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Committee endorses bill to require electronic filing for lobbyist reports
Summary
After reviewing an audit on public access to lobbying information, the Legislative Audit Committee endorsed a committee bill to require electronic filing for lobbyist disclosures, include one-time funding, and change reporting frequencies to monthly and quarterly.
The Legislative Audit Committee reviewed audit 24P-02, "Public Access to Lobbying Information," on Dec. 17, 2024. The audit was presented by Christiane Rudmann (Associate Management & Program Analyst); Commissioner Chris Gallus and Kymberly Trujillo of the Office of the Commissioner responded. Committee members questioned mandated electronic filing and the legislative options to improve disclosure access.
Rep. Fiona Nave asked Commissioner Gallus several questions about mandated electronic filing and its technical implications; President (Chair) Sen. Jason Ellsworth asked for clarification on the legislative timeline and related bills. Sen. Pat Flowers commended the auditors and proposed a committee bill that would require electronic filing for lobbyist disclosures, include one-time-only funding to implement the system, and change reporting thresholds and frequencies. The committee voted to acknowledge the audit and then moved to endorse the electronic-filing proposal; both motions carried unanimously by voice vote.
Clarifying details recorded in the minutes indicate the endorsed motion would shift lobbyist reporting to monthly and quarterly schedules and include one-time funding for implementation. The committee directed staff to draft bill language and funding requests for consideration during the bill-drafting period.
Next steps: staff were instructed to draft the committee bill language and the one-time funding request. The committee will consider the legislation during the next bill-drafting cycle.
