HARMON CURRAN NONPROFIT LAW BLOG
Increase to the Federal Lobbying Disclosure Act’s Expenditure-Based Registration Threshold Announced
Effective January 1, 2021, nonprofit organizations employing in-house lobbyists, as defined under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), are exempt from the LDA’s requirement to register if their total lobbying expenditures do not exceed (and are not expected to exceed) $14,000 during the quarter in which registration would otherwise be required. This is a $1,000 increase from the most recent adjustment made in 2017.
Lobbying firms that work on behalf of multiple clients are generally required to register separately for each client. However, a lobbying firm is exempt from registration for a specific client if the firm’s total income from lobbying activities conducted on behalf of that client does not exceed $3,000 during a given quarterly period. This threshold has not changed.
Section 4(a)(3) of the LDA provides for the lobbying-expenditure registration threshold to be adjusted every four years based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, rounded to the nearest $500. Therefore, the next threshold adjustments are not expected to be announced until early 2025.
For more information about the Lobbying Disclosure Act and a list of frequently asked questions regarding registration, visit the Senate Lobbying Disclosure website.
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