NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9559
SPONSOR: Rajkumar TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the legislative law, in relation to requiring lobbyists
to disclose their positions on bills
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To require lobbyists to disclose clients' positions on bills
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Subdivision (b) of section 1-h of the legislative law, as
added by chapter 2 of the laws of 1999, and paragraph 3 as amended by
chapter 14 of the laws of 2007, is amended to require disclosure of full
addresses and stances on bills in bi-monthly reports.
Section 2. Subdivision (b) of section 1-j of the legislative law, as
amended by chapter 1 of the laws of 2005 and paragraph 6 as added by
section 7-b of part A of chapter 399 of the laws of 2011, is amended
with similar provisions in semi-annual reports.
Section 3. Effective date.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
JUSTIFICATION:
Transparency is essential to a democracy accountable to the people.
While current law requires lobbyists to disclose clients, they do not
have to cite specific bills or their clients' positions on such bills,
including items in appropriations bills. Even if lobbyists informally
state a client's position on a bill, they may use misleading language,
such as claiming to support a bill's passage when in fact they seek to
amend the bill to significantly diverge from its original intent or
grant themselves an exemption. This legislation requires lobbyists to
disclose positions on bills, including amendments and appropriations,
bringing unprecedented transparency to lobbying in Our Great State.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Minimal.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9559
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the legislative law, in relation to requiring lobbyists
to disclose their positions on bills
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision (b) of section 1-h of the legislative law, as
2 added by chapter 2 of the laws of 1999, and paragraph 3 as amended by
3 chapter 14 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
4 (b) Such bi-monthly report shall contain:
5 (1) the name, complete address including apartment or suite number, if
6 any, and telephone number of the lobbyist;
7 (2) the name, complete address including apartment or suite number, if
8 any, and telephone number of the client by whom or on whose behalf the
9 lobbyist is retained, employed or designated;
10 (3) the following information on which the lobbyist has lobbied: (i) a
11 description of the general subject or subjects, (ii) the legislative
12 bill numbers of any bills and, regarding an appropriation bill or any
13 supplemental appropriation bill, the particular items within the appro-
14 priation bill lobbied on, (iii) the numbers or subject matter (if there
15 are no numbers) of gubernatorial executive orders or executive orders
16 issued by the chief executive officer of a municipality, (iv) the
17 subject matter of and tribes involved in tribal-state compacts, memoran-
18 da of understanding, or any other state-tribal agreements and any state
19 actions related to class III gaming as provided in 25 U.S.C. § 2701, (v)
20 the rule, regulation, and ratemaking or municipal ordinance or resol-
21 ution numbers of any rules, regulations, or rates or ordinance or
22 proposed rules, regulations, or rates or municipal ordinances or resol-
23 utions, and (vi) the titles and any identifying numbers of any procure-
24 ment contracts and other documents disseminated by a state agency,
25 either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, munici-
26 pal agency or local legislative body in connection with a governmental
27 procurement;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14278-01-5
A. 9559 2
1 (4) for each item listed with regard to paragraphs (i), (iii), (vii)
2 and (ix) of subdivision (c) of section one-c of this article, whether
3 the lobbying was in support, in support with proposed amendments, in
4 opposition, or in opposition absent proposed amendments to the item
5 lobbied on;
6 (5) for each item listed with regard to paragraphs (ii) and (viii) of
7 subdivision (c) of section one-c of this article, whether the lobbying
8 was with regard to the adoption, issuance, rescission, modification or
9 terms of a gubernatorial or local executive order;
10 (6) for each item listed with regard to paragraph (vi) of subdivision
11 (c) of section one-c of this article, whether the lobbying was with
12 regard to the approval, disapproval, implementation or administration of
13 tribal-state compacts, memoranda of understanding or any other tribal-
14 state agreements and any other state actions related to Class III
15 gaming;
16 (7) the name of the person, organization, or legislative body before
17 which the lobbyist has lobbied;
18 [(5)] (8) (i) the compensation paid or owed to the lobbyist, and any
19 expenses expended, received or incurred by the lobbyist for the purpose
20 of lobbying.
21 (ii) expenses required to be reported pursuant to subparagraph (i) of
22 this paragraph shall be listed in the aggregate if seventy-five dollars
23 or less and if more than seventy-five dollars such expenses shall be
24 detailed as to amount, to whom paid, and for what purpose; and where
25 such expense is more than seventy-five dollars on behalf of any one
26 person, the name of such person shall be listed.
27 (iii) for the purposes of this paragraph, expenses shall not include:
28 (A) personal sustenance, lodging and travel disbursements of such
29 lobbyist;
30 (B) expenses, not in excess of five hundred dollars in any one calen-
31 dar year, directly incurred for the printing or other means of reprod-
32 uction or mailing of letters, memoranda or other written communications.
