mission as provided under the Com-
modity Exchange Act; and
(II) the Securities and Exchange
Commission or the Commodities Fu-
ture Trading Commission, respec-
tively;
relating to the regulatory responsibilities of
such organization under that Act;
(iv) testimony given before a commit-
tee, subcommittee, or task force of the
Congress, or submitted for inclusion in the
public record of a hearing conducted by
such committee, subcommittee, or task
force;
(v) made in response to a notice in
the Federal Register, Commerce Business
Daily, or other similar publication solicit-
ing communications from the public and
directed to the agency official specifically
designated in the notice to receive such
communications;
(vi) made to an official in an agency
with regard to—
(I) a judicial proceeding or a
criminal or civil law enforcement in-
quiry, investigation, or proceeding; or
(II) a filing or proceeding that
the Government is specifically re-
quired by statute or regulation to
maintain or conduct on a confidential
basis,
if that agency is charged with responsibil-
ity for such proceeding, inquiry, investiga-
tion, or filing.
(11) LOBBYING
FIRM.—The term ‘‘lobbying
firm’’ means a person or entity that has 1 or more
employees who are lobbyists on behalf of a client
other than that person or entity. The term also in-
cludes a self-employed individual who is a lobbyist.
(12) LOBBYIST.—The term ‘‘lobbyist’’ means
any individual who is employed or retained by a cli-
ent for financial or other compensation for services
that include 1 or more lobbying contacts, other than
an individual whose lobbying activities constitute less
than 10 percent of the time engaged in the services
provided by such individual to that client.
(13) 
MEMBER
OF
CONGRESS.—The 
term
‘‘Member of Congress’’ means a Senator or a Rep-
resentative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis-
sioner to, the Congress.
(14) ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘organization’’
means a person or entity other than an individual.
(15) PERSON OR ENTITY.—The term ‘‘person
or entity’’ means any individual, corporation, com-
pany, foundation, association, labor organization,
firm, partnership, society, joint stock company,
group of organizations, or State or local government.
(16) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of
the several States, the District of Columbia, and any
commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United
States.
SEC. 4. REGISTRATION OF LOBBYISTS.
(a) REGISTRATION.—
(1) GENERAL RULE.—No later than 30 days
after a lobbyist first makes a lobbying contact or is
employed or retained to make a lobbying contact,
whichever is earlier, such lobbyist (or, as provided
under paragraph (2), the organization employing
such lobbyist), shall register with the Federal Elec-
tions Commission.
(2) EMPLOYER FILING.—Any organization that
has 1 or more employees who are lobbyists shall file
a single registration under this section on behalf of
such employees for each client on whose behalf the
employees act as lobbyists.
(3) EXEMPTION.—
(A) 
GENERAL
RULE.—Notwithstanding
paragraphs (1) and (2), a person or entity
whose—
(i) total income for matters related to
lobbying activities on behalf of a particular
client (in the case of a lobbying firm) does
not exceed and is not expected to exceed
$2,500;
(ii) the total income in connection
with lobbying activities in a 6-month pe-
riod does not exceed $5,000; or
(iii) total expenses in connection with
lobbying activities (in the case of an orga-
nization whose employees engage in lobby-
ing activities on its own behalf) do not ex-
ceed or are not expected to exceed $5,000,
(as estimated under section 5) in the semi-
annual period described in section 5(a) during
which the registration would be made is not re-
quired to register under subsection (a) with re-
spect to such client.
(B) ADJUSTMENT.—The dollar amounts in
subparagraph (A) shall be adjusted—
(i) on January 1, 1997, to reflect
changes in the Consumer Price Index (as
determined by the Secretary of Labor)
since the date of enactment of this Act;
and
(ii) on January 1 of each fourth year
occurring after January 1, 1997, to reflect
changes in the Consumer Price Index (as
determined by the Secretary of Labor)
during the preceding 4-year period,
rounded to the nearest $500.
