9:00am Welcome Introduction

9:00am

Welcome Introduction

9:05am

• Quick Overviews

• Registration – Renewals – Termination - Status

• Managing Clients

• Disclosing

• Income

• Expenses

• Subcontractor Payments

• Direct Business Associations

• Disclosing Subjects ^& Bills

• Subjects and Bills

• Clients and their positions

• Adding or updating positions

• Rolling bills forward each month

• Begin / End dates of positions

• Filing ^&Amending Monthly & Cumulative Reports

• History

• Lobbyist Main Page Overview

10:00am

Colorado law defines lobbying as communicating directly, or soliciting others to communicate, with a covered official for the purpose of aiding in or influencing:

• The drafting, introduction, sponsorship, consideration, debate, amendment, passage, defeat, approval, or veto by any covered official on:

• Any bill, resolution, amendment, nomination, appointment, or report, whether or not in writing,

pending or proposed for consideration by either house of the General Assembly or committee thereof, whether or not the General Assembly is in session;

• Any other matter pending or proposed in writing by any covered official for consideration by either chamber of the General Assembly or a committee thereof, whether or not the General Assembly is in session;

C.R.S. 24-6-301(3.5)(a)(I)

Statutory Definition of Lobbying (Excerpt)

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Registration

Registration Link

Online Lobbyist Home Page

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Registration

Only enter Firm / Org name if registering a FIRM

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Registration

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Registration

NOTE:

1. Initial Reporting Month is NOTnecessarily the current month, first month of the fiscal or calendar year, or the first month of session.

2. Initial Reporting Month IS the month during which the lobbyist first became a professional or state liaison lobbyist.

3. Late Registration - after the month during which you became a professional lobbyist -selectthe appropriate past month, disclose

activity, filethe report as quickly as possible to stop accrual of penalties.

4. Late monthly and cumulative reports accrue penalties until filed.

5. If you selected the wrong “Initial Reporting Month”, you must contact us at [email protected] request a correction.

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Registration

• Add existing clients at time of registration

• New clients must be added

• within 24 hours during session

• within 5 business days outside of session

• Amend client information as necessary

• Deactivate and reactivate as necessary

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Add existing clients when completing registration

Registration

Select “Pay with” option (either could apply), click pay now - enter payment information (not shown)

The “Confirmation” is your receipt. Print this page if you require a receipt for your records.

The system will not generate a separate receipt.

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Registration

The following steps are now complete:

1. Requested a User ID

2. Request was reviewed and approved by our office 3. Received email w/User ID + temporary password 4. Logged in with temporary &set permanent password 5. Completed registration by:

1. Indicating start month 2. Adding clients

3. Paying $40 annual registration fee 4. Printing confirmation receipt 5. Viewing Lobbyist Certificate

Registration

LOBBYIST IS READY TO BEGIN DISCLOSING

• If Report Status shows Delinquent, registration date was past the due date for the first month’s activity as entered in “Initial Reporting Month”.

• Disclose all activity and file delinquent reports as quickly as possible to stop the accrual of late disclosure penalties.

Previously registered lobbyists

• If your lobbyist type, firm, or employer is the same:

• Login to your existing (prior) account using the same User ID and password

• Notice - “Registration Renewal is available” (if not showing, this likely means you have delinquent reports or unpaid

from the prior FY)

• Click the “Renew Annual Registration” link

• Complete renewal process

• Similar to the new registration process

• Make necessary updates to information

• Previous clients not deactivated in the prior

registration period will remain active and do not need to be re-entered

• If you have clients from the previous registration period that are showing active but are no longer your client, deactivate them prior to or after renewing to ensure client information is current

Renewing Registration

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In your final monthly disclosure report

• Enter all required disclosure information

• Click “Check if this is a termination report”

• Click “File Report”

• Lobbyist’s account will be terminated upon filing

• Terminating removes all remaining monthly disclosure reports when terminating before the end of the FY.

• Terminating does not prevent lobbyists from logging back in to their account.

• LOBBYISTS MUST FILE THEIR ANNUAL CUMULATIVE REPORT AFTER TERMINATING – EVEN WHEN TERMINATING EARLY.

