Source: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/rules/commission/ch34.php
Timestamp: 2020-08-14 08:39:19
Document Index: 700854545

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Commission Rules Chapter 34
§34.1. Definitions
§34.3. Compensation for Preparation Time
§34.5. Certain Compensation Excluded
§34.7. Reimbursement for Office Expenses
§34.9. Taxes and Tips
§34.11. Attribution of Expenditure to More Than One Person; Reimbursement of Lobby Expenditure
§34.13. Incidental Expenditures for Transportation
§34.14. Expenditures for Fact-Finding Trips
§34.15. Reporting Subject Matter
§34.17. Satisfaction of Presence Requirement by Entity
§34.19. Courtesy Notices by Electronic Mail
§34.41. Expenditure Threshold
§34.43. Compensation and Reimbursement Threshold
§34.45. Entity Registration
§34.63. Assistants
§34.65 Compensation Reported by Lobby Firm Employee
§34.67. Paid, Earned, and Prospective Compensation
§34.69. Subject Matter
§34.71. Amending a Registration Form
§34.75. Reporting of Commission or Fee Paid by State Agency
§34.81. Election to File Annually
§34.83. Time of Expenditure
§34.85. Individual Reporting Expenditure by Entity
§34.91. Exemptions from Electronic Filing
Compensation a person receives for preparing to communicate directly with a member of the legislative or executive branch to influence legislation or administrative action is included in calculating compensation for purposes of the registration and reporting requirements in Government Code, Chapter 305, and this chapter. Examples of preparation for lobby communications include participation in strategy sessions, review and analysis of legislation or administrative matters, research and communication with the employer/client. A person who does not directly communicate with a member of the legislative or executive branch to influence legislation or administrative action is not required to register because of compensation received for preparing to do so.
(a) Compensation received for the following activities is not included for purposes of calculating the registration threshold under Government Code §305.003(a)(2) and this chapter:
(5) providing to a member of the legislative or executive branch information consisting of facts or data that the member requested in writing regarding legislation or administrative action , when the request was not solicited by or on behalf of the person providing the information;
Reimbursement received for the following office expenses is not included in calculating reimbursement for purposes of the registration and reporting requirements in Government Code, Chapter 305, and this chapter.
Taxes and tips are not included in determining the amount of an expenditure for purposes of Government Code, Chapter 305, and this chapter.
(a) Except as provided by Government Code, §305.0021, a lobby expenditure made on a person's behalf and with the person's consent or ratification is an expenditure by that person for purposes of registration and reporting under Government Code, Chapter 305, and this chapter.
(b) Payment of reimbursement to a registrant is not included for purposes of calculation of the registration threshold under Government Code, §305.003(a)(1), and is not required to be reported if the registrant receiving the reimbursement reports the expenditure on a lobby activity report.
Government Code, §305.024(a)(3), does not prohibit an expenditure for transportation of incidental value such as transportation in the form of a ride of short duration in a personal car or taxi.
(a) A registrant reporting subject matter under Government Code, §305.005(f)(4), (f)(5)(B), or §305.006(d), of this chapter, shall report subject matter by marking the appropriate subject matter categories.
(b) A registrant reporting the subject matter of communications to influence administrative action shall also report, if known or reasonably available to the registrant, the docket number or other administrative designation of any administrative action that is the subject of the registrant's direct communication with a member of the executive branch, and the name of the agency or department at which the administrative action is pending.
An entity may satisfy the presence requirement in Government Code §305.006(f), and §305.024(a)(7), by the presence of:
(2) a person whose position, authority, or conduct on behalf of the entity could support an award of exemplary damages against the entity.
§34.19.Courtesy Notices by Electronic Mail
(a) A person must register under Government Code, §305.003(a)(1), if the person makes total expenditures of more than $500 in a calendar quarter, not including expenditures for the person's own travel, food, lodging, or membership dues, on activities described in Government Code §305.006(b) to communicate directly with one or more members of the legislative or executive branch to influence legislation or administrative action.
(b) An expenditure made by a member of the judicial, legislative, or executive branch of state government or an officer or employee of a political subdivision of the state acting in his or her official capacity is not included for purposes of determining whether a person is required to register under Government Code, §305.003(a)(1).
(c) An expenditure made in connection with an event to promote the interests of a designated geographic area or political subdivision is not included for purposes of determining whether a person has crossed the registration threshold in Government Code, §305.003(a)(1), if the expenditure is made by a group that exists for the limited purpose of sponsoring the event or by a person acting on behalf of such a group.
