§1603 — Title 2 The Congress | U.S. Code

Summary

A person who lobbies must register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House within 45 days after the first lobbying contact or after being hired to make such a contact. An organization with one or more employees who are lobbyists may file one registration for those employees for each client. If a lobbying firm expects to get $2,500 or less from a client in the quarter, or an organization expects to spend $10,000 or less on its own lobbying in the quarter, it does not have to register for that client. Those dollar amounts were adjusted on January 1, 1997 and will be changed every four years on January 1 using the Consumer Price Index. Each registration must give basic contact and business information for the filer and the client, name any outside group that gave more than $5,000 and helped plan the lobbying, and list any foreign entity that gave more than $5,000 and either owns at least 20 percent, controls, or is an affiliate with a direct interest (including the amount and approximate ownership). The registration must describe the general issues and specific topics to be lobbied, name each employee who has acted or will act as a lobbyist and note if that employee held certain government jobs in the past 20 years (with the position), and for any listed lobbyist convicted of specified crimes give the conviction date and a short description of the offense. A separate registration is required for each client, but multiple contacts for the same client go on a single registration. The law also includes rules for when a registrant stops representing a client and does not expect more lobbying.

Title 2, §1603

The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)No later than 45 days after a lobbyist first makes a lobbying contact or is employed or retained to make a lobbying contact, whichever is earlier, or on the first business day after such 45th day if the 45th day is not a business day, such lobbyist (or, as provided under paragraph (2), the organization employing such lobbyist), shall register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(2)Any organization that has 1 or more employees who are lobbyists shall file a single registration under this section on behalf of such employees for each client on whose behalf the employees act as lobbyists.

(3)(A)Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), a person or entity whose—

(i)total income for matters related to lobbying activities on behalf of a particular client (in the case of a lobbying firm) does not exceed and is not expected to exceed $2,500; or

(ii)total expenses in connection with lobbying activities (in the case of an organization whose employees engage in lobbying activities on its own behalf) do not exceed or are not expected to exceed $10,000,(as estimated under section 1604 of this title) in the quarterly period described in section 1604(a) of this title during which the registration would be made is not required to register under this subsection with respect to such client.

(B)The dollar amounts in subparagraph (A) shall be adjusted—

(i)on January 1, 1997, to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index (as determined by the Secretary of Labor) since December 19, 1995; and

(ii)on January 1 of each fourth year occurring after January 1, 1997, to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index (as determined by the Secretary of Labor) during the preceding 4-year period,

(b)Each registration under this section shall contain—

(1)the name, address, business telephone number, and principal place of business of the registrant, and a general description of its business or activities;

(2)the name, address, and principal place of business of the registrant’s client, and a general description of its business or activities (if different from paragraph (1));

(3)the name, address, and principal place of business of any organization, other than the client, that—

(A)contributes more than $5,000 to the registrant or the client in the quarterly period to fund the lobbying activities of the registrant; and

(B)actively participates in the planning, supervision, or control of such lobbying activities;

(4)the name, address, principal place of business, amount of any contribution of more than $5,000 to the lobbying activities of the registrant, and approximate percentage of equitable ownership in the client (if any) of any foreign entity that—

(A)holds at least 20 percent equitable ownership in the client or any organization identified under paragraph (3);

(B)directly or indirectly, in whole or in major part, plans, supervises, controls, directs, finances, or subsidizes the activities of the client or any organization identified under paragraph (3); or

(C)is an affiliate of the client or any organization identified under paragraph (3) and has a direct interest in the outcome of the lobbying activity;

(5)a statement of—

(A)the general issue areas in which the registrant expects to engage in lobbying activities on behalf of the client; and

(B)to the extent practicable, specific issues that have (as of the date of the registration) already been addressed or are likely to be addressed in lobbying activities;

(6)the name of each employee of the registrant who has acted or whom the registrant expects to act as a lobbyist on behalf of the client and, if any such employee has served as a covered executive branch official or a covered legislative branch official in the 20 years before the date on which the employee first acted as a lobbyist on behalf of the client, the position in which such employee served; and

(7)for any listed lobbyist who was convicted in a Federal or State court of an offense involving bribery, extortion, embezzlement, an illegal kickback, tax evasion, fraud, a conflict of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering, the date of the conviction and a description of the offense.

(c)(1)In the case of a registrant making lobbying contacts on behalf of more than 1 client, a separate registration under this section shall be filed for each such client.

(2)A registrant who makes more than 1 lobbying contact for the same client shall file a single registration covering all such lobbying contacts.

(d)A registrant who after registration—

(1)is no longer employed or retained by a client to conduct lobbying activities, and

(2)does not anticipate any additional lobbying activities for such client,

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b), was in the original “this Act” meaning Pub. L. 104–65, Dec. 19, 1995, 109 Stat. 691, known as the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1601 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2019—Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 115–418 added par. (7). 2007—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 110–81, § 201(b)(2)(A), inserted “or on the first business day after such 45th day if the 45th day is not a business day,” after “earlier,”. Subsec. (a)(3)(A). Pub. L. 110–81, § 201(b)(2)(B), substituted “quarterly period” for “semiannual period” in concluding provisions. Subsec. (a)(3)(A)(i). Pub. L. 110–81, § 201(b)(5)(A), substituted “$2,500” for “$5,000”. Subsec. (a)(3)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 110–81, § 201(b)(5)(B), substituted “$10,000” for “$20,000”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–81, § 207(b), inserted concluding provisions. Subsec. (b)(3)(A). Pub. L. 110–81, § 207(a)(1)(A), amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “contributes more than $5,000 toward the lobbying activities of the registrant in a semiannual period described in section 1604(a) of this title; and”. Pub. L. 110–81, § 201(b)(5)(C), substituted “$5,000” for “$10,000”. Subsec. (b)(3)(B). Pub. L. 110–81, § 207(a)(1)(B), amended subpar. (B) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (B) read as follows: “in whole or in major part plans, supervises, or controls such lobbying activities.” Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 110–81, § 201(b)(5)(D), substituted “$5,000” for “$10,000” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 110–81, § 208, substituted “in the 20 years before the date on which the employee first acted” for “in the 2 years before the date on which such employee first acted (after December 19, 1995)”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2007 AmendmentExcept as otherwise provided, amendment by Pub. L. 110–81 applicable with respect to registrations under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (this chapter) having an

Effective Date

of Jan. 1, 2008, or later and with respect to quarterly reports under that Act covering calendar quarters beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2008, see section 215 of Pub. L. 110–81, set out as a note under section 30104 of Title 52, Voting and Elections.

Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 1, 1996, see section 24 of Pub. L. 104–65, set out as a note under section 1601 of this title.

§1603 Registration of Lobbyists

Summary

Title 2, §1603

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Short Title

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata