Shortly before adjourning for 2025, the Senate passed two bills to broaden disclosure and registration requirements related to the regulation of foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”) and the Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”): the Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act (S. 856 / H.R. 1883)
Continue Reading Senate Advances Bills To Broaden Foreign Agent Disclosures in Lobbying ReportsLobbying Disclosure Act
Arkansas Governor Signs Baby FARA Law
By Derek Lawlor & Alex Langton on
Posted in Foreign Agents Registration Act, State Law
Over the past several months, several states have introduced bills that mirror the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”). There has been a trend in the states to propose so-called “baby FARA” laws that apply to foreign-influenced political activity in the states, though the proposals vary in the scope of…
Continue Reading Arkansas Governor Signs Baby FARA LawLDA’s Registration Thresholds Increase for Lobbyist Employers and Lobbying Firms
By Derek Lawlor & Elizabeth Upton on
Posted in Lobbying Compliance
Under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”), an organization or lobbying firm must register if it employs an individual who meets the definition of a “lobbyist” and if its total expenses or income for lobbying activities meet certain monetary thresholds. Usually, the two non-monetary thresholds determining when an individual becomes…
Continue Reading LDA’s Registration Thresholds Increase for Lobbyist Employers and Lobbying FirmsGAO Report Highlights Trends in Lobbying Disclosure Act Compliance and Enforcement
By Kimberly Railey on
Posted in Lobbying Compliance
The 2021 report from the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) offers new details on the landscape of Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”) compliance and enforcement. The report is based on random audits of lobbyists’ filings and analysis of enforcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (“USAO”).
The report…
Continue Reading GAO Report Highlights Trends in Lobbying Disclosure Act Compliance and Enforcement
LDA’s Registration Threshold Increases By $1,000
By Derek Lawlor on
Posted in Lobbying Compliance
Under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”), an organization or lobbying firm must register if it employs an individual who meets the definition of a “lobbyist” and if its total expenses or income for lobbying activities meet certain monetary thresholds. The two non-monetary thresholds determining when an individual becomes a “lobbyist,” discussed below, are usually the main factors driving when an organization or lobbying firm must register. However, the monetary thresholds, one of which was recently increased from $13,000 to $14,000, may affect the registration obligations of entities engaged in only a de minimis amount of lobbying.
Continue Reading LDA’s Registration Threshold Increases By $1,000