Real Time Online Lobbying Transparency Act (Revised)

15 section comments

Title VI - Disclosure of Paid Efforts to Stimulate Grassroots Lobbying

Summary:

Professional “Astroturf” lobbying firms that engage in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying may not otherwise be required to register and report under this Act, therefore new registration and reporting requirements are designed to capture the amounts such firms spend and receive to conduct “astroturf” lobbying campaigns. Disclosure is required only when there are paid attempts to influence more than 500 members of the general public to contact a legislative or executive branch official to urge a specific action.

Sec. 101. Definitions

  1. LOBBYING ACTIVITIES — Lobbying activities include paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying but do not include grassroots lobbying.

  2. GRASSROOTS LOBBYING — The term `grassroots lobbying' means the voluntary efforts of members of the general public to communicate their own views on an issue to federal officials or to encourage other members of the general public to do the same.

  3. PAID EFFORTS TO STIMULATE GRASSROOTS LOBBYING —

    1. IN GENERAL — The term ‘paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying’ means any paid attempt in support of lobbying contacts on behalf of a client to influence the general public or segments thereof to contact one or more covered legislative or executive branch officials (or Congress as a whole) to urge such officials (or Congress) to take specific action with respect to a matter described in section 3(8)(A), except that such term does not include any communications by an entity directed to its members, employees, officers or shareholders.

    2. PAID ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR SEGMENTS THEREOF —The term ‘paid attempt to influence the general public or segments thereof’ does not include an attempt to influence directed at less than 500 members of the general public.

    3. REGISTRANT — For purposes of this paragraph, a person or entity is a member of a registrant if the person or entity —

      1. pays dues or makes a contribution of more than a nominal amount to the entity;

      2. makes a contribution of more than a nominal amount of time to the entity;

      3. is entitled to participate in the governance of the entity;

      4. is one of a limited number of honorary or life members of the entity; or

      5. is an employee, officer, director or member of the entity.

  4. GRASSROOTS LOBBYING FIRM — The term ‘grassroots lobbying firm’ means a person or entity that —

    1. is retained by one or more clients to engage in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying on behalf of such clients; and

    2. receives income of, or spends or agrees to spend, an aggregate of $25,000 or more for such efforts in any quarterly period.

Sec. 102. Registration and Reporting

  1. Registration and reporting — Not later than 72 hours after a grassroots lobbying firm first is retained by a client to engage in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying, such grassroots lobbying firm shall electronically register and report with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

    1. A report of paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying by a grassroots lobbying firm shall include:

      1. the amount spent on paid advertising;

      2. the client name;

      3. the person or entity paid to for design and production of the paid advertising;

      4. the person or entity paid to place the ads and amounts paid to them

      5. a description of the type of media used to stimulate grassroots lobbying (ie. television, direct mail); and

      6. a brief description of the issue addressed in the advertising, the issue area code and, if applicable, bill number.