HF 635

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to lobbyist and principal reporting; 
  1.3             modifying the content of the report lobbyists and 
  1.4             principals must file; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             2002, sections 10A.01, subdivision 33; 10A.04, 
  1.6             subdivisions 4, 6. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 10A.01, 
  1.9   subdivision 33, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 33.  [PRINCIPAL.] "Principal" means an individual or 
  1.11  association that:  
  1.12     (1) spends more than $500 in the aggregate in any calendar 
  1.13  year to (i) engage a lobbyist, compensate a lobbyist, or 
  1.14  authorize the expenditure of money by a lobbyist; or (ii)  
  1.15  authorize a third party to engage, compensate, or authorize the 
  1.16  expenditure of money by a lobbyist; or 
  1.17     (2) is not included in clause (1) and spends a total of at 
  1.18  least $50,000 in any calendar year on efforts to influence 
  1.19  legislative action, administrative action, or the official 
  1.20  action of metropolitan governmental units, as described in 
  1.21  section 10A.04, subdivision 6.  
  1.22     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 10A.04, 
  1.23  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  1.24     Subd. 4.  [CONTENT.] (a) A report under this section must 
  1.25  include information the board requires from the registration 
  1.26  form and the information required by this subdivision for the 
  2.1   reporting period. 
  2.2      (b) A lobbyist must report the lobbyist's total 
  2.3   disbursements on lobbying, separately listing lobbying to 
  2.4   influence legislative action, lobbying to influence 
  2.5   administrative action, and lobbying to influence the official 
  2.6   actions of a metropolitan governmental unit, and a breakdown of 
  2.7   disbursements for each of those kinds of lobbying into 
  2.8   categories specified by the board, including but not limited to 
  2.9   the cost of publication and distribution of each publication 
  2.10  used in lobbying; other printing; media, including the cost of 
  2.11  production; postage; travel; fees, including allowances; 
  2.12  entertainment; telephone and telegraph; and other expenses. 
  2.13     (c) A lobbyist must report the amount and nature of each 
  2.14  gift, item, or benefit, excluding contributions to a candidate, 
  2.15  equal in value to $5 or more, given or paid to any official, as 
  2.16  defined in section 10A.071, subdivision 1, by the lobbyist or an 
  2.17  employer or employee of the lobbyist.  The list must include the 
  2.18  name and address of each official to whom the gift, item, or 
  2.19  benefit was given or paid and the date it was given or paid.  
  2.20     (d) A lobbyist must report each original source of money in 
  2.21  excess of $500 in any year as compensation or otherwise used for 
  2.22  the purpose of lobbying to influence legislative action, 
  2.23  administrative action, or the official action of a metropolitan 
  2.24  governmental unit.  The list must include the name, address, and 
  2.25  employer, or, if self-employed, the occupation and principal 
  2.26  place of business, of each payer of money in excess of $500 and 
  2.27  the amount received from each payer. 
  2.28     (e) On the report due April 15, the lobbyist must provide a 
  2.29  general description of the subjects lobbied in the previous 12 
  2.30  months. 
  2.31     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 10A.04, 
  2.32  subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  2.33     Subd. 6.  [PRINCIPAL REPORTS.] (a) A principal must report 
  2.34  to the board as required in this subdivision by March 15 for the 
  2.35  preceding calendar year. 
  2.36     (b) The principal must report the total amount, rounded to 
  3.1   the nearest $20,000, spent by the principal during the preceding 
  3.2   calendar year to influence legislative action, administrative 
  3.3   action, and the official action of metropolitan governmental 
  3.4   units. 
  3.5      (c) The principal must report under this subdivision a 
  3.6   total amount that includes: 
  3.7      (1) all direct payments by the principal to lobbyists in 
  3.8   this state; 
  3.9      (2) all expenditures for advertising, mailing, research, 
  3.10  analysis, compilation and dissemination of information, and 
  3.11  public relations campaigns related to legislative action, 
  3.12  administrative action, or the official action of metropolitan 
  3.13  governmental units in this state; and 
  3.14     (3) all salaries and administrative expenses attributable 
  3.15  to activities of the principal relating to efforts to influence 
  3.16  legislative action, administrative action, or the official 
  3.17  action of metropolitan governmental units in this state. 
  3.18     (d) The principal must report the amount made in payments 
  3.19  to lobbyists in this state as compensation, by listing 
  3.20  separately the amount received by each lobbyist and the name, 
  3.21  address, and employer, or, if self-employed, the principal place 
  3.22  of business, of that lobbyist.