Lobbyist Disclosure

Lobbyists must register to lobby the Federal government. In Congress lobbyists must register with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. Lobbyists also must file semi-annual reports detailing estimated money spent by client and a list of agencies or Houses of Congress lobbied.

Lobbyist Disclosure Act of 1995
After years of attempts to update the 1946 Regulation of Lobbying Act Congress passed the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to bring a level of accountability to Federal Lobbying practices. The Act was subsequently amended in 1998.

The act requires lobbyists to register with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate and to electronically file semi-annual reports with both offices providing general details of lobbying activities.

The Act defines a "lobbyist" as an individual who (1) is either employed or retained by a client for financial or other compensation; (2) for services that include more than one lobbying contact; and (3) whose "lobbying activities" constitute 20 percent or more of his or her services on behalf of that client during any six-month period.

A "lobbying contact" is defined as any oral or written communication made to a covered official on behalf of a client regarding Federal legislation, Federal rules or regulations, the administration of a program by the Federal government, or the nomination or appointment of any person by the Senate.

All Members of Congress are defined as "covered officials" as are the staffs of Members of Congress. Executive branch officials considered "covered officials" include the President, the Vice President, officers and employees of the Executive Office of the President, any official serving in an Executive Level I-V position, any member of the uniformed services serving at grade 0-7 or above, and "Schedule C" employees.

Lobbyist Registration
Registration forms are known as LD-1 forms and must be filed no later than 45 days after a lobbyist first makes a lobbying contact or is employed or retained to make a lobbying contact.

A lobbying firm is not required to file a registration form if the total income from a particular client is not expected to rise above $6,000 in a semi-annual period.

Lobbying registration forms are held in the Legislative Resource Center, an office of the Clerk of the House, and the Office of Public Records, an office of the Secretary of the Senate.

Quarterly Reports
Revised for 2008, Registered lobbyists must file LD-2 disclosure forms four times a year detailing their clients' spending on lobbying for the quarterly period. The forms are to be filed within 20 days of the end of each quarterly period, those days being March 20, July 20, October 20 and January 20, except when the 20th falls on a Sunday or Holiday. Forms are considered as filed timely if they are filed electronically by the above dates. Lobbying firms must file separate reports for each individual client. Organizations with in-house lobbyists need only file one report for each quarterly reporting period.

LD-2 forms require registered lobbyists to provide an estimation of income related to lobbying for a specific client and which federal branches, departments, and agencies they lobbied. The registered lobbyist must also list the General lobbying issue code to describe which issue areas they are seeking to influence.