Sen. Shelley Mayer’s ethics committee advances lobbying, nonprofit reporting and e‑filing bills

Senator Shelley Mayer, chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance, presided over the committee’s first meeting of the year on Wednesday, March 4, where members advanced multiple measures aimed at strengthening disclosure and transparency rules.

The most contested item was S.374, a bill intended to require disclosure of lobbying on confirmations. Ranking Member Senator Rhodes raised concerns that the bill’s language — which refers to "persons and organizations" — could unintentionally require individual citizens who send letters or request meetings about a nominee to register as lobbyists. "Would that have a chilling effect on someone's desire to come forward to express their concerns about a particular nominee?" Rhodes asked. Chair Mayer replied that "the intent of the law is to reach particularly entities not for profits or other, that spend money and time beyond an individual to influence the outcome of a nomination," and said she would raise the language clarification with the bill’s sponsor.

After discussion, Mayer moved S.374 and Rhodes seconded. Rhodes recorded a "nay" during the roll call; the chair stated there were enough votes to advance the bill and said it will go to the floor for further consideration.

The committee also advanced S.2224, a bill by Senator Krueger to raise the lobbying reporting threshold for small not‑for‑profits from $5,000 to $10,000. Chair Mayer said the measure "goes to some of the questions" raised about whether smaller nonprofits should be subject to the same filing requirements as larger entities; the committee voted to move the bill to the floor.

Members reviewed S.4039A, a measure described in the transcript as prohibiting certain people from receiving compensation for legal fees or consulting work from industrial development agencies and requiring consultant disclosures. Chair Mayer praised the sponsor for adding language to address undisclosed lobbying on behalf of applicants. During the roll call, Mayer voted "aye" and Rhodes registered a "no." The transcript records the split vote but does not explicitly state the committee outcome for S.4039A.

Finally, the committee considered S.5843, which would require electronic filing of all lobbying forms rather than leaving electronic submission optional. Rhodes cautioned that the committee should enable as many filing methods as possible to encourage compliance, noting some filers find in‑person or paper submissions easier. The chair said most filers can file electronically; the committee moved the bill to the floor.

The meeting concluded shortly after the final vote and the committee adjourned. The bills advanced will next be considered by the full Senate.