• Professional lobbyist accounts not yet terminated will automatically deactivate at the end of the FY.

Terminating Your Account

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TERMINATED / CURRENT

Lobbyist manually terminated and all required monthly reports were filed.

Verify you have filed your cumulative!

CURRENT / DELINQUENT Lobbyist paid registration fee but has one or more late monthly or cumulative reports

UNREGISTERED / UNREGISTERED Lobbyist

• Requested User ID

• Was approved

• Never paid registration fee

• Must resubmit request after 30 days

Account Status

EXPIRED / CURRENT Lobbyist did not manually terminate but has not yet registered for current FY

ADDING CLIENTS

• Existing clients must be added at time of registration/renewal

• New clients MUST be added within 24 hours during session and within 5 business days outside of session.

• From Lobbyist Home: click Manage Clients

• Click Add

Managing Clients

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• Date lobbyist hired: current or prior date – NO FUTURE DATE (see error below)

• Complete form, check signature box at bottom, click save

• You cannot amend the start date of a client once you save the client

Corrections to “lobbyist hired” date require an email request to [email protected]

Managing Clients

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Amending Client Information

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1. Click Manage Clients 2. Click on client’s name 3. Update desired fields 4. Click Save

WHEN YOU UPDATE CLIENT

INFORMATION YOU MUST MANUALLY AMEND YOUR MONTHLY DISCLOSURE REPORT TO PUSH THE CHANGE

THROUGH TO THE REPORT!

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• DEACTIVATEclient

• Check box under “Inactivate/Reactivate”

• Click the “Inactivate/Reactivate” button at bottom of the page

• REACTIVATEclient

• Repeat steps above

• Inactivate / Reactivate clients as often as needed

• Client’s “End Date” will always show the most recent deactivation date

• If you reactivate a previously deactivated client, the “End Date” column will show blank upon reactivation

• To see previous Start and End Dates, view lobbyist’s “History” section

• You cannot manually enter or change a client’s start or end date

• To correct a begin/end date for a client email the Lobby Support Team at [email protected]

Changes made to clients are reflected in the history page and cannot be altered.

Deactivating

Reactivating Clients

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Client Updates

Report Amendments

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Updating Client information DOES NOT

automatically amend a previously filed report or generate an “amended” date in the

amended column.

To push the amended information through to your previously filed disclosure report and the public, you MUST either:

1. LOG OUT and LOG BACK IN

a. This option DOES NOT populate a date in the

“Latest Amended Date” column (see #1).

b. The changes will be reflected on your previously filed disclosure report (see #2).

2. RE-FILE PREVIOUSLY FILED REPORT

a. Open your previously filed disclosure report and click “File Report”

b. This option DOES NOT populate a date into the

“Last Amended Date” column (see #1).

WE CANNOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE, HOWEVER, OUR GUIDANCE IS TO AMEND ANY PREVIOUSLY FILED REPORTS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE CLIENT UPDATES.

IF THE CLIENT UPDATES ARE TIMELY DISCLOSED, IT IS POSSIBLE NO REPORT AMENDMENTS ARE NECESSARY.

Click the month for which you will be entering information.

Enter all relevant disclosure items.

Disclosing Activity

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Contributions (Income)

• Click Add, complete income form, click save

• Date received can be currentmonth, prior month, or futuremonth

• Amend income by clicking the client’s name from Income page, amend, save

• Delete income by checking box next to desired client, click “delete” at bottom of page

• Income should reflect the compensation for lobbying received since reported the prior reporting period

• Previously filed reports (PDF) will be over-written with updated information. Prior PDF versions are not saved, but all changes and amendments can be viewed under HISTORY

• Entering or amending income does not show “real-time” to the public and will be visible by the public upon filing or amending the report itself.

Contributions (Income)

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• Click Add, completeexpense form, save

• Date of expense can be current, prior, or future month

• Amend expense by clicking the $ amount for desired client, update, save

• Deleteexpense by checking box next to the desired expense, click delete

Expenditures

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• Enter expenses incurred for lobbying during the relevant month

• Previously filed reports (PDF) will be over-written with updated information. Prior PDF versions are not saved, but all changes and amendments can be viewed under HISTORY

• If you haven’t yet filed your monthly report, new expenses and updated (amended) expenses will not show to the public until you do so.

