(xvi) made on behalf of an individual
with regard to that individual’s benefits,
employment, or other personal matters in-
volving only that individual, except that
this clause does not apply to any commu-
nication with—
(I) a covered executive branch of-
ficial, or
(II) a covered legislative branch
official (other than the individual’s
elected Members of Congress or em-
ployees who work under such Mem-
bers’ direct supervision),
with respect to the formulation, modifica-
tion, or adoption of private legislation for
the relief of that individual;
(xvii) a disclosure by an individual
that is protected under the amendments
made by the Whistleblower Protection Act
of 1989, under the Inspector General Act
of 1978, or under another provision of law;
(xviii) made by—
(I) a church, its integrated auxil-
iary, or a convention or association of
churches that is exempt from filing a
Federal income tax return under
paragraph 2(A)(i) of section 6033(a)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
or
(II) a religious order that is ex-
empt from filing a Federal income tax
return under paragraph (2)(A)(iii) of
such section 6033(a); and
(xix) between—
(I) officials of a self-regulatory
organization (as defined in section
3(a)(26) of the Securities Exchange
Act) that is registered with or estab-
lished by the Securities and Exchange
Commission as required by that Act
or a similar organization that is des-
ignated by or registered with the
Commodities Future Trading Com-
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.
(9) 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.
(10) 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 more than one lobbying contact, other
than an individual whose lobbying activities con-
stitute less than 20 percent of the time engaged in
the services provided by such individual to that cli-
ent over a six month period.
(11) MEDIA ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘media
organization’’ means a person or entity engaged in
disseminating information to the general public
through a newspaper, magazine, other publication,
radio, television, cable television, or other medium of
mass communication.
(12) 
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.
(13) ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘organization’’
means a person or entity other than an individual.
(14) 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.
(15) PUBLIC OFFICIAL.—The term ‘‘public offi-
cial’’ means any elected official, appointed official, or
employee of—
(A) a Federal, State, or local unit of gov-
ernment in the United States other than—
(i) a college or university;
(ii) a government-sponsored enterprise
(as defined in section 3(8) of the Congres-
sional Budget and Impoundment Control
Act of 1974);
(iii) a public utility that provides gas,
electricity, water, or communications;
(iv) a guaranty agency (as defined in
section 435(j) of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1085(j))), including
any affiliate of such an agency; or
(v) an agency of any State functioning
as a student loan secondary market pursu-
ant to section 435(d)(1)(F) of the Higher
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C.
1085(d)(1)(F));
(B) a Government corporation (as defined
in section 9101 of title 31, United States
Code);
(C) an organization of State or local elect-
ed or appointed officials other than officials of
an entity described in clause (i), (ii), (iii), (iv),
or (v) of subparagraph (A);
(D) an Indian tribe (as defined in section
4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e));
(E) a national or State political party or
any organizational unit thereof; or
(F) a national, regional, or local unit of
any foreign 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 45 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 Secretary of
the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Represent-
atives.
(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
$5,000; or
(ii) 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
$20,000,
(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 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 $10,000 toward
the lobbying activities of the registrant in a
semiannual period described in section 5(a);
and
(B) in whole or in major part plans, super-
vises, or controls such lobbying activities.
(4) the name, address, principal place of busi-
ness, amount of any contribution of more than
$10,000 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
2 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.
(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 Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk
of the House of Representatives and terminate its reg-
istration.
SEC. 5. REPORTS BY REGISTERED LOBBYISTS.
(a) SEMIANNUAL REPORT.—No later than 45 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 Secretary of
the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives
on its lobbying activities during such semiannual period.
A separate report shall be filed for each client of the reg-
istrant.
(b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each semiannual re-
port filed under subsection (a) shall contain—
(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 executive branch
actions;
(B) a statement of the Houses of Congress
and the Federal agencies contacted by lobbyists
employed by the registrant 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) Estimates of amounts in excess of $10,000
shall be rounded to the nearest $20,000.
(2) In the event income or expenses do not ex-
ceed $10,000, the registrant shall include a state-
ment that income or expenses totaled less than
$10,000 for the reporting period.
(3) A registrant that reports lobbying expendi-
tures pursuant to section 6033(b)(8) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 may satisfy the requirement
to report income or expenses by filing with the Sec-
retary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of
Representatives a copy of the form filed in accord-
ance with section 6033(b)(8).
SEC. 6. DISCLOSURE AND ENFORCEMENT.
