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Committee tightens rules on contingency lobbying and gift limits
Summary
Lawmakers advanced Senate Bill 145 to limit contingency-style lobbying, increase small gift thresholds to reflect inflation, and align nonprofit university rules with public universities; an amendment removing a carve-out for post‑service lobbying by legislators passed unanimously.
Sponsor described Senate Bill 145 as a multi-year effort to tighten contingency‑fee lobbying and improve disclosure and conflict-of-interest rules. The sponsor said the primary purpose is to prohibit arrangements that tie extra payment to specific outcomes and to require added disclosures when a lobbyist has a financial interest in an entity that would benefit from an RFP or policy change.
Senate Amendment 1 removed language that would have allowed former legislators to lobby outside their branch of government during the existing cooling‑off period; the sponsor said the change preserves a strong cooling‑off rule and was adopted unanimously after brief discussion.
The committee then voted to favorably recommend the bill to the originating chamber by voice vote, and the bill will move forward in the legislative process.
