Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lobbying Reform topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panel adopts substitute tightening lobbying disclosures, expands higher‑ed event exceptions
Summary
The committee unanimously passed a substitute for Senate Bill 291 that adds disclosure requirements for lobbyists with recent ownership interests in non‑public entities, adjusts post‑employment restrictions, and raises the gift threshold.
Senator Brammer presented the first substitute to Senate Bill 291 on Feb. 20 as a set of technical and policy changes intended to tighten lobbying disclosure and modernize some rules.
The substitute adds a disclosure requirement when an individual has obtained a non‑controlling ownership interest in a non‑publicly traded entity within the preceding 18 months, the sponsor said, noting the change is intended to surface potential contingency‑like relationships where a lobbyist could benefit from a policy outcome. The substitute excludes ordinary holdings in publicly traded companies from that requirement. It also expands the types of higher‑education events that qualify for the existing legislative exception beyond athletics to include arts and student performances and extends parity to nonprofit higher‑education groups attached to institutions.
The sub also amends how the statute treats lobbying by former state officials and raises the gift threshold cited in current law from $10 to $25 to account for inflation, the sponsor said. The original version had included local government retention of lobbyists language, but that piece was removed at the request of lobbyists and is not in the substitute.
Senators on the committee had no recorded objections during the hearing and the substitute was adopted and recommended favorably in a unanimous vote.
Senator Brammer characterized the bill as aimed at best practices and disclosure rather than singling out individuals. He said the relevant ownership disclosure language appears around line 540 of the substitute and provisions about the 18‑month lookback are in the 291–293 range of lines referenced during the hearing.
