41-1232.03. Expenditure reporting; public bodies and public lobbyists; gifts

A. Each public body shall report annually all single expenditures received by or benefitting a member of the legislature whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying. These expenditures shall be itemized separately, and each itemization shall include the date of the expenditure, the amount of the expenditure, the name of each member of the legislature receiving or benefitting from the expenditure, the category of the expenditure and the name of the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist who made the expenditure on behalf of the public body. In addition each public body shall report annually the aggregate of all expenditures of $20 or less received by or benefitting a member of the legislature, whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying. The report shall list all expenditures by the public body made in the course of lobbying for the personal sustenance, filing fee, legal fees, employees' compensation, meals, lodging and travel of the designated public lobbyist and all authorized public lobbyists employed or retained by, and representing, the public body. The public body shall apportion expenditures that are attributable both to lobbying and to other activities of the public body and shall report only the portion attributable to lobbying. For the purpose of reporting employee compensation, a public body, on establishing a time allocation schedule for apportioned lobbying activity based on actual experience under this article, may submit after the 1993 calendar year an affidavit to the secretary of state stating the compensation attributable to lobbying for subsequent years for the designated public lobbyist and all authorized public lobbyists whose job responsibilities have not been significantly altered since the time allocation schedule was established. The report shall be filed by March 1 and shall list the annual expenditures made on behalf of the public body. If March 1 is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

B. Each designated public lobbyist shall report quarterly all single expenditures received by or benefitting a member of the legislature and incurred in the preceding calendar quarter by the designated public lobbyist, whether or not the single expenditures were made in the course of lobbying. Each designated public lobbyist's report shall also include all single expenditures incurred in the preceding calendar quarter by each authorized public lobbyist who is registered pursuant to section 41-1232.01 by the same public body that registered the designated public lobbyist. This subsection does not apply to an expenditure that was made by a designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist and that was received by or benefitted an employee of a public body, if the employee is not a member or employee of the legislature or a member of the household of a member or employee of the legislature. These expenditures shall be itemized separately, and each itemization shall include the date of the expenditure, the amount of the expenditure, the name of the member or employee receiving or benefitting from the expenditure, the category of the expenditure and the public body on whose behalf the expenditure was made. If the expenditure was made by the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist and was not made on behalf of a public body, it shall be itemized separately. The quarterly report shall be filed not later than the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter, unless the last day of the month is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday. In that case, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

C. Each designated public lobbyist shall also report quarterly the aggregate of all expenditures of $20 or less received by or benefitting a member of the legislature, whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying. Each designated public lobbyist's report shall also include the aggregate of all expenditures of $20 or less that were received by or benefitted a member of the legislature and that were made by an authorized public lobbyist who is registered pursuant to section 41-1232.01 by the same public body that registered the designated public lobbyist. This subsection does not apply to an expenditure that was made by a designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist and that was received by or benefitted an employee of a public body, if the employee is not a member or employee of the legislature or a member of the household of a member or employee of the legislature. The report shall list separately the aggregate of expenditures made on behalf of each public body and the aggregate not made on behalf of any public body. In the fourth calendar quarter, these expenditures shall also be listed by cumulative total for the calendar year. Each quarterly lobbyist report shall include all reportable expenditures made by any employee of the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist, regardless of whether that employee is listed as a designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist on any registration filed by a public body engaging the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist. The quarterly report shall be filed not later than the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter, unless the last day of the month is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday. In that case, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

D. The reports required by subsections A and B of this section shall identify the nature of each single expenditure according to the following categories:

1. Food or beverages.

2. Speaking engagement.

3. Travel and lodging.

4. Flowers.

5. Other expenditures.

E. Expenditures by a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist for personal sustenance, family gifts, personal hospitality or those items excluded from the definition of gift pursuant to section 41-1231, paragraph 9, subdivision (a), (c), (d), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k) or (l) are not required to be reported.

F. All expenditures incurred by a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist in the case of special events for legislators, including parties, dinners, athletic events, entertainment and other functions, to which all members of the legislature, either house of the legislature or any committee of the legislature are invited shall be reported. Expenditures are not required to be allocated to individual legislators, but for each such event a description of the event and the date, location, name of the legislative body invited and total expenditures incurred shall be reported. Expenditures for special events held in conjunction with state, national or regional meetings of an organization or association concerned or dealing with legislative or other governmental activities to which all members or employees of the legislature in attendance at such event are invited shall be reported in the same manner.

G. All information required to be filed pursuant to this section with the secretary of state shall be filed in that office and preserved by the secretary of state for five years from the date of filing, after which time the information shall be destroyed. The information is a public record and open to public inspection.

H. If a public body or designated public lobbyist makes no expenditures that it would otherwise be required to report during a specified reporting period, the public body or designated public lobbyist may sign a form under penalty of perjury prescribed by the secretary of state indicating that there were no expenditures during the specific reporting period.

I. A person or organization shall not make a gift to or an expenditure on behalf of a member or employee of the legislature through another person or organization for the purpose of disguising the identity of the person making the gift or expenditure.

J. A public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist or any other person acting on behalf of a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist shall not give to any member of the legislature and a member of the legislature shall not accept from a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist either of the following:

1. Gifts with a total value of more than $10 during any calendar year.

2. Gifts that are designed to influence the member's or employee's official conduct.

K. Subsection J of this section does not apply to gifts given by a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist to an employee of a public body, if the employee is not a public official or a member of the household of a public official or if the gift is accepted on behalf of the public body and remains the property of the public body.