have lobbied or will lobby a covered official and their position regarding the legislation. The legislative liaison, judicial lobbyist, or a governor's lobbyist must update their position on the disclosure statement within 72 hours of a change in position.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)