LobbyComply Blog

The 2026 regular session of the General Assembly adjourned sine die on April 15, after lawmakers with a Republican supermajority voted to override over two dozen vetoes by Gov. Beshear, including bills on election laws, Medicaid, and budget matters. Passed bills include House Bill 757, codifying lobbyist registration fees for lobbyist employers and each real party in interest at $750. Lawmakers also voted to override the veto to pass House Bill 607 dissolving the Louisville Ethics Commission at the end of 2026, replacing all its members, and setting up a new appointment process. The bill also modifies procedures for redistricting.

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Your Question: Where do I need to register after I lobbied in a state?

Our Expertise: Deciding whether and where you need to register is already a herculean task, as you must navigate the labyrinthine world of state compliance laws. Along the way, you may encountera divergence in the path: one route leads to state registration, another to local registration, and a third requires both.
Thankfully, we at State and Federal Communications are here to offer you a ball of thread to assist with navigating the myriad paths that make up state and local compliance.

The first step in determining where registration is required is identifying who or what you are lobbying. Local lobbying generally targets city councils, county boards, and municipal authorities, while state lobbying targets state legislatures, governors, and state agencies. One potential hazard is misunderstanding which level of government oversees the entity you are lobbying.

For example, is the water authority owned by the city, county, or state? Is a local college part of the state university system? Lobbying these peripheral governmental entities may require registration with the entity itself, the local municipality, the county, or the state, depending on its governance.

Once you understand the scope of your lobbying, the next step is to review the law and verify the registration threshold. Some localities have their own reporting systems, while some states include local-level lobbying in their registration threshold. This analysis is done by delving into the registration threshold, then focusing on the definition of lobbying. If the definition concentrates on “state legislatures or agencies,” local lobbying is excluded.

Next, check to see if the local municipality you are lobbying has its own lobbying law and determine whether local registration is required. Finally, if applicable, confirm that the entity itself does not require registration.

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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.

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