Subcontractors are professional

registered lobbyists hired and paid by a different professional registered lobbyist.

Subcontractor Payments

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SUBCONTRACTED LOBBYIST

You will need to add the lobbyist hiring you as a

“client” to disclose the income you receive from

that lobbyist.

SUBCONTRACTED LOBBYIST

Add original client for the purpose of disclosing

bills and positions.

Subcontractor Payments

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Scenario

Subcontracting

Client A contracts with professional lobbyist A, who in turn hires a

subcontracted professional lobbyist to do the lobbying for Client A.

How should the original and contracted lobbyists each report?

Response

The original lobbyist will report:

1. Income: Payment from client

2. Payment made to subcontracted lobbyist goes under SUBCONTRACTOR PAYMENTS – NOT UNDER EXPENSES!

3. Client’s bill positions

The subcontracted lobbyist will report:

1. Income: Payment from professional lobbyist 2. Client’s bill positions (w/in 72 hrs)

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Scenario Variation

Client hires professional lobbyist.

Professional lobbyist hires lobby firm, who in turn assigns the client to one of their lobbyists.

Original lobbyist discloses income from client and expense paid to lobby firm.

Subcontracted firm discloses income from original lobbyist, expense to their lobbyist, and client’s bill positions (due monthly).

Lobby firm’s lobbyist discloses income from lobby firm and client’s bill positions w/in 72-hrs.

24-6-301 (1) 24-6-301(1.5) 24-6-301(1.9) 24-6-301(3.5)

24-6-302 24-6-302(3)(b)

Subcontractor Payments

Original Client

Original Lobbyist Income from Client

Subcontracted Lobbyist

Add new client within 24 hours of being subcontracted

Payment under “Subcontractor Payments” - not “Expense Items”

Income from Original Lobbyist or Client Client’s bill positions

24-6-302 (2.5)(a) 24-6-302(3)(b) 24-6-302(6)(a)(II) 24-6-302(6)(b)(II)

24-6-302(6.5)

Add new client within 24 hours

hires

hires

Client’s bill positions within 72-hours

Subcontractor Payments

Original Client

Original Lobbyist Income from original client

Subcontracted Lobby Firm

Add new original client within 24 hours

Payment to firm “Subcontractor Payments” - not “Expense Items”

Income from original lobbyist (or original client) Original client’s bill positions

24-6-302 (2.5)(a) 24-6-302(3)(b) 24-6-302(6)(a)(II) 24-6-302(6)(b)(II)

24-6-302(6.5)

Add new original client within 24 hours

hires

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Original client’s bill positions within 72-hours

Payment to firm’s lobbyists under “Expense Items”

Original client’s bill positions

Firm’s Lobbyist Add new original client within 24 hours Income from lobby firm

Subcontractor Payments

Subcontractor Payments

24-6-301(1.9)(a)(XII), C.R.S.

• A statement detailing any direct business association of the disclosing person in any pending legislation, measure, or question. For purposes of this subparagraph (XII), a "direct business association" means that, in connection with a pending bill, measure, or question, the passage or failure of the bill, measure, or question will result in the disclosing person deriving a direct financial or pecuniary benefit that is greater than any such benefit derived by or shared by other persons in the disclosing person's profession, occupation, or industry. A disclosing person shall not be deemed to have a direct personal

relationship in a pending bill, measure, or question where such interest arises from a bill, measure, or question that affects the entire membership of a class to which the disclosing person belongs.

Direct Business Association

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72-Hour Reporting Requirement

24-6-302(6.5), C.R.S.

Requires lobbyists to disclose within 72-hours new and

subsequent changes to client’s positions on subjects and bills.

Subjects, Bills, Other

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Subjects, Bills, Positions

• Session Year Auto-Populates

• Select Bill/Resolution Prefix

• Select Bill/Resolution Number

• Short Title of Legislation or Activity Auto-Populates

If short title states ‘Description Pending”, the title for the bill has not yet been provided or updated. It will automatically populate the title in your account when we update the title.