The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the
House of Representatives shall—
(1) provide guidance and assistance on the reg-
istration and reporting requirements of this Act and
develop common standards, rules, and procedures for
compliance with this Act;
(2) review, and, where necessary, verify and in-
quire to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and
timeliness of registration and reports;
(3) develop filing, coding, and cross-indexing
systems to carry out the purpose of this Act, includ-
ing—
(A) a publicly available list of all registered
lobbyists, lobbying firms, 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;
(4) make available for public inspection and
copying at reasonable times the registrations and re-
ports filed under this Act;
(5) retain registrations for a period of at least
6 years after they are terminated and reports for a
period of at least 6 years after they are filed;
(6) compile and summarize, with respect to
each semiannual period, the information contained
in registrations and reports filed with respect to
such period in a clear and complete manner;
(7) notify any lobbyist or lobbying firm in writ-
ing that may be in noncompliance with this Act; and
(8) notify the United States Attorney for the
District of Columbia that a lobbyist or lobbying firm
may be in noncompliance with this Act, if the reg-
istrant has been notified in writing and has failed to
provide an appropriate response within 60 days after
notice was given under paragraph (6).
SEC. 7. PENALTIES.
Whoever knowingly fails to—
(1) remedy a defective filing within 60 days
after notice of such a defect by the Secretary of the
Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives;
or
(2) comply with any other provision of this Act;
shall, upon proof of such knowing violation by a pre-
ponderance of the evidence, be subject to a civil fine
of not more than $50,000, depending on the extent
and gravity of the violation.
SEC. 8. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.
(a) CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act
shall be construed to prohibit or interfere with—
(1) the right to petition the government for the
redress of grievances;
(2) the right to express a personal opinion; or
(3) the right of association,
protected by the first amendment to the Constitution.
(b) PROHIBITION OF ACTIVITIES.—Nothing in this
Act shall be construed to prohibit, or to authorize any
court to prohibit, lobbying activities or lobbying contacts
by any person or entity, regardless of whether such person
or entity is in compliance with the requirements of this
Act.
(c) AUDIT AND INVESTIGATIONS.—Nothing in this
Act shall be construed to grant general audit or investiga-
tive authority to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk
of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 9. AMENDMENTS TO THE FOREIGN AGENTS REG-
ISTRATION ACT.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22
U.S.C. 611 et seq.) is amended—
(1) in section 1—
(A) by striking subsection (j);
(B) in subsection (o) by striking ‘‘the dis-
semination of political propaganda and any
other activity which the person engaging therein
believes will, or which he intends to, prevail
upon, indoctrinate, convert, induce, persuade,
or in any other way influence’’ and inserting
‘‘any activity that the person engaging in be-
lieves will, or that the person intends to, in any
way influence’’;
(C) in subsection (p) by striking the semi-
colon and inserting a period; and
(D) by striking subsection (q);
(2) in section 3(g) (22 U.S.C. 613(g)), by strik-
ing ‘‘established agency proceedings, whether formal
or informal.’’ and inserting ‘‘judicial proceedings,
criminal or civil law enforcement inquiries, investiga-
tions, or proceedings, or agency proceedings required
by statute or regulation to be conducted on the
record.’’;
(3) in section 3 (22 U.S.C. 613) by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(h) Any agent of a person described in section
1(b)(2) or an entity described in section 1(b)(3) if the
agent is required to register and does register under the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 in connection with the
agent’s representation of such person or entity.’’;
(4) in section 4(a) (22 U.S.C. 614(a))—
(A) by striking ‘‘political propaganda’’ and
inserting ‘‘informational materials’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘and a statement, duly
signed by or on behalf of such an agent, setting
forth full information as to the places, times,
and extent of such transmittal’’;
(5) in section 4(b) (22 U.S.C. 614(b))—
(A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by
striking ‘‘political propaganda’’ and inserting
‘‘informational materials’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘(i) in the form of prints,
or’’ and all that follows through the end of the
subsection and inserting ‘‘without placing in
such informational materials a conspicuous
statement that the materials are distributed by
the agent on behalf of the foreign principal, and
that additional information is on file with the
Department of Justice, Washington, District of
Columbia. The Attorney General may by rule
define what constitutes a conspicuous statement
for the purposes of this subsection.’’;
(6) in section 4(c) (22 U.S.C. 614(c)), by strik-
ing ‘‘political propaganda’’ and inserting ‘‘informa-
tional materials’’;
(7) in section 6 (22 U.S.C. 616)—
(A) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘and all
statements concerning the distribution of politi-
cal propaganda’’;
(B) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘, and
one copy of every item of political propaganda’’;
and
(C) in subsection (c) by striking ‘‘copies of
political propaganda,’’;
(8) in section 8 (22 U.S.C. 618)—
(A) in subsection (a)(2) by striking ‘‘or in
any statement under section 4(a) hereof con-
cerning the distribution of political propa-
ganda’’; and
(B) by striking subsection (d); and
(9) in section 11 (22 U.S.C. 621) by striking
‘‘, including the nature, sources, and content of po-
litical propaganda disseminated or distributed’’.
SEC. 10. AMENDMENTS TO THE BYRD AMENDMENT.
