Federal · Title 2 — The Congress

2 U.S.C. § 1603: Registration of lobbyists

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Lobbyists must register with the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House within 45 days of first lobbying contact, providing specified information about themselves, their clients, and funding sources.

Read the full statutory text
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. 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. 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 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. on January 1, 1997 , to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index (as determined by the Secretary of Labor) since December 19, 1995 ; and 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, the name, address, business telephone number, and principal place of business of the registrant, and a general description of its business or activities; 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)); contributes more than $5,000 to the registrant or the client in the quarterly period to fund the lobbying activities of the registrant; and actively participates in the planning, supervision, or control of such lobbying activities; holds at least 20 percent equitable ownership in the client or any organization identified under paragraph (3); 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 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; the general issue areas in which the registrant expects to engage in lobbying activities on behalf of the client; and 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; 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 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. 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. A registrant who makes more than 1 lobbying contact for the same client shall file a single registration covering all such lobbying contacts. is no longer employed or retained by a client to conduct lobbying activities, and does not anticipate any additional lobbying activities for such client,

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