House and Senate Release Revised LDA Guidance

On Jan. 16 the House Office of the Clerk and the Secretary of the Senate published revised guidance for complying with the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), as updated by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA). It applies to any organization that registers under the LDA.

The new guidance provides clarification on the LD-203 with some examples for lobbyists filling out such reports. For example, officials will examine each case separately whether payments supporting an event honoring a lawmaker would count as contributions that must be disclosed. Such as when organizations buy multiple tickets or tables for an event honoring an official. If an organization pays for some costs of an event where covered officials are honored, the organization would have to report those costs on its LD-203. The guidance also states that an organization should not identify a lawmaker as a "speaker" to avoid disclosing payments for a meeting where the lawmaker is honored.

According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), the new guidelines "could require lobbyists and the organizations they work for to report more of the money that they pay to stage events involving lawmakers."

The Alliance for Justice (AFJ) has more information on the updated LDA guidance. You can read the guidance from the House and from the Senate.

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