2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 24 - GOVERNMENT - STATE (§§ 24-1-101 — 24-116-102) › ADMINISTRATION (§§ 24-1-101 — 24-19.9-103) › Article 6 - COLORADO SUNSHINE LAW (§§ 24-6-101 — 24-6-502) › Part 3 - REGULATION OF LOBBYISTS (§§ 24-6-301 — 24-6-309) › Section 24-6-302 - Disclosure statements - required - definition

(1)
(Deleted by amendment, L. 96, p. 1081, § 2, effective August 7, 1996.)
(2)
Any person who makes expenditures for gifts or entertainment purposes for the benefit of covered officials in the aggregate amount of two hundred dollars in a state fiscal year shall file disclosure statements with the secretary of state in accordance with this section. Such disclosure statements shall not include actual and reasonable expenses incurred for personal needs, such as meals, travel, lodging, and parking.
(2.5)
(a)
A professional lobbyist and any lobbying firm shall file a monthly disclosure statement with the secretary of state no later than the fifteenth day after the end of the first calendar month, and each subsequent month, in which the lobbyist received any income or made any expenditures for lobbying. In the case of a single-member lobbying firm, if a disclosure statement includes the name of the professional lobbyist and the name of a lobbying firm that solely employs the lobbyist, a single disclosure statement may be filed with the secretary of state on behalf of both the professional lobbyist and the lobbying firm.
(b)
No disclosure statement shall be required of a person who is described in a disclosure statement of a professional lobbyist pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (2.5).
(c)
Nothing in this subsection (2.5) shall be construed to require a professional lobbyist or a firm organized for professional lobbying purposes that is engaged in lobbying for a trade association, public interest group, or governmental organization to include in the disclosure statement of such lobbyist or firm any dues, assessments, or fees collected by such association, group, or organization for lobbying purposes.
(3)
(a)
(Deleted by amendment, L. 2014.)
(b)
In addition to the monthly disclosure statement, a professional lobbyist shall file with the secretary of state an annual disclosure statement for the entire fiscal year no later than July 15 that covers the immediately preceding fiscal year. The annual disclosure statement must contain the name of and total gross income for lobbying received from each client or other professional lobbyist for whom the lobbyist lobbied during the previous fiscal year. If a professional lobbyist receives business from another professional lobbyist on a subcontract basis, the lobbyist receiving such business shall describe in an annual disclosure statement the total gross income received from the professional lobbyist under the subcontract who is contemporaneously reporting the subcontracting business on his or her annual disclosure statement.
(4)
If a professional lobbyist determines at any time during a fiscal year that he or she will not lobby or receive lobbying income for the remainder of the fiscal year, the lobbyist may file an annual disclosure statement at such time, and thereafter need not file subsequent monthly disclosure statements until he or she resumes lobbying.
(5)
This section shall not apply to any political committee, volunteer lobbyist, citizen who lobbies on his or her own behalf, state official or employee acting in his or her official capacity, except as provided in section
24-6-303.5
, or elected public official acting in his or her official capacity.
(6)
(a)
During the period that the general assembly is not in regular or special session, a professional lobbyist shall notify the secretary of state in writing within five business days after an oral or written agreement to engage in lobbying for any person or client not disclosed in the registration statement filed pursuant to section
24-6-303 (1)
. During the period that the general assembly is in regular or special session, a professional lobbyist shall notify the secretary of state after an agreement to engage in lobbying for any person or client not disclosed in the registration statement filed pursuant to section
24-6-303 (1)
, either by means of the electronic filing system created in section
24-6-303
(6.3) or by facsimile transmission in accordance with the following:
(I)
In the case of a written agreement to engage the lobbyist, disclosure shall be made within twenty-four hours after the date of the agreement; and
(II)
In the case of an oral agreement to engage the lobbyist, the disclosure shall be made within twenty-four hours after the date of a subsequent written agreement between the parties, the commencing of lobbying activities, or the date the lobbyist receives any payment on the agreement, whichever occurs first.
(b)
A professional lobbyist who provides the notification under paragraph (a) of this subsection (6) shall file, concurrently with the next disclosure statement due after such notification, a signed written statement that contains:
(I)
The name and address of the person described in such notification; and
(II)
A summary of the terms related to lobbying under the agreement between such person and the professional lobbyist. A professional lobbyist shall also update his or her registration within twenty-four hours if he or she agrees to lobby for a client or other lobbyist on a subcontract basis who is not disclosed in the lobbyist's original registration statement.
