Subdivision 1. Reports required. A lobbyist must file reports of the lobbyist's activities with the board as long as the lobbyist continues to lobby. The report may be filed electronically. A lobbyist may file a termination statement at any time after ceasing to lobby.

Subd. 2. Time of reports. Each report must cover the time from the last day of the period covered by the last report to 15 days before the current filing date. The reports must be filed with the board by the following dates:

(1) January 15; and

(2) June 15.

Subd. 2a. MS 2003 Supp [Expired, 1Sp2003 c 1 art 2 s 24]

Subd. 3. Information to lobbyist. An employer or employee about whose activities a lobbyist is required to report must provide the information required by subdivision 4 to the lobbyist no later than five days before the prescribed filing date.

Subd. 4. Content. (a) A report under this section must include information the board requires from the registration form and the information required by this subdivision for the reporting period.

(b) A lobbyist must report the lobbyist's total disbursements on lobbying, separately listing lobbying to influence legislative action, lobbying to influence administrative action, and lobbying to influence the official actions of a metropolitan governmental unit, and a breakdown of disbursements for each of those kinds of lobbying into categories specified by the board, including but not limited to the cost of publication and distribution of each publication used in lobbying; other printing; media, including the cost of production; postage; travel; fees, including allowances; entertainment; telephone and telegraph; and other expenses.

(c) A lobbyist must report the amount and nature of each gift, item, or benefit, excluding contributions to a candidate, equal in value to $5 or more, given or paid to any official, as defined in section 10A.071, subdivision 1, by the lobbyist or an employer or employee of the lobbyist. The list must include the name and address of each official to whom the gift, item, or benefit was given or paid and the date it was given or paid.

(d) A lobbyist must report each original source of money in excess of $500 in any year used for the purpose of lobbying to influence legislative action, administrative action, or the official action of a metropolitan governmental unit. The list must include the name, address, and employer, or, if self-employed, the occupation and principal place of business, of each payer of money in excess of $500.

(e) On the report due June 15, the lobbyist must provide a general description of the subjects lobbied in the previous 12 months.

Subd. 4a. [Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 5]

Subd. 5. Late filing. If a lobbyist or principal fails to file a report required by this section by the date the report was due, the board may impose a late filing fee of $25 per day, not to exceed $1,000, commencing the day after the report was due. The board must send notice by certified mail to any lobbyist or principal who fails to file a report within ten business days after the report was due that the lobbyist or principal may be subject to a civil penalty for failure to file the report or pay the fee. A lobbyist or principal who fails to file a report or statement or pay a fee within seven days after the certified mail notice was sent by the board is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000.

Subd. 6. Principal reports. (a) A principal must report to the board as required in this subdivision by March 15 for the preceding calendar year.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (d), the principal must report the total amount, rounded to the nearest $20,000, spent by the principal during the preceding calendar year to influence legislative action, administrative action, and the official action of metropolitan governmental units.

(c) Except as provided in paragraph (d), the principal must report under this subdivision a total amount that includes:

(1) all direct payments by the principal to lobbyists in this state;

(2) all expenditures for advertising, mailing, research, analysis, compilation and dissemination of information, and public relations campaigns related to legislative action, administrative action, or the official action of metropolitan governmental units in this state; and

(3) all salaries and administrative expenses attributable to activities of the principal relating to efforts to influence legislative action, administrative action, or the official action of metropolitan governmental units in this state.

(d) A principal that must report spending to influence administrative action in cases of rate setting, power plant and powerline siting, and granting of certificates of need under section 216B.243 must report those amounts as provided in this subdivision, except that they must be reported separately and not included in the totals required under paragraphs (b) and (c).

Subd. 7. Financial records. The board may randomly audit the financial records of lobbyists and principals required to report under this section.

Subd. 8. [Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 5]

Subd. 9. Reporting by multiple lobbyists representing the same entity. Clauses (1) to (6) apply when a single individual, association, political subdivision, or public higher education system is represented by more than one lobbyist.

(1) The entity must appoint one designated lobbyist to report lobbyist disbursements made by the entity. The designated lobbyist must indicate that status on the periodic reports of lobbyist disbursements.

(2) A reporting lobbyist may consent to report on behalf of one or more other lobbyists for the same entity, in which case, the other lobbyists are persons whose activities the reporting lobbyist must disclose and are subject to the disclosure requirements of subdivision 3. Lobbyist disbursement reports filed by a reporting lobbyist must include the names and registration numbers of the other lobbyists whose activities are included in the report.

(3) Lobbyists whose activities are accounted for by a reporting lobbyist are not required to file lobbyist disbursement reports.

(4) A lobbyist whose lobbying disbursements are provided to the board through a reporting lobbyist must supply all relevant information on disbursements to the reporting lobbyist no later than five days before the prescribed filing date.

(5) The reporting periods and due dates for a reporting lobbyist are those provided in subdivision 2. The late filing provisions in subdivision 5 apply to reports required by this subdivision.

(6) The reporting lobbyist must indicate the names and registration numbers of any lobbyists who did not provide their lobbying disbursements for inclusion in a report. The late filing provisions in subdivision 5 apply to lobbyists who fail to report information to the reporting lobbyist.

History: 1974 c 470 s 4; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1976 c 307 s 9,10; 1978 c 463 s 30-32; 1984 c 654 art 2 s 37; 1986 c 444; 1Sp1986 c 3 art 1 s 3; 1990 c 608 art 1 s 7-11; 1993 c 318 art 2 s 5; 1994 c 377 s 2; 1999 c 220 s 5,50; 2002 c 363 s 6-8; 1Sp2003 c 1 art 2 s 22-27; 1Sp2003 c 23 s 10; 2005 c 10 art 1 s 2; 2010 c 327 s 6; 2012 c 251 s 1; 2013 c 138 art 3 s 3; 1Sp2017 c 4 art 3 s 4