Idaho Amends Lobbying and
Campaign Finance Laws

Carlos Aguja, Esq.
Research Associate

Gov. Brad Little signed legislation with the purpose of modifying and bringing more transparency into existing state sunshine laws. Senate Bill 1153 clarifies definitions and procedures for lobbyist registration and reporting, while Senate Bill 1113 similarly clarifies definitions and procedures for political committee registration and reporting.

Lobbying Amendments

Senate Bill 1153 bill defines lobbyist’s client as the person on whose behalf the lobbyist is acting, directly or indirectly, as a contractor, and by whom the lobbyist or lobbyist’s employer is compensated for acting as a lobbyist. The bill exempts members of a trade association acting on behalf of and at the request of the trade association from registration if the association is registered as a lobbyist and the association reports any expenditures.

Upon registration, an email address for the lobbyist employer, lobbyist client, or designated contact is required for electronic notification. The requirement for the lobbyist’s employer to sign reports filed by lobbyists is no longer necessary. Once a report is filed, an employer, client, or designated contact on the report will be notified of the filing based on the email address required at registration. Senate Bill 1153 becomes effective July 1.

Campaign Finance Amendments

Senate Bill 1113 expands the definition of election to include any state or local general, special, recall, or primary election and defines a local government office to include any publicly elected office for any political subdivision of the state or special district that is not a legislative, judicial, statewide, or federal office.

The bill increases the registration threshold for political committees from $500 to $1,000 and provides new provisions for participation in local elections. An initial report must be filed within seven days of meeting the $1,000 threshold for supporting or opposing any candidate for local government office or any local ballot measure. Reporting dates for political committees are monthly during election years and annually for nonelection years. Persons missing the filing deadline will receive notice within 24 hours,  with late filing fees accruing after 48 hours from the deadline. Senate Bill 1113 is effective January 1, 2020.

[The details for this article will be updated on our website in the Registration, Reports Required, and Definitions sections of the Lobbying, Procurement Lobbying, and Political Contribution Compliance Laws for Idaho.]

Summary of Changes UPDATE
Note Recent Changes to Compliance Regulations 

Michael Beckett, Esq.,
Research Manager

COLORADO: Gov. Jared Polis signed the Lobbyist Transparency Act into law on May 20, shining new light on the disclosure requirements of lobbyists and their clients. House Bill 1248 increases transparency by stopping attorneys registered as professional lobbyists from asserting confidentiality in order to conceal client information and lobbying activity. A professional lobbyist must notify the secretary of state within 72 hours of agreeing to lobby in connection with new legislation or taking a new position on a new or existing bill for a new or existing client when the General Assembly is in regular or special session. Additionally, the bill instructs the secretary of state to form a working group to upgrade the electronic filing system in order to ease the use of data reported and to increase overall transparency. The secretary of state must convene the working group no later than July 1, and the group must meet at least once before December 31.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to prohibit lobbying after public employment. Ordinance No. 2019-115 defines officer or employee as members of City Council, city officers and employees, and individuals who receive monetary compensation for service on or employment by agencies, boards, authorities, sanitary districts, commissions, committees, and task forces appointed by the city council. Former officers and employees for one year after their term of office may not represent a client for compensation on matters of any nature involving any agency, department, or office of the city government the former officer or employee served immediately prior to the termination of employment or service. The revolving door ordinance is effective July 1.

Legislation We Are Tracking

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications' digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly email updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

ASK THE EXPERTS

State and Federal Communications’ Experts
Answer Your Questions

Here is your chance to “Ask the Experts” at State and Federal Communications, Inc. Send your questions to experts@stateandfed.com. (Of course, we have always been available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or email us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies are not legal advice, just our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

State and Federal Communications, Inc.
Scrapbook - June 2019
 

Everyday is International Women's Day at
State and Federal Communications!

Samuel DeShazior, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in Akron, and I had the fabulous opportunity to spend our evening with Lydiah Gitachu,
a Kenyan actress, volunteering at SXSW.