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DISCLOSE UP TO 5 positions at a time before having to save

After entering 5 positions, you must “Save & Exit” and go back in to add positions Your final position cannot be “None”

Subjects, Bills, Positions

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TO UPDATE OR ADD POSITION Click on the Bill number (or Other)

Add or Update positions as necessary – click Save & Exit

Subjects, Bills, Positions

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• Bills positions with no end date:

• Roll forward to all future reports until end date entered

• Are automatically end-dated approximately thirty (30) days after session

• Lobbyists DO NOT have to file or re-file report to make positions public

• Initial bill positions and updates to positions show on the public site immediately upon saving the initial and/or updated positions

Subjects, Bills, Positions

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• Select Reporting Month

• Review all disclosure report items

• Click File Report

• Review Affirmation

• Click File Report

• Click Continue

• Verify under “Disclosure Report” page that report successfully filed

Filing Disclosure Reports

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• Monthly and cumulative reports can be filed early if you are terminating or the end of the filing period has passed (ex: between the 1

and the 15

of the month).

• If you accidentally file your disclosure early, you should email us your request for assistance with un-filing the disclosure before the close of the following business day.

• Send requests to [email protected] and contact us at 303-894-2200 (x6304) to verify we received your request.

Sample Disclosure Report

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Cumulative Reports

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• Cumulative can be filed:

• When terminating early (log back in and file)

• At the end of the FY after all monthly disclosures are filed

• Failure to file your cumulative results in penalties

• Your final monthly disclosure is NOT your cumulative

BEFORE MONTHLY DISCLOSURE IS FILED

• Bills & Positions become public immediately upon saving

• Income – Expenses – Other Data: initial entries and changes to original data entry does not show to the public until monthly report is filed

AFTER MONTHLY DISCLOSURE IS FILED

• Go to original data field, make changes, save

• Re-file previously filed disclosures to ensure updates are public

• Only the most recently updated information will be seen by the public

• The lobbyist has no access to originally filed reports as they are overridden

Notes on Updates

Amendments

• Some (not all) transaction #’s provide a hyperlink

• Monthly disclosure report links take you to the PDF

• Original monthly disclosures that are amended are overwritten with the updated information, but original actions, transactions, and information can be found under the Lobbyist History section.

Lobbyist History

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LOBBY SYSTEM DOES NOT

• Link firms having two or more lobbyists with those registered lobbyists

• Allow lobbyists to re-designate their account to a different category

• Display filing date on monthly/cumulative reports (PDF’s). The original report is overwritten by the amended, is not retained, and cannot be recovered by IT

• The system does NOT track or penalize late 72-hr reports for bill positions. They look identical to all positions.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Single-member lobby firms must list both lobbyist and firm. Only one account is created

• Individual lobbyist employed by a firm must include name of lobby firm as well. One account created for lobbyist.

• Firms must register a separate account.

• Lobbying firms with 2 or more members cannot include their lobbyist’s (member’s) names during registration or disclosing. They can disclose subcontracted lobbyists.

Lobbyists must submit requests to [email protected]

if they need to:

• Unfile a report that was accidentally filed early – if the report was filed that same day or after 5pm the prior business day.

• Reactivate a terminated lobbyist who previously paid their current FY

registration fee but terminated early – either accidentally or believing they were finished for the year.

• Correct client begin/end dates that have already been entered and saved.

• Request a penalty waiver (submit form)

• Request a registration fee waiver form

Additional Notes

Research Tools

Online Lobbyist System Home Page Lobby Program Home Page

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Lobby Program Home Page

“Get Lobbyist Data” link

Allows data download into spreadsheets

Research Tools

Colorado Information Marketplace

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OPEN-MIC FOR ALL

Lobby Program Manual

Colorado Constitution See Article V, Sec. 44.2(4)(B)(III), Article XXIX C.R.S. Title 24 - Article 6 - Part 3 - Regulation of Lobbyists

Lobby Program Rules

Colorado Lobby Program Home Page Prior and Future Lobby Talks

Colorado Information Marketplace

State agencies that could have rule-making authority Redistricting Lobbying FAQ’s

Redistricting Lobbyists Filing Instructions (PDF) Colorado Redistricting Commissions

RESOURCES