(b) CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION.—Each registra-
tion under this section shall be in such form as the Chair-
man shall prescribe by regulation and shall contain—
(1) the name, address, business telephone num-
ber, and principal place of business of the registrant,
and a general description of its business or activi-
ties;
(2) the name, address, and principal place of
business of the registrant’s client, and a general de-
scription of its business or activities (if different
from paragraph (1));
(3) the name, address, and principal place of
business of any organization, other than the client,
that—
(A) contributes more than $5,000 toward
the lobbying activities of the registrant in a
semiannual period described in section 5(a);
and
(B) participates significantly in the plan-
ning, supervision, or control of such lobbying
activities;
(4) the name, address, principal place of busi-
ness, amount of any contribution of more than
$5,000 to the lobbying activities of the registrant,
and approximate percentage of equitable ownership
in the client (if any) of any foreign entity that—
(A) holds at least 20 percent equitable
ownership in the client or any organization
identified under paragraph (3);
(B) directly or indirectly, in whole or in
major part, plans, supervises, controls, directs,
finances, or subsidizes the activities of the cli-
ent or any organization identified under para-
graph (3); or
(C) is an affiliate of the client or any orga-
nization identified under paragraph (3) and has
a direct interest in the outcome of the lobbying
activity;
(5) a statement of—
(A) the general issue areas in which the
registrant expects to engage in lobbying activi-
ties on behalf of the client; and
(B) to the extent practicable, specific is-
sues that have (as of the date of the registra-
tion) already been addressed or are likely to be
addressed in lobbying activities; and
(6) the name of each employee of the registrant
who has acted or whom the registrant expects to act
as a lobbyist on behalf of the client and, if any such
employee has served as a covered executive branch
official or a covered legislative branch official in the
5 years before the date on which such employee first
acted (after the date of enactment of this Act) as a
lobbyist on behalf of the client, the position in which
such employee served and the Member, committee,
or agency for which the individual served.
(c) GUIDELINES FOR REGISTRATION.—
(1) MULTIPLE CLIENTS.—In the case of a reg-
istrant making lobbying contacts on behalf of more
than 1 client, a separate registration under this sec-
tion shall be filed for each such client.
(2) MULTIPLE
CONTACTS.—A registrant who
makes more than 1 lobbying contact for the same
client shall file a single registration covering all such
lobbying contacts.
(d) TERMINATION OF REGISTRATION.—A registrant
who after registration—
(1) is no longer employed or retained by a cli-
ent to conduct lobbying activities, and
(2) does not anticipate any additional lobbying
activities for such client,
may so notify the Chairman and terminate its registration.
SEC. 5. REPORTS BY REGISTERED LOBBYISTS.
(a) SEMIANNUAL REPORT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—No later than 30 days after
the end of the semiannual period beginning on the
first day of each January and the first day of July
of each year in which a registrant is registered
under section 4, each registrant shall file a report
with the Federal Election Commission (hereinafter
referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’) on its lobbying ac-
tivities during such semiannual period. A separate
report shall be filed for each client of the registrant.
(2) EXEMPTION.—
(A) 
GENERAL
RULE.—Any 
registrant
whose—
(i) total income for a particular client
for matters that are related to lobbying ac-
tivities on behalf of that client (in the case
of a lobbying firm), does not exceed and is
not expected to exceed $2,500;
(ii) the total income in connection
with lobbying activities in a 6-month pe-
riod does not exceed $5,000; or
(iii) total expenses in connection with
lobbying activities (in the case of a reg-
istrant whose employees engage in lobbying
activities on its own behalf) do not exceed
and are not expected to exceed $5,000,
in a semiannual period (as estimated under
paragraph (3) or (4) of subsection (b) or para-
graph (4) of subsection (c), as applicable) is
deemed to be inactive during such period and
may comply with the reporting requirements of
this section by so notifying the Chairman in
such form as the Chairman may prescribe.
(B) ADJUSTMENT.—The dollar amounts in
subparagraph (A) shall be adjusted as provided
in section 4(a)(3)(B).
