State Lobbying: What You Need to Know About Registering

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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