(a) A person must register under Government Code, §305.003(a)(2), if the person receives, or is entitled to receive under an agreement under which the person is retained or employed more than $1,000 in a calendar quarter in compensation and reimbursement, not including reimbursement for the person's own travel, food, lodging, or membership dues, from one or more other persons to communicate directly with a member of the legislative or executive branch to influence legislation or administrative action.
(b) For purposes of Government Code, §305.003(a)(2), and this chapter, a person is not required to register if the person spends not more than 40 hours for which the person is compensated or reimbursed during a calendar quarter engaging in lobby activity, including preparatory activity as described by § 34.3 of this title.
(a) An entity that is required to register under Government Code, §305.003, and this chapter may nonetheless avoid registration if all activity otherwise reportable by the entity is reported by one or more individual registrants in accordance with §34.65 and §34.85 of this title (relating to Compensation Reported by Lobby Firm Employee and Individual Reporting Expenditure by Entity).
(b) An entity that avoids registration under subsection (a) of this section becomes subject to Government Code, §305.024 on the earlier of the date the entity makes the expenditure that would have required the entity to register as a lobbyist or the date the entity receives, or is entitled to receive compensation or reimbursement that would have required the entity to register as a lobbyist.
(c) Registration by an entity does not relieve any individual of the requirement to register if that individual meets one of the registration thresholds in Government Code, §305.003.
(a) For purposes of Government Code, §305.005(f)(5), a person "employed or retained by the registrant for the purpose of assisting in direct communication" includes any person who provides administrative or research assistance to the registrant but does not include a person who provides only clerical or secretarial help.
(b) An individual employed by the same employer as the registrant and who assists the registrant at the direction of the registrant is "employed or retained" by the registrant for purposes of Government Code, §305.005(f)(5).
(c) A person listed by a registrant as an assistant under Government Code, §305.005(f)(5), is required to register if the assistant meets one of the registration thresholds under Government Code, §305.003, and this chapter.
§34.65. Compensation Reported by Lobby Firm Employee
(a) For purposes of Government Code, §305.005, and this chapter, compensation may be reported in any one of the following three ways:
(2) compensation earned for lobby activity during the year of registration as of the date the registration form or amended registration form is filed, regardless of whether paid; or
(3) promised compensation for lobby activity during the year of registration, regardless of whether earned or paid on the date the registration form or amended registration form is filed.
A registrant shall report the subject matter of lobby activity, in accordance with Government Code, §305.005(f)(4), with respect to each person who reimburses, retains, or employs the registrant to engage in lobby activity.
(a) A change with respect to a docket number or other administrative designation is not required to be reported on an amended registration unless the docket number or other administrative designation is related to a subject matter category not previously reported by the registrant.
(b) Except as necessary to report changed information, a registrant shall not report information about subject matter on an amended registration form that the registrant reported on the registration form or on a previous amended registration form.
(c) A registrant is not required to report on an amended registration form reimbursement received for a lobby expenditure that the registrant will report on a lobby activity report.
(a) In addition to the contents required by §305.005 of the Government Code and this chapter, a registration filed by a person who is paid a sales commission or such fee by a state agency must;
A registrant who is eligible to file an annual lobby activity report under Government Code, §305.0063, may elect to do so at any time during the registration year.
For reporting purposes, an expenditure is not made until the amount of the expenditure is readily determinable by the person making the expenditure. If the normal business practice of a vendor or service provider is to make the amount charged known by sending a bill after expenses are incurred, the date of the expenditure, for reporting purposes, is the date the person billed receives the bill.
(a) An individual registrant may report an expenditure made by a lobby entity if the entity requests that the individual do so in order for the entity to avoid registration ; and
(1) the entity makes the expenditure in order for the individual to act on the entity's behalf to communicate directly with a member of the legislative or executive branch to influence legislation or administrative action; or
(c) For purposes of Government Code, §305.0021(b), an expenditure made by an entity under subsection (a) of this section, is not a joint expenditure for purposes of Government Code, §305.0021(b) if the entity makes the entirety of the expenditure at issue.
(d) In this provision "lobby entity" means a corporation, association, firm, partnership, committee, club, organization, or other group of persons voluntarily acting in concert that meets one of the registration thresholds in Government Code, §305.003.