(b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each semiannual re-
port filed under subsection (a) shall be in such form as
the Chairman shall prescribe by regulation and shall con-
tain—
(1) the name of the registrant, the name of the
client, and any changes or updates to the informa-
tion provided in the initial registration;
(2) for each general issue area in which the reg-
istrant engaged in lobbying activities on behalf of
the client during the semiannual filing period—
(A) a list of the specific issues upon which
a lobbyist employed by the registrant engaged
in lobbying activities, including, to the maxi-
mum extent practicable, a list of bill numbers
and references to specific regulatory actions,
programs, projects, contracts, grants, and
loans;
(B) a statement of the Houses and com-
mittees of Congress and the Federal agencies
contacted by lobbyists employed by the reg-
istrant on behalf of the client;
(C) a list of the employees of the registrant
who acted as lobbyists on behalf of the client;
and
(D) a description of the interest, if any, of
any foreign entity identified under section
4(b)(4) in the specific issues listed under sub-
paragraph (A).
(3) in the case of a lobbying firm, a good faith
estimate of the total amount of all income from the
client (including any payments to the registrant by
any other person for lobbying activities on behalf of
the client) during the semiannual period, other than
income for matters that are unrelated to lobbying
activities; and
(4) in the case of a registrant engaged in lobby-
ing activities on its own behalf, a good faith estimate
of the total expenses that the registrant and its em-
ployees incurred in connection with lobbying activi-
ties during the semiannual filing period.
(c) ESTIMATES OF INCOME OR EXPENSES.—For pur-
poses of this section, estimates of income or expenses shall
be made as follows:
(1) $100,000 OR LESS.—Income or expenses of
$100,000 or less shall be estimated in accordance
with the following categories:
(A) $10,000 or less.
(B) More than $10,000 but not more than
$20,000.
(C) More than $20,000 but not more than
$50,000.
(D) More than $50,000 but not more than
$100,000.
(2) MORE THAN $100,000 BUT NOT MORE THAN
$500,000.—Income or expenses in excess of $100,000
but not more than $500,000 shall be estimated and
rounded to the nearest $50,000.
(3) MORE THAN $500,000.—Income or expenses
in excess of $500,000 shall be estimated and round-
ed to the nearest $100,000.
(4) CONSTRUCTION.—In estimating total in-
come or expenses under this section, a registrant is
not required to include—
(A) the value of contributed services for
which no payment is made; or
(B) the expenses for services provided by
an independent contractor of the registrant who
is separately registered under this Act.
(d) CONTACTS.—
(1) CONTACTS WITH COMMITTEES.—For pur-
poses of subsection (b)(2), any contact with a mem-
ber of a committee of Congress, an employee of a
committee of Congress, or an employee of a member
of a committee of Congress regarding a matter with-
in the jurisdiction of such committee shall be consid-
ered to be a contact with the committee.
(2) CONTACTS WITH HOUSE OF CONGRESS.—
For purposes of subsection (b)(2), any contact with
a Member of Congress or an employee of a Member
of Congress regarding a matter that is not within
the jurisdiction of a committee of Congress of which
that Member is a member shall be considered to be
a contact with the House of Congress of that Mem-
ber.
(3) CONTACTS WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES.—For
purposes of subsection (b)(2), any contact with a
covered executive branch official shall be considered
to be a contact with the Federal agency that em-
ploys that official, except that a contact with a cov-
ered executive branch official who is detailed to an-
other Federal agency or to the Congress shall be
considered to be a contact with the Federal agency
or with the committee of Congress or House of Con-
gress to which the official is detailed.
(e) EXTENSION FOR FILING.—The Chairman may
grant an extension of time of not more than 30 days for
the filing of any report under this section, upon the re-
quest of the registrant, for good cause shown.
SEC. 6. DUTIES OF CHAIRMAN.
