Seattle, WA Council Passes New Political Consultant Regulations Ordinance

Seattle City Council recently passed an ordinance which requires political consultants to register with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission within 15 days of providing political consulting services. Political consultants will also be required to disclose information including which local candidates, campaigns, and city ballot measures they work with and when that work began. Initially the bill was intended to prohibit political consultants from simultaneously holding city contracts while doing outside campaign work and also provided for a one-year cooling-off period before consultants could return to work for the city after campaign activities. However, those prohibitions were removed, and the bill instead focuses on consultant registration and reporting. Council Bill 121130 will become effective 30 days after the mayor’s approval.

The Office of City Clerk recently announced a new and improved lobbyist registration and weekly reporting system, beginning in February 2026. The upgraded platform is intended to streamline the filling process and provide an overall enhanced user experience. Training resources will be provided on the city’s webpage and a training session will be recorded and made available for remote viewing. As part of the system rollout, the lobbyist registration deadline will be extended to February 28, 2026. Until further notice, the current system remains operational.

Make sure you understand pay-to-play regulations in your state. See all 50 states and nearly 300 jurisdictions in our online guidebooks. Check them out here.

During 2025, lawmakers passed legislation on various topics such as reducing energy costs and pollution, addressing a $12 billion budget deficit, and the national redistricting debate. Legislation involving campaign finance included Assembly Bill 953, expanding prohibitions on foreign governments and principals from making contributions in elections to include foreign nationals. Legislators also passed Senate Bill 852, which expands the prohibition on the receipt, delivery, or attempted delivery of a contribution in certain forums to now apply to local government office buildings and offices for which the state or a local government pays rent, while eliminating the exception for legislative district offices. The 2025-2026 session will end recess and begin in the new year on January 5, 2026.

Are you able to track all legislative sessions in the states you do business? Our online guidebooks make it easy. Request a demo today!

The special session adjourned sine die on November 19. The session lasted seven days and lawmakers officially passed Gov. Joe Lombardo’s crime bill while adopting an additional amendment and making technical changes to the bill. However, the film tax credit bill failed when it was unable to garner enough votes to pass in the Senate. Other pieces of legislation up for debate during the special session were an appropriations bill and a proposal to create a grant program which would limit healthcare provider shortages. Those bills were both passed and will head to the governor’s desk.

Invite them out for coffee or a steak? Make sure you know the gift restrictions of your state or municipality. Request a demo of our online guidebooks today.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has called for a special session. The session will address items the legislature had left unfinished during their general session, along with a film tax credit bill and additional protections, certain public safety measures, and traffic safety cybersecurity issues. The special session will take place on November 13 and does affect lobbying reporting. If a person will be lobbying during the special session, registration will be required with the first lobbying report being due on December 10.

Make sure you understand pay-to-play regulations in your state. See all 50 states and nearly 300 jurisdictions in our online guidebooks. Check them out here.

The city of San Jose has increased lobbyist fees pertaining to annual registration, prorated registration, client fees, and late registration. The lobbyist annual registration renewal will increase from $219.36 to $330.99 per registration, with the prorated registration fee becoming $165.50 per half-year or less. The late registration fee is now $25 per business day and up to a maximum of 100% of the unpaid fee. Client fees will increase from $71.62 to $150.42 per client. These lobbyist fee increases will be effective through the fiscal year 2025-2026.

Stay up to date with all state and federal lobbying law. Sign up for our online guidebooks and never miss a compliance law change.

Voters approved Proposition 50 yesterday, with 64% voting yes in favor of the measure and 36% voting against it. Prop 50 will create new congressional district boundaries and now gives Democrats a shot at winning as many as five additional seats. The proposition suspends House maps drawn by an independent commission and instead will replace them with districts adopted by the democratic-controlled legislature. These new districts will be in place for the upcoming 2026 election.

Comply with state and local procurement lobbying rules. Our online guidebooks make it easy to view regulations all in one place. Learn more here.

Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special election to address authorization of state redistricting. Maps within the state of California are drawn by an independent commission and will require the voters to approve a state ballot measure allowing for such a redistricting effort. The election is set to coincide with the November 4 general election.

Never miss a lobbying compliance deadline. Sign up for our online guidebooks today!

The Public Disclosure Commission approved a rule change to increase the penalties tied to various factors which are considered when the Commission sets fines. The Commission is still limited to fines of $10,000 per violation but can assess higher penalties by agreement of the parties or by referring cases to the state Attorney General’s Office for prosecution if warranted.

Stay up to date with all state and federal lobbying law. Sign up for our online guidebooks and never miss a compliance law change.

Governor Tina Kotek recently called for the legislature to come back at the end of August for a special session. The session will look to address legislation regarding road maintenance, operations of the Oregon Department of Transportation, and other funding necessary for the state’s transportation needs. The special session will begin on August 29.

Stay up to date with all state and federal lobbying law. Sign up for our online guidebooks and never miss a compliance law change.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy called for special session to address education reform and the creation of a cabinet-level state Department of Agriculture. Both topics were left unfinished at the end of the regular session earlier this year. The special session will begin August 2 and is scheduled to last for 30 days. This affects lobbyist reporting. A monthly legislative lobbyist activity report will now be due September 30.

Are you able to track all legislative sessions in the states you do business? Our online guidebooks make it easy, request a demo today!

The 83^rd session of the Legislature adjourned sine die on June 27. Lawmakers did not pass a last-minute attempt to delay Oregon’s campaign contribution limits, established last year by House Bill 4024. The limits are set to take effect in 2027, however some legislators wanted to postpone the limits until 2031.

Monitor your registration thresholds by state, by referring to our easy to navigate online guidebooks. Request a web tour to learn more.

The city council recently approved an ordinance this week which temporarily raises the contribution limits for candidates who agree to limit how much they spend on their campaigns. The new contribution limits for those candidates who accept the voluntary spending limits will temporarily increase from $650 to $900 for individuals, businesses, or other organizations, and from $1,300 to $1,800 for broad-based political committees. The temporary limits apply to the 2026 and 2028 elections and are effective immediately.

The 83^rd Nevada Legislature adjourned sine die on June 3. During the session, a couple of bills passed relating to the state’s campaign finance law. Assembly Bill 73 requires certain communications with synthetic media to contain a specified disclosure. Assembly Bill 79 revises various aspects of the campaign finance law and establishes a contribution limit of $5,000 for a special election other than a recall election. This contribution limit is applicable regardless of the number of candidates for the office, or whether the special election is held on the same day as a primary election or general election. Both bills have been sent to the governor, and if signed become effective January 1, 2026. This does affect lobbying reporting. The termination and final report is due July 3.

Are you able to track all legislative sessions in the states you do business? Our online guidebooks make it easy, request a demo today!