LobbyComply Blog

Greensboro City Council approved an ordinance to increase the gift threshold for nominal gifts from $30 to $50 per gift. Items  valued at less than $50 now fall into the exception to the gift ban for city officials. Resolution 2026-100 also amends and updates the city’s code of ethics and disclosure requirements for city officials. The new gift amount is effective immediately.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill limiting the maximum liability for late filing of campaign finance statements or reports. Senate Bill 1389 caps the current open-ended $10 per day liability for a late filing at an amount equal to the aggregate amount of any contributions, expenditures, and other amounts reported on the statement or report, or $100, whichever is greater. The bill becomes effective January 1, 2027.

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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. 

Determining whether you must register as a lobbyist in Maryland depends on the type of advocacy, total financial expenditures, earnings thresholds, and communication methods. Registration triggers range from spending $2,000 on grassroots campaigns to earning $2,500 for in-person legislative advocacy.

Grassroots Lobbying Thresholds

If you engage in activities for the express purpose of soliciting others to communicate with state-level officials on government actions, registration is required once campaign expenditures reach $2,000 or more.

• Calculated Costs: This limit includes staff salaries, contractor fees, engaged services, and all operational campaign expenses.

Executive Action Lobbying Thresholds

Thresholds for executive action lobbying vary based on gift values, specific financial actions, and whether contact is made in person or virtually.

Gift Expenditure Threshold

• Registration is mandatory if you spend $100 or more on gifts for one or more state officials or employees, regardless of the executive action sought.

Procurement Contracts, Grants, and Loans

• Registration is required if you lobby to influence or secure a procurement contract, business grant, or loan valued at more than $100,000.

Regulations and Executive Orders

• In-Person Lobbying: If any communication takes place in the physical presence of an official or employee, registration is required if you earn $2,500 or more in compensation or spend $500 or more on lobbying efforts.
• Remote Lobbying: If advocacy is conducted exclusively without physical presence (via phone calls, emails, or virtual meetings), registration is required only if you earn $5,000 or more in compensation.

Legislative Action Lobbying Thresholds

Lobbying state legislators or advocating to the Governor regarding bill introduction follows strict physical presence standards:

• In-Person Communication: Registration is required if you earn $2,500 or more in compensation or spend $500 or more on lobbying while in the physical presence of an official or employee.
• Remote Communication: Registration is required only if you receive $5,000 or more in compensation when communicating exclusively through non-physical methods (phone, email, or virtual platforms).

Quick Reference: Maryland Registration Threshold Summary

Advocacy Category	Key Condition / Trigger	Registration Threshold
Grassroots Lobbying	Total campaign spending	$2,000 or more
Executive Action Gifts	Gifts to officials or employees	$100 or more
Procurement & Grants	Contract, grant, or loan value	Exceeds $100,000
In-Person Advocacy	Regulations, executive orders, or legislative actions	$2,500+ compensation OR $500+ expenses
Remote Advocacy	Strictly phone, email, or virtual communication	$5,000+ compensation

Frequently Asked Questions

What expenses count toward the $2,000 grassroots lobbying limit in Maryland?

All expenses incurred during a grassroots campaign count toward the $2,000 threshold. This includes compensation paid to staff, fees paid to contractors, and payments made for external services engaged to solicit public action.

How do in-person and virtual lobbying thresholds differ in Maryland?

In-person lobbying triggers registration at $2,500 in compensation or $500 in expenses. Virtual advocacy (conducted solely via email, phone, or video meetings) raises the compensation threshold to $5,000 and does not trigger registration on the $500 expense criteria alone.

Regulatory Resources and Compliance Services

Navigating state compliance rules requires careful evaluation of both your method and the subject of advocacy.

Subscribers can access comprehensive state guides in the Registration section of the Lobbying Compliance Guidebook at State and Federal Communications. Official statutory oversight and guidelines are maintained by the Maryland State Ethics Commission.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three bills into law on July 21, expanding revolving door laws. Public Act 74 expands the current prohibition against lobbying by state legislators who resign during a term of office to apply to all former state legislators for two years after they leave office and applicable to legislators whose term of office begins on or after January 1, 2027. Public Act 75 prohibits a former governor, lieutenant governor, or head of a principal executive branch department whose term of office begins on or after January 1, 2027, from making expenditures for lobbying, or being compensated or reimbursed for lobbying, in an amount requiring registration as a lobbyist agent, for two years after they leave office. Public Act 76 prohibits a currently serving state legislator from being compensated, other than their legislative pay, to lobby legislative or executive officials in other states, the federal government, or any other government.

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New Hampshire lawmakers passed a bill to increase PAC reporting thresholds. PACs will be required to itemize receipts from contributors who give over $200 in the aggregate in an election cycle and include information on the contributor’s occupation if they give over $1,000. Previously, the thresholds were $50 and $200. The changes were included in Senate Bill 405, which was signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. The changes go into effect August 18.

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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. 