The Chairman shall—
(1) after notice and a reasonable opportunity
for public comment, and consultation with the Sec-
retary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives, and the Administrative Conference of
the United States, prescribe such regulations and
forms as are necessary to carry out the registration
and reporting requirements of this Act;
(2) provide guidance and assistance on the reg-
istration and reporting requirements of this Act, in-
cluding—
(A) providing information to all registrants
at the time of registration about the obligations
of registered lobbyists under this Act, and
(B) issuing published decisions and advi-
sory opinions;
(3) review the registrations and reports filed
under this Act and make such verifications or in-
quiries as are necessary to ensure the completeness,
accuracy, and timeliness of the registrations and re-
ports;
(4) develop filing, coding, and cross-indexing
systems to carry out the purposes of this Act, in-
cluding—
(A) a publicly available list of all registered
lobbyists and their clients; and
(B) computerized systems designed to min-
imize the burden of filing and maximize public
access to materials filed under this Act;
(5) ensure that the computer systems developed
pursuant to paragraph (4)—
(A) allow the materials filed under this Act
to be accessed by the client name, lobbyist
name, and registrant name;
(B) are compatible with or are the same as
computer systems already developed and main-
tained by the Federal Election Commission, and
that information filed in the two systems can be
readily cross-referenced; and
(C) are compatible with computer systems
developed and maintained by the Secretary of
the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives;
(6) make copies of each registration and report
filed under this Act available to the public, upon the
payment of reasonable fees, not to exceed the cost
of such copies, as determined by the Chairman, in
written and electronic formats, as soon as prac-
ticable after the date on which such registration or
report is received;
(7) preserve the originals or accurate reproduc-
tion of—
(A) registrations filed under this Act for a
period that ends not less than 3 years after the
termination of the registration under section
4(d); and
(B) reports filed under this Act for a pe-
riod that ends not less than 3 years after the
date on which the report is received;
(8) maintain a computer record of—
(A) the information contained in registra-
tions for a period that ends not less than 5
years after the termination of the registration
under section 4(d); and
(B) the information contained in reports
filed under this Act for a period that ends not
less than 5 years after the date on which the
reports are received;
(9) compile and summarize, with respect to
each semiannual period, the information contained
in registrations and reports filed with respect to
such period in a manner which clearly presents the
extent and nature of expenditures on lobbying activi-
ties during such period;
(10) make information compiled and summa-
rized under paragraph (9) available to the public in
electronic and hard copy formats as soon as prac-
ticable after the close of each semiannual filing pe-
riod;
(11) provide, by computer telecommunication or
other transmittal in a form accessible by computer,
to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the
House of Representatives copies of all registrations
and reports received under sections 4 and 5 and all
compilations, cross-indexes, and summaries of such
registrations and reports, as soon as practicable (but
not later than 3 working days) after such material
is received or created;
(12) provide, by computer telecommunication or
other transmittal in a form accessible by computer,
to the Attorney General, copies of all registrations
and reports received under sections 4 and 5 on all
compilations, cross-indexes, and summaries of such
registrations and reports, as soon as practicable (but
not later than 3 working days) after such material
is received or created;
(13) make available to the public a list of all
persons whom the Attorney General determines,
under section 8 (after exhaustion of all appeals
under section 10) to have committed a major or
minor violation of this Act and submit such list to
the Congress as part of the report provided for
under paragraph (14); and
(14) make available to the public upon request
and transmit to the President, the Secretary of the
Senate, the Clerk of the House of Representatives,
the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Sen-
ate, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the
House of Representatives a report, not later than
March 31 of each year, describing the activities of
the Commission and the implementation of this Act,
including—
(A) a financial statement for the preceding
fiscal year;
(B) a summary of the registrations and re-
ports filed with the Commission with respect to
the preceding calendar year;
(C) a summary of the registrations and re-
ports filed on behalf of foreign entities with re-
spect to the preceding calendar year; and
(D) recommendations for such legislative
or other action as the Chairman considers ap-
propriate.
SEC. 7. INITIAL PROCEDURE FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS.
