Latest Developments:
- The United States Government Accountability Office released its report on 2019 Lobbying Disclosure. The report to congressional committees analyzes the accuracy of a sample of lobbying reports but does not make any recommendations.
- COVID-19 Update: Many Regulatory Agencies have modified their practices in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Some agencies have postponed hearings and are closed to the public, but available by telephone or internet. Each week we will add the latest information. For more information, contact our Political Reporting Unit. Among the more notable developments this week:
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- The Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2020-23, which extends the deadline to file corporate tax returns, and any other federal tax payment or federal tax returns due between April 1 and July 15, to July 15, 2020. Thus far, most nonprofits engaged in political and lobbying activities will still be required to file their annual information returns on May 15 or seek an extension. However, the IRS will continue to update and expand the excused filings. Stay tuned…
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- The Pennsylvania Department of State extended the deadline for filing lobbyist quarterly reports from April 30 to July 30, 2020. Both the first and second quarter reports will be due on the same date. The Department also waived the notarization requirement for campaign finance reports and will allow paper filers to email reports.
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- The Indiana Lobby Registration Commission announced that the May 31, 2020 deadline for filing first period lobbyist disclosure reports is extended to July 15.
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- The Colorado Supreme Court issued a ruling on a question from the legislature and found that the state’s constitutional limitation that the legislature may only meet for 120 days is not limited to consecutive days, thus permitting the legislature to return after a recess for the COVID-19 pandemic.
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- The City Auditor of Portland, Oregon announced that the extended deadline for first quarter lobbyist reports is now June 15, 2020, rather than April 15.
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- The City of Austin, Texas extended all deadlines, including the deadline for filing quarterly lobbyist disclosure reports to May 1, 2020.
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- The Illinois Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform missed a March 31, 2020 deadline to issue a report outlining recommendations for ethics reforms. The Chicago Sun Times reports that the Commission was forced to miss the deadline by the COVID-19 epidemic. While the Commission hopes to have reform legislation passed this year, the absence of the legislature due to the virus has made that goal “increasingly difficult.”
Reminders:
The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Election Law has launched a new website that includes current information on elections in each of the 50 states. The site includes information on the impact of COVID-19 on elections, how to vote absentee, and whether vote-by-mail is permissible.
In Case You Missed It:
- FARA Filings for COVID-19: NBC News reports, based on FARA filings, that foreign governments “are using American lobbyists to promote their efforts to fight the coronavirus outbreak and safeguard their countries’ reputations in the U.S. capital.”
- Procurement Lobbyist Rules: Lexology reminds everyone that “businesses and organizations seeking government assistance in COVID-19 crisis should pay attention to ‘procurement lobbying’ rules.” The article points out that various governments “impose disclosure obligations and restrictions as a result of efforts to obtain government contracts and grants.
- COVID-19 Lobbyist Boom: We’ve recently reported on the surge in federal lobbying related to COVID-19, but now the numbers are in. The Associated Press reports that “the number of companies and organizations hiring lobbyists shot up dramatically across the months of February, March and early April. Of the more than 700 registrations filed since the beginning of the year, at least 70 specifically mention the new virus, COVID-19 or a global health crisis.”
- Signature Gathering Relief: The Fulcrum reports that ballot measure campaigns across the country are suspending signature gathering efforts. But relief may be on the way: “Four states and one city have already made exceptions for ballot petitions given the current circumstances. Officials in Colorado, Utah, Washington, Oklahoma and San Diego have either granted deadline extensions for signature gathering or waived other obligations. Ballotpedia has a page devoted to changes to ballot measures around the country as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. In California, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that “San Diego officials have delayed the deadline to propose ballot measures for the November election from April 8 to May 1 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
SEC Proxy Rule Lobbying: According to Roll Call, The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule that would limit endless annual revisiting of the same shareholder proposals (which we reported when first proposed in November), is being intensively lobbied by business groups as well as by “liberal groups” in the course of the Commission’s comment period. During that period, the Commission discloses that it received a large number of comments and that SEC officials held meetings with a number of interested parties.