City Council passed two ethics ordinances on July 14 which are effective immediately. Ordinance 2026-047 prohibits lobbyists and entities in which they hold ownership interests from making direct or in-kind contributions to any candidate or elected official or their authorized political committee or PAC. The ordinance also incorporates state campaign finance limits while prohibiting anyone who is seeking business with the city and anyone who has done business with the city during the preceding four reporting years from donating more than $1,500 per year to city candidates and elected officials, or to any official or employee of the city who is seeking election to any other office. Violators would be barred from doing business with the city for four years. Ordinance 2026-046 requires elected officials, candidates and certain city employees to annually file a disclosure statement which includes any gifts, loans or services they’ve received from those doing business with the city.

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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 New York Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) is accepting comments on a proposed rulemaking related to the recent statutory increase in lobbyist registration fees. The lobbyist registration fee is increasing from $200 per biennium to $250 per calendar year in COELIG’s regulations. Additionally, lobbyists who fail to complete a registration or pay the annual fee may be subject to civil penalties. COELIG is accepting public comments until September 13.

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The General Government Budget for 2026-2027 was passed and signed by Gov. Hochul. Included in the budget was an increase to the lobbyist registration fee from $200 to $250. The prorated fee for lobbyist registrations submitted after January 1 of the second calendar year of the biennial period was abolished, making the full $250 fee due with every registration. Additionally, lobbyist training must be completed once every two years and at least once in each biennium, beginning with the next biennium on January 1, 2027.

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The second special session ended last week on June 19. However, lawmakers were unable to come to an agreement on a bill offering tax relief to the Alaska LNG gas line project. Gov. Mike Dunleavy then called for a third special session beginning on June 20. Dunleavy’s executive proclamation does not give a general timeline for the session, but House Speaker Bryce Edgmon stated the Legislature’s intent is to meet over the next 10 days with a vote on the new version of the bill set for July 1. This will affect lobbying reporting. If the special session extends into July, a lobbyist report will be due August 31 covering activity for the month of July.

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During the last County Commission meeting, an ordinance was passed to raise the fee for lobbyist registration from a one-time $25 fee to an annual $200 fee per principal. The county believes the prior fee no longer covers the administrative costs associated with maintaining and administering the Central Lobbyist Registry. The fee can be adjusted at any time but at least every five years to align with the consumer price index. The annual $200 registration fee is scheduled to begin October 1.

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

The Canadian federal Commissioner of Lobbying Nancy Bélanger has submitted her annual report to the Parliament of Canada for 2025-26. The report, which covers registrations, lobbyist activity reports, compliance, and other issues concerning the commissioner’s office, also highlights the implementation of a new registration threshold and the start of the statutory review of the Lobbying Act. A new interpretation bulletin was issued in July of 2025, lowering the registration threshold for organizations and corporations. That threshold became effective on January 19, 2026. The report details the October 10, 2025, briefing session about the current lobbying law, which Commissioner Bélanger had with the Parliament through its Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI). It also details the statutory review of the Lobbying Act begun on March 9, 2026, by the ETHI with Commissioner Bélanger as the first witness. Belanger discussed her 21 recommendations for modernizing and improving the federal lobbying law. This annual report is required to be filed within three months after the end of each fiscal year by the commissioner about the administration of the Lobbying Act during that fiscal year. 

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Lobbying thresholds decrease June 7 due to rule amendments approved at the Texas Ethics Commission’s May meeting. The threshold for lobbyist compensation and reimbursement decreased from $1,990 to $1,200. The lobbyist expenditure threshold decreased from $990 to $650 per calendar quarter, not including expenditures for an individual’s travel, food, lodging, or membership dues. These thresholds will no longer be subject to annual adjustment for changes in the consumer price index.

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The second regular session of the 103rd General Assembly has concluded except for a technical session on May 28 and the official adjournment sine die on May 30. During the session, lawmakers passed House Bill 1871, requiring all solicitations, except those from a connected organization of a continuing committee, to disclose what percentage of the campaign contribution will be received by the candidate, committee, or any other entity. The bill also requires donations to be one-time unless a donor affirmatively opts into recurring contributions. The bill permits a registered lobbyist to maintain a candidate committee designated to seek election to a county, municipal, or school board office, provided they are not registered to lobby the county, municipality, or school district. Gov. Kehoe must sign or veto legislation within 15 days after transmittal, or it becomes law without his signature with an effective date of August 28.

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

The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices proposed commencing a rulemaking at the upcoming meeting on May 27. The purpose is to update the commission’s rules based on newly chaptered laws from this year’s legislative session. Legislative changes to be addressed include disclosure requirements for paid communications containing manipulated images or audio of a candidate, and an increase to the spending threshold for independent expenditure reporting. If the rulemaking is commenced, an invitation to comment is expected to begin on June 1.

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Are you able to track all legislative sessions in the states you do business? We are! Let us show how easy it can be, request a demo of our online guidebooks today.