(a) REVISED CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Sec-
tion 1352(b) of title 31, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2) by striking subparagraphs
(A), (B), and (C) and inserting the following:
‘‘(A) the name of any registrant under the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 who has made
lobbying contacts on behalf of the person with
respect to that Federal contract, grant, loan, or
cooperative agreement; and
‘‘(B) a certification that the person making
the declaration has not made, and will not
make, any payment prohibited by subsection
(a).’’;
(2) in paragraph (3) by striking all that follows
‘‘loan shall contain’’ and inserting ‘‘the name of any
registrant under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of
1995 who has made lobbying contacts on behalf of
the person in connection with that loan insurance or
guarantee.’’; and
(3) by striking paragraph (6) and redesignating
paragraph (7) as paragraph (6).
(b) REMOVAL OF OBSOLETE REPORTING REQUIRE-
MENT.—Section 1352 of title 31, United States Code, is
further amended—
(1) by striking subsection (d); and
(2) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), (g),
and (h) as subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g), respec-
tively.
SEC. 11. REPEAL OF CERTAIN LOBBYING PROVISIONS.
(a) REPEAL OF THE FEDERAL REGULATION OF LOB-
BYING ACT.—The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (2
U.S.C. 261 et seq.) is repealed.
(b) REPEAL OF PROVISIONS RELATING TO HOUSING
LOBBYIST ACTIVITIES.—
(1) Section 13 of the Department of Housing
and Urban Development Act (42 U.S.C. 3537b) is
repealed.
(2) Section 536(d) of the Housing Act of 1949
(42 U.S.C. 1490p(d)) is repealed.
SEC. 12. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO OTHER STATUTES.
(a) AMENDMENT
TO
COMPETITIVENESS
POLICY
COUNCIL ACT.—Section 5206(e) of the Competitiveness
Policy Council Act (15 U.S.C. 4804(e)) is amended by in-
serting ‘‘or a lobbyist for a foreign entity (as the terms
‘lobbyist’ and ‘foreign entity’ are defined under section 3
of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995)’’ after ‘‘an agent
for a foreign principal’’.
(b) AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 18, UNITED STATES
CODE.—Section 219(a) of title 18, United States Code,
is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘or a lobbyist required to reg-
ister under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 in
connection with the representation of a foreign en-
tity, as defined in section 3(7) of that Act’’ after
‘‘an agent of a foreign principal required to register
under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of
1938’’; and
(2) by striking out ‘‘, as amended,’’.
(c) AMENDMENT
TO FOREIGN SERVICE ACT
OF
1980.—Section 602(c) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980
(22 U.S.C. 4002(c)) is amended by inserting ‘‘or a lobby-
ist for a foreign entity (as defined in section 3(7) of the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995)’’ after ‘‘an agent of a
foreign principal (as defined by section 1(b) of the Foreign
Agents Registration Act of 1938)’’.
SEC. 13. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Act, or the application there-
of, is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this
Act and the application of such provision to other persons
and circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
SEC. 14. IDENTIFICATION OF CLIENTS AND COVERED OFFI-
CIALS.
(a) ORAL LOBBYING CONTACTS.—Any person or en-
tity that makes an oral lobbying contact with a covered
legislative branch official or a covered executive branch of-
ficial shall, on the request of the official at the time of
the lobbying contact—
(1) state whether the person or entity is reg-
istered under this Act and identify the client on
whose behalf the lobbying contact is made; and
(2) state whether such client is a foreign entity
and identify any foreign entity required to be dis-
closed under section 4(b)(4) that has a direct inter-
est in the outcome of the lobbying activity.
(b) WRITTEN LOBBYING CONTACTS.—Any person or
entity registered under this Act that makes a written lob-
bying contact (including an electronic communication)
with a covered legislative branch official or a covered exec-
utive branch official shall—
(1) if the client on whose behalf the lobbying
contact was made is a foreign entity, identify such
client, state that the client is considered a foreign
entity under this Act, and state whether the person
making the lobbying contact is registered on behalf
of that client under section 4; and
(2) identify any other foreign entity identified
pursuant to section 4(b)(4) that has a direct interest
in the outcome of the lobbying activity.
(c) IDENTIFICATION AS COVERED OFFICIAL.—Upon
request by a person or entity making a lobbying contact,
the individual who is contacted or the office employing
that individual shall indicate whether or not the individual
is a covered legislative branch official or a covered execu-
tive branch official.
SEC. 15. ESTIMATES BASED ON TAX REPORTING SYSTEM.
(a) ENTITIES COVERED BY SECTION 6033(b) OF THE
INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.—A registrant that
is required to report and does report lobbying expenditures
pursuant to section 6033(b)(8) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 may—
(1) make a good faith estimate (by category of
dollar value) of applicable amounts that would be re-
quired to be disclosed under such section for the ap-
propriate semiannual period to meet the require-
ments of sections 4(a)(3), 5(a)(2), and 5(b)(4); and
(2) in lieu of using the definition of ‘‘lobbying
activities’’ in section 3(8) of this Act, consider as
lobbying activities only those activities that are influ-
encing legislation as defined in section 4911(d) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(b) ENTITIES COVERED BY SECTION 162(e) OF THE
INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.—A registrant that
is subject to section 162(e) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986 may—