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<section number="2-295" name="Lobbying Disclosure" law="code" slug="sec-2-295" node_id="PTIITI17PULOLAPRGECOMA_SUBTITLE_2AD_DIV17COET_S2-295LODI">
  <level label="a">
    <text>Except as provided in Subsections (l) and (m) of this Section, any person who engages in lobbying as defined in Section 2-291(a)(9) shall file and certify, under oath or affirmation, a lobbying registration with the Board on or before the beginning of the calendar year in which a person expects to lobby or within five (5) days after engaging in lobbying activities, if this person, during the calendar year, either:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Expends (exclusive of personal travel and subsistence expenses) in excess of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) in furtherance of this activity; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Is compensated in excess of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) in connection with this activity; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Expends in excess of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) engaging in activities having the express purpose of soliciting others to communicate with an official with the intent to influence that official.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Except as provided in Subsections (l) and (m) of this Section, any person who engages in lobbying before any Prince George's County executive or legislative officer, agency, board, or commission, and who, during the calendar year, expends in excess of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) on food, entertainment, or other gifts for any County official or employee (Executive or Legislative) in connection with these activities, shall file a lobbying registration with the Board on or before the beginning of the calendar year in which the person expects to lobby or within five (5) days after engaging in lobbying activities. Any person exempt by paragraph (m) shall file a short statement indicating that the person is exempt under Subsection (m). Any person exempt by paragraph (l) may file a short statement indicating the exemption under Subsection (l).</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The registration filed pursuant to Subsection (a) or (b) of this Section shall be dated and on a form developed by the Board with the assistance of the Office of Ethics and Accountability, and except for the short statements indicating any exemption under Subsections (l) and (m) shall include the following:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The lobbyist's full and legal name and permanent address;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The full and legal name and address, and nature of business of any person on whose behalf the lobbyist acts, or where the person is an association or corporation the full name and address of the association or corporation and the full name and address of the officer who authorized the lobbyist to act;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>A statement of whether the person on whose behalf the lobbyist acts is exempt from registration pursuant to Subsection (m) of this Section;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The identification, by formal designation, if known, of matters on which the lobbyist expects to act;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Identification of the period of time (to be contained within a single calendar year) during which the lobbyist is authorized to engage in these activities, unless sooner terminated; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>The full legal signature of the lobbyist and, when appropriate, the person on whose behalf he acts, or an agent or authorized officer thereof.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>A person who engages in lobbying on behalf of more than one person shall file a separate registration for each such person.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>A person who engages in lobbying may terminate his registration by written notice to the Board. Any reports outstanding under Subsection (c) of this Section must be submitted with this notification. Termination shall be effective thirty (30) days after receipt by the Board of this notice properly filed.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>No person may engage in lobbying activities on behalf of another person or entity for compensation, the payment of which is contingent upon the passage or defeat of any action by the Council or the outcome of any executive action.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>Each lobbyist shall file with the Board one report covering the period beginning January 1 through December 31 filed by January 31 of the following year. If the lobbyist is not an individual, an authorized officer or agent of the entity shall sign the form. A separate activity report shall be filed for each person on whose behalf he acts. The report shall include:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>A complete and current statement of the information required to be supplied pursuant to Subsection (c) of this Section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Total expenditures on lobbying activities in each of the following categories:</text>
      <level label="A">
        <text>Total compensation paid to the lobbyist not including expenses reported under subparagraphs (B) through (I), below. Total compensation includes salaries, compensation, or reimbursed expenses for the staff of the lobbyist;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="B">
        <text>Office expenses of the lobbyist not reported in subparagraph (A), above;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="C">
        <text>Professional and technical research and assistance not reported in subparagraph (A), above;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="D">
        <text>Publications which expressly encourage persons to communicate with Prince George's County officials or employees;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="E">
        <text>Names of witnesses, and the fees and expenses paid to each;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="F">
        <text>Meals and beverages for Prince George's County officials or employees or their spouses or dependent children;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="G">
        <text>Special events, including parties, dinners, athletic events, entertainment, and other functions to which officials or employees are invited;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="H">
        <text>Reasonable expenses for food, lodging, and scheduled entertainment of officials or employees for a meeting which is given in return for participation in a panel or speaking engagement at the meeting;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="I">
