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House approves lobbyist law changes banning contingency pay and creating foreign‑agent registration
Summary
House Bill 186, a second substitute to the Lobbyist Act, was adopted 70-0 to prohibit contingency‑based lobbying compensation, define and require registration for foreign agents working as lobbyists, expand lieutenant governor rulemaking authority, and add penalties; bill will be transmitted to the Senate.
Representative Sagers presented the second substitute to House Bill 186 on Feb. 25, amending the Lobbyist Act to address contingency‑based compensation and foreign agent transparency.
Sagers said the bill was prompted by a question from an elected official about whether state law permits lobbyists to be paid on a contingency basis for soliciting state funds. He said his investigation, including consultation with the attorney general's office, found no prohibition and the bill therefore would "preclude lobbyists from... working on a contingency basis." The substitute also revises rulemaking authority for the lieutenant governor, defines a foreign agent and requires foreign agents to register with the lieutenant governor's office, and establishes penalties while consolidating earlier disclosure provisions into the bill.
After a short floor exchange and waived summation, voting closed and the House passed the second substitute 70-0. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