(a) ALLEGATION OF A VIOLATION.—Whenever the
Attorney General has reason to believe from complaints
filed with the Attorney General or otherwise that a person
or entity may be in violation of the requirements of this
Act, the Attorney General shall notify the person or entity
in writing of the nature of the alleged violation and pro-
vide an opportunity for the person or entity to respond
in writing to the allegation within 30 days after the notifi-
cation is sent or such longer period as the Attorney Gen-
eral may determine appropriate in the circumstances.
(b) INITIAL DETERMINATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—If the person or entity re-
sponds within the period described in the notification
under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall—
(A) issue a written determination that the
person or entity has not violated this Act if the
person or entity provides adequate information
or explanation to make such determination; or
(B) make a formal request for information
under subsection (c) or a notification under sec-
tion 8(a), if the information or explanation pro-
vided is not adequate to make a determination
under subparagraph (A).
(2) WRITTEN DECISION.—If the Attorney Gen-
eral makes a determination under paragraph (1)(A),
the Attorney General shall issue a public written de-
cision in accordance with section 9.
(c) FORMAL REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.—If a per-
son or entity fails to respond in writing within the period
described in the notification under subsection (a) or the
response is not adequate to determine whether such per-
son or entity has violated this Act, the Attorney General
may make a formal request for specific additional written
information (subject to applicable privileges) that is rea-
sonably necessary for the Attorney General to make such
determination. Each such request shall be structured to
minimize any burden imposed, consistent with the need
to determine whether the person or entity is in compliance
with this Act, and shall—
(1) state the nature of the conduct constituting
the alleged violation which is the basis for the in-
quiry and the provision of law applicable thereto;
(2) describe the class or classes of material to
be produced pursuant to the request with such defi-
niteness and certainty as to permit such material to
be readily identified; and
(3) prescribe a return date or dates which pro-
vide a reasonable period of time within which the
person or entity may assemble and make available
for inspection and copying or reproduction the mate-
rial so requested.
SEC. 8. DETERMINATIONS OF VIOLATIONS.
(a) NOTIFICATION AND HEARING.—If the informa-
tion provided to the Attorney General under section 7 indi-
cates that a person or entity may have violated this Act,
the Attorney General shall—
(1) notify the person or entity in writing of this
finding and, if appropriate, a proposed penalty as-
sessment and provide such person or entity with an
opportunity to respond in writing within 30 days
after the notice is sent; and
(2) if requested in writing by that person or en-
tity within that 30-day period, afford the person or
entity an opportunity for a hearing on the record
under the provisions of section 554 of title 5, United
States Code.
(b) DETERMINATION.—Upon the receipt of a written
response under subsection (a)(1) when no hearing under
subsection (a)(2) is requested, upon the completion of a
hearing requested under subsection (a)(2), or upon the ex-
piration of 30 days in a case in which no such written
response is received, the Attorney General shall review the
information received under section 7 and this section (in-
cluding evidence presented at any such hearing) and make
entity could reasonably be expected to be injured by
the disclosure of such information.
SEC. 10. JUDICIAL REVIEW.
(a) FINAL DECISION.—A written decision issued by
the Attorney General under section 8 shall become final
60 days after the date on which the Attorney General pro-
vides notice of the decision, unless such decision is ap-
pealed under subsection (b) of this section.
(b) APPEAL.—Any person or entity adversely affected
by a written decision issued by the Attorney General under
section 8 may appeal such decision, except as provided
under section 8(b), to the appropriate United States court
of appeals. Such review may be obtained by filing a written
notice of appeal in such court no later than 60 days after
the date on which the Attorney General provides notice
of the Attorney General’s decision and by simultaneously
sending a copy of such notice of appeal to the Attorney
General. The Attorney General shall file in such court the
record upon which the decision was issued, as provided
under section 2112 of title 28, United States Code. The
findings of fact of the Attorney General shall be conclu-
sive, unless found to be unsupported by substantial evi-
dence, as provided under section 706(2)(E) of title 5,
United States Code. Any penalty assessed or other action