        <text>Other gifts to or for officials or employees or their spouses or dependent children; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="J">
        <text>Other expenses.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Except for gifts reported in subparagraphs (2)(G) and (H), above, the name of each official or employee or his spouse or dependent child who has benefited from gifts from the lobbyist with a cumulative value of Seventy-five Dollars ($75.00), or more, during the period covered by the report whether or not given in connection with the lobbyist's lobbying activities. When the Seventy-five Dollars ($75.00) cumulative value is met or exceeded, all succeeding gifts shall also be itemized by date, beneficiary, amount or value, and nature of the gift. Expenses reported in subparagraphs (2)(G) and (H), above, shall be itemized as to date, location, and expense of the event, but allocation to individual officials or employees need not be listed.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If any report filed under Subsection (g) contains the name of an official or employee or his spouse or dependent child as required under paragraph (3), thereof, the Board shall notify the official or employee within thirty (30) days. The Board shall keep the report confidential for sixty (60) days following the receipt of it.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Following notification of the inclusion of his name or that of his spouse or dependent child, in a report filed by a lobbyist, an official or employee shall have thirty (30) days to file a written exception to the inclusion of his name or that of his spouse or dependent child.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>The Board may require submission of such other reports as it deems necessary.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>All registrations and reports filed pursuant to this Section shall be maintained by the Board, or an office designated by it, and shall be made available during normal office hours, for examination and copying by the public, subject, however, to such reasonable fees and administrative procedures as may be established by the Council or by the Board. The forms shall be retained for four (4) years from the date of receipt.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="k">
    <text>The registration and reports filed pursuant to this Section shall be reviewed by the Board for compliance with the provisions of this Section, and persons engaging in lobbying activities shall be notified of any omissions or deficiencies. The Board shall seek the advice of the Office of Ethics and Accountability, as appropriate. Evidence of noncompliance with this Section shall be acted upon by the Board or referred to the Council or the State's Attorney for appropriate action.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="l">
    <text>Exemption. The provisions of this Section do not apply to the following acts:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Professional services in drafting bills or in advising and rendering opinions to clients as to the construction and effect of proposed or pending Council actions when these services do not otherwise constitute lobbying activities;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Appearances before the Council upon its specific invitation or request but only if the person engages in no further or other activities in connection with the passage or defeat of Council actions;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Appearances as part of the official duties of a duly elected or appointed official or employee of the State or a political subdivision of the State, or of the United States, and not in behalf of any other entity;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Actions of a publisher or working member of the press, radio, or television in the ordinary course of the business of disseminating news or making editorial comment to the general public who does not, however, engage in further or other lobbying that would directly and specifically benefit the economic, business, or professional interests of himself or his employer;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Appearances by an individual before the Council at the specific invitation or request of a registered lobbyist, provided no other lobbying act is undertaken, and provided the witness identifies himself to the Council as testifying at the request of the lobbyist;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>The representation of a bona fide religious organization solely for the purpose of protecting the right of its own members to practice the doctrine of the organization;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>Appearances as part of the official duties of an officer, director, member, or employee of an association engaged exclusively in lobbying for counties or municipalities and not on behalf of any other entity;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>Appearances before a County agency upon the specific invitation or request of the agency if the person or entity engages in no further or other activities in connection with the passage or defeat of any agency executive action; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="9">
      <text>Appearances by an individual before a County agency at the specific invitation or request of a registered lobbyist if the person or entity performs no other lobbying act and notifies the agency that the person or entity is testifying at the request of the lobbyist.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="m">
    <text>Limited exemption. A person who would otherwise be required to file a registration and submit reports pursuant to Subsections (a), (b), and (g), above, is not required to file if he reasonably believes that all expenses incurred in connection with his lobbying activities will be reported pursuant to Subsection (g) by a properly registered person acting on his behalf. The authorization required by Subsection (c), above, shall be completed by these individuals as to persons acting on their behalf. Persons exempted herein, however, become subject to the provisions of this Section immediately, upon failure of the registrant to report any information required by this Section.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="n">
    <text>The Board shall compute and make available a subtotal under each of the ten (10) required categories in paragraph (g)(2) of this Section, and a subtotal representing the combined total of paragraph (g)(2), subparagraphs (G), (H), and (I) of paragraph (g)(2). The Board also shall compute and make available the total amount reported by all lobbyists for their lobbying activities during the reporting period.</text>
  </level>
</section>
