Due to the social distancing restrictions being implemented by the City of Austin, the Office of the City Clerk has closed to members of the public.

Correspondence and payments pertaining to lobbyist registrations/renewals may still be mailed in and will be processed based on their postage date.

Operations are continuing via telework, and employees may be reached via email.

This month, the San Antonio City Council approved substantial changes to the campaign finance and ethics codes.

The new ordinance requires additional campaign finance reports and disclosure of the name and title of anyone contributing $100 or more to a council member or mayoral campaign.

In the same council meeting, an ordinance increasing campaign contribution limits by 50% did not pass as a result of a tied vote.

The new disclosure and reporting rules will go into effect starting on July 1, the beginning of the next campaign cycle.

The passed changes are not yet available online but are anticipated by the City Clerk to be available this week.

The Office of the City Clerk has proposed amended rules to chapter 1 of title 51 of the Rules of the City of New York pursuant to the enactment of Local Law 129 of 2013, which amended the city’s lobbying law.

The rules propose the following: set forth the procedure for enrolling in e-Lobbyist; define the roles of principal officer, designee, and compliance officer; provide requirements for retainers and authorization letters; indicate when filing extensions may be obtained; set forth the procedures for obtaining a waiver of late filing penalties; establish enforcement procedures; and create an amnesty program.

The amnesty program sets forth eligibility criteria for lobbyists and clients who have not previously complied with the city’s lobbying law, allowing such individuals to come into compliance without penalty for a given period of time.

A public hearing was held and the proposed rules are still under consideration by the Lobbying Bureau.