The Internal Services Department in Miami-Dade County has combined the separate vendor enrollment and registration processes into one online vendor registration. The online vendor registration process can be accessed here.

Paper based registrations are no longer accepted.

All registered vendors whose status was “Active” prior to September 15, 2014 will be able to update their existing registration profiles through this portal. An email containing the login information will be sent to each firm currently registered or enrolled. These vendors will only be required to log-in to the portal to establish an online, secure profile. Thereafter, the existing registration records will be available to them online.

Vendors still must return a notarized business entity registration application by regular mail.

Gov. Sam Brownback has vetoed a bill increasing the spending threshold for lobbyist registration. Senate Bill 99 would have raised the expenditure threshold triggering lobbyist registration from $100 per calendar year to $500 per calendar year.

The increased threshold was recommended by the state ethics commission because the current threshold had not been increased in 25 years.

In vetoing the bill, Gov. Brownback stated he understood the bill’s purpose and intent but believed the current threshold better served the interest of government transparency.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has submitted technical changes to the General Assembly on the major ethics legislation passed this session, including a change to the effective date of the legislation.

The legislation enacts a limit on gifts from lobbyists and principals and increases the frequency for lobbyist filings.

The changes must be approved by the House and Senate before the legislation takes effect.

Photo of Gov. Terry McAuliffe courtesy of Kate Wellington in Wikimedia Commons.

New York’s City Council passed legislation this week containing many changes to lobbying regulations. The majority of the law’s provisions take effect May 8, 2014.

As part of the new law, the definition of “lobbying” has been expanded to include attempts to influence “any determination made by an elected city official or an officer of employee of the city to support or oppose any state or federal legislation, rule or regulation.”

This provision is unique because very few cities regulate lobbying a city official to weigh in on state or federal policy. The new law also directs the City Clerk to search for noncompliance with registration requirements by scouring public records.

Further, lobbyists will be required to file six periodic reports each year, up from four reports under the outgoing law. Also, as of January 1, 2014, the registration threshold will increase from $2,000 to $5,000 per calendar year.

Photo of Manhattan by AngMoKio in Wikimedia Commons.

State Key Dates and Legislative Sessions for 2014 are now available on State and Federal Communications’ website.

The Key Dates represent registration and reporting dates for those involved in lobbying and election and reporting dates for campaign finance.