(6.5)
(a)
In addition to any other disclosure required by this part 3, during the period that the general assembly is in regular or special session, a professional lobbyist shall notify the secretary of state by means of the electronic filing system created in section
24-6-303
(6.3) within seventy-two hours after:
(I)
The lobbyist agrees to undertake lobbying in connection with new legislation, standards, rules, or rates for either a new or existing client of the lobbyist; or
(II)
The lobbyist takes a new position on a new or existing bill for a new or existing client of the lobbyist.
(b)
During the period that the general assembly is in regular or special session, where the lobbyist agrees to undertake lobbying in connection with new or existing legislation for either a new or existing client, the disclosure required by subsection (6.5)(a) of this section includes the bill number of the legislation at issue and whether the lobbyist's client is supporting, opposing, amending, or monitoring the legislation at the time the lobbyist agrees to undertake lobbying in connection with the legislation or takes a new position.
(7)
In addition to the criminal penalty provided for in section
24-6-309 (1)
, the secretary of state, after proper notification by certified mail, shall impose an additional penalty of twenty dollars per day for each business day that a disclosure statement required to be filed by this section is not filed by the close of the business day on the day due up to and including the first ten business days on which the disclosure statement has not been filed after the day due. For failure to file a disclosure statement required to be filed by this section by the close of the eleventh business day on which the disclosure statement has not been filed after the day due, in addition to the criminal penalty provided for in section
24-6-309 (1)
, the secretary of state shall impose an additional penalty of fifty dollars for each day thereafter that a disclosure statement required to be filed by this section is not filed by the close of the business day. The secretary of state may excuse the payment of any penalty imposed by this subsection (7), or reduce the amount of any penalty imposed, for bona fide personal emergencies. Revenues collected from penalties assessed by the secretary of state shall be deposited in the department of state cash fund created in section
24-21-104 (3)
.
(8)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this part 3, an attorney who is registered as a professional lobbyist is required to disclose information about the clients for whom he or she lobbies in accordance with this part 3 to the same extent as a professional lobbyist who is not an attorney. An attorney who is registered as a professional lobbyist may not decline to disclose his or her lobbying as such lobbying is required to be disclosed in accordance with this part 3 on the grounds that the lobbying is protected against disclosure as confidential matters between an attorney and a client.
(9)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this part 3, in connection with any requirement to disclose the identity of a client in this section or section
24-6-303
, "client" means, in accordance with section
24-6-301 (1)
, the name of the person who employs or retains the professional services of a lobbyist, a lobbying firm, or any other person or entity to undertake lobbying on its behalf. In connection with any requirement in this section or section
24-6-303
to disclose the identity of a client, a professional lobbyist who is a natural person and who is employed or retained by a lobbying firm or any other firm or entity may disclose the name of the lobbying firm or other person or entity by means of which, or under the name of which, a professional lobbyist does business, but to satisfy such disclosure requirement the lobbyist shall also disclose the name of the client who employs or retains the professional services of the lobbyist, or a lobbying firm or any other person or entity that employs or retains the lobbyist, to undertake lobbying on its behalf.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 232, § 3, eff. 5/20/2019 and 1/1/2020.
Amended by 2014 Ch. 398, § 2, eff. 7/1/2015.
Initiated 72. L. 73: p. 1662, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 3-37-302. L. 77: Entire section R&RE, p. 1150, § 2, effective June 19. L. 87: (5) amended, p. 923, § 2, effective July 3. L. 96: (1) and (3) amended and (2.5), (6), and (7) added, p. 1081, § 2, effective August 7. L. 2001: (2) amended, p. 1273, § 30, effective June 5; (3)(b), (6)(a), and (6)(b)(III) amended, p. 147, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2010: (2), (2.5), (3), (4), (5), IP(6)(a), IP(6)(b), (6)(b)(II), and (7) amended, (SB 10-087), ch. 2011, p. 2011, § 2, effective June 10. L. 2012: (2) amended, (HB 12-1070), ch. 584, p. 584, § 3, effective August 8. L. 2014: (2.5)(a), (3), (4), and (6)(b) amended and (8) added, (SB 14-217), ch. 2003, p. 2003, § 2, effective 7/1/2015. L. 2019: (6)(a) and (8) amended and (9) added, (HB 19-1248), ch. 2320, p. 2320, § 3, effective May 20; (6.5) added, (HB 19-1248), ch. 2320, p. 2320, § 3, effective 1/1/2020.
Section 6(2) of chapter 232 (HB 19-1248), Session Laws of Colorado 2019, provides that the act changing this section applies to the required disclosure of information on or after May 20, 2019.
For the short title ("Lobbyist Transparency Act") in HB 19-1248, see section 1 of chapter 232, Session Laws of Colorado 2019.