33 (iv) expenses paid or incurred for salaries other than that of the
34 lobbyist shall be listed in the aggregate.
35 (v) expenses of more than fifty dollars shall be paid by check or
36 substantiated by receipts and such checks and receipts shall be kept on
37 file by the lobbyist for a period of three years.
38 § 2. Subdivision (b) of section 1-j of the legislative law, as amended
39 by chapter 1 of the laws of 2005 and paragraph 6 as added by section 7-b
40 of part A of chapter 399 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as
41 follows:
42 (b) Such report shall be filed with the commission, on forms supplied
43 by the commission, by the fifteenth day of July of the year and by the
44 fifteenth day of January next following the year for which such report
45 is made and shall contain:
46 (1) the name, complete address including apartment and suite number,
47 if any, and telephone number of the client;
48 (2) the name, complete address including apartment and suite number,
49 if any, and telephone number of each lobbyist retained, employed or
50 designated by such client;
51 (3) the following information on which each lobbyist retained,
52 employed or designated by such client has lobbied, and on which such
53 client has lobbied: (i) a description of the general subject or
54 subjects, (ii) the legislative bill numbers of any bills and, regarding
55 an appropriation bill or any supplemental appropriation bill, the
56 particular items within the appropriation bill lobbied on, (iii) the
A. 9559 3
1 numbers or subject matter (if there are no numbers) of gubernatorial
2 executive orders or executive orders issued by the chief executive offi-
3 cer of a municipality, (iv) the subject matter of and tribes involved in
4 tribal-state compacts, memoranda of understanding, or any other state-
5 tribal agreements and any state actions related to class III gaming as
6 provided in 25 U.S.C. 2701, (v) the rule, regulation, and ratemaking or
7 municipal resolution or ordinance numbers of any rules, regulations, or
8 rates, or municipal resolutions or ordinances or proposed rules, regu-
9 lations, or rates, or municipal ordinances or resolutions and (vi) the
10 titles and any identifying numbers of any procurement contracts and
11 other documents disseminated by a state agency, either house of the
12 state legislature, the unified court system, municipal agency or local
13 legislative body in connection with a governmental procurement;
14 (4) for each item listed with regard to paragraphs (i), (iii), (vii)
15 and (ix) of subdivision (c) of section one-c of this article, whether
16 the lobbying was in support, in support with proposed amendments, in
17 opposition, or in opposition absent proposed amendments to the item
18 lobbied on;
19 (5) for each item listed with regard to paragraphs (ii) and (viii) of
20 subdivision (c) of section one-c of this article, whether the lobbying
21 was with regard to the adoption, issuance, rescission, modification or
22 terms of a gubernatorial or local executive order;
23 (6) for each item listed with regard to paragraph (vi) of subdivision
24 (c) of section one-c of this article, whether the lobbying was with
25 regard to the approval, disapproval, implementation or administration of
26 tribal-state compacts, memoranda of understanding or any other tribal-
27 state agreements and any other state actions related to Class III
28 gaming;
29 (7) the name of the person, organization, or legislative body before
30 which such client has lobbied;
31 [(5)] (8) (i) the compensation paid or owed to each such lobbyist, and
32 any other expenses paid or incurred by such client for the purpose of
33 lobbying.
34 (ii) any expenses required to be reported pursuant to subparagraph (i)
35 of this paragraph shall be listed in the aggregate if seventy-five
36 dollars or less and if more than seventy-five dollars such expenses
37 shall be detailed as to amount, to whom paid, and for what purpose; and
38 where such expenses are more than seventy-five dollars on behalf of any
39 one person, the name of such person shall be listed.
40 (iii) for the purposes of this paragraph, expenses shall not include:
41 (A) personal sustenance, lodging and travel disbursements of such
42 lobbyist and client;
43 (B) expenses, not in excess of five hundred dollars, directly incurred
44 for the printing or other means of reproduction or mailing of letters,
45 memoranda or other written communications.
46 (iv) expenses paid or incurred for salaries other than that of the
47 lobbyist shall be listed in the aggregate.
48 (v) expenses of more than fifty dollars must be paid by check or
49 substantiated by receipts and such checks and receipts shall be kept on
50 file by such client for a period of three years.
51 [(6)] (9) (i) the name and public office address of any statewide
52 elected official, state officer or employee, member of the legislature
53 or legislative employee and entity with whom the client of a lobbyist
54 has a reportable business relationship;
55 (ii) a description of the general subject or subjects of the trans-
56 actions between the client of a lobbyist and the statewide elected offi-
A. 9559 4
1 cial, state officer or employee, member of the legislature or legisla-
2 tive employee and entity; and
3 (iii) the compensation, including expenses, to be paid and paid by
4 virtue of the business relationship.
5 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
6 it shall have become a law.
