Reno, Nevada Passes Lobbying Law  

George Ticoras, Esq.,
Research Associate

On October 12, the Reno City Council adopted a new lobbying law. Ordinance No. 6415 requires lobbyists to register with the city clerk, to inform the city of their clients, and to wear lobbyist badges when in City Hall. The ordinance also includes civil and criminal penalties.

The new law requires lobbyists to complete a registration form with the Office of the City Clerk prior to any communication with a policymaker. The law defines policymaker as the mayor, City Council members, Planning Commission members, and certain appointed officers excluding chief deputy city attorneys. Communication or communicate includes all forms of communication, whether in person, in writing, or in electronic form intended to influence covered officials on any matter over which City Council has supervision, control, jurisdiction, or advisory power.

The ordinance defines lobbyist as a person who receives anything of value to communicate with a policymaker on behalf of someone other than himself or herself to influence a policymaker to act on any matter over which the policymaker has supervision, control, jurisdiction, or advisory power. If a lobbyist has communicated with a policymaker before registering, a registration form must be filed with the city clerk within five working days or prior to the next scheduled City Council or Planning Commission meeting, whichever is earlier.

Upon registering, the lobbyist must disclose each client being represented, the principal areas of interest the lobbyist expects to lobby, and any business associations with policymakers. Registration must continually be updated to account for any changes in lobbying representation.

After registration, each lobbyist will be furnished an identification badge, which must be worn at all times the lobbyist is in City Hall. While there is no registration fee set by the ordinance, City Council stipulated an annual fee could still be imposed. Penalties for violating the lobbying ordinance include a misdemeanor criminal conviction and a civil fine of up to $500. The new law will take effect on January 1, 2017.

Summary of Changes UPDATE
Note Recent Changes to Compliance Regulations 

Michael Beckett, Esq., Research Manager

CALIFORNIA: Gov. Jerry Brown approved a series of bills affecting campaign finance and lobbying requirements. Senate Bill 215 will require any entity or person seeking to influence actions taken by the Public Utilities Commission to register as a lobbyist under the Political Reform Act of 1974. Senate Bill 1349 will overhaul Cal-Access, California’s outdated online campaign contribution and lobbying database. Senate Bill 1107 establishes citizen-funded elections reforms, enabling the creation of small donor matching programs where candidates who voluntarily opt in and agree to turn down large contributions receive limited public matching funds for each small contribution they secure.

CALIFORNIA: The first reports under the Fair Political Practices Commission’s new amended reporting requirements for "other payments to influence legislative or administrative action" are due October 31. The third quarter report covers the period of July 1 to September 30, 2016. Lobbyist employers and persons spending $5,000 or more to influence legislative or administrative action will need to itemize "other payments to influence legislative or administrative action" using the new Form 640.

NEW MEXICO: The Office of Secretary of State released new contribution limits for candidates and political action committees (PACs). Contributions from a person to a statewide candidate or to a PAC will increase to $5,500. Also, contributions from a PAC to a non-statewide candidate, statewide candidate, or to another PAC will increase to $5,500. Contribution limits are adjusted every election cycle and the current adjustments will be effective on November 9, 2016.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: City Council voted to amend the Election Campaign Control Ordinance to make changes recommended by the Ethic Commission. Among the amendments are provisions to eliminate the third pre-election filing for primarily formed recipient committees and to extend the pre-election fundraising time period to January 1 of odd-numbered years. The amendments will go into effect on January 1, 2017.

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: The Board of Aldermen passed two bills on October 7 to establish campaign contribution limits and clarify gift reporting. Board Bill 53 limits campaign contributions in city elections to $10,000 per election cycle. Violations could result in 90 days of jail and a $500 fine. If signed by Mayor Francis Slay, the bill would be effective April 6, 2017, just after the spring mayoral election. Board Bill 126 requires elected officials to report gifts and travel expenses valued at $375 or more when given by interested persons. Violating the reporting requirement would result in docked pay. Currently, the code requires reporting of gifts exceeding $250, but it is not clear whether public officials are reporting gifts as required.

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.

Jurisdiction Added to our Website

The number of municipalities and regional governments our research associates track continues to grow. We now cover almost 300 municipalities and local governments. This is part of a continuous effort to better serve the needs of our clients.

In that effort, we have added abridged jurisdictions to our website. These entries, condensed due to the limited number of relevant local laws, provide the core information our clients need for their government relations work.

The new jurisdiction is:

W  E  B  S  I  T  E      T  I  P Remember to take advantage of the website’s bookmarking function from your dashboard. Any publication in a given jurisdiction can be bookmarked by clicking on the translucent bookmark pennant on the upper right-hand side of your chosen jurisdiction’s screen. The bookmark will turn red when activated. When you return to your dashboard page (by clicking on your name at the top of the screen), you will see your chosen bookmarks listed under the “Bookmarks” heading. Clicking on a bookmark will bring you directly to the bookmarked jurisdiction without needing to select a publication or a jurisdiction. Clicking on the red bookmark will remove the jurisdiction from your list of bookmarks.

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.
Celebrates Employee Anniversaries

Pictured is Elizabeth Z. Bartz presenting rewards for staff who have worked over five and over ten years at State and Federal Communications, Inc. [left - Jim Sedor-16 years, Joe May-9 years, George Ticoras, Esq.-6 years, and John Cozine, Esq.-11 years]

Plan to say hello at future events where State and Federal Communications, Inc.
will be attending and/or speaking regarding compliance issues.