PROVIDENCE, RI –Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis is reminding hundreds of lobbyists who represented clients before the Executive branch or quasi-public corporations last year that this Wednesday is the deadline for filing their final 2012 report.
State law requires so-called Executive lobbyists and their firms and clients to file July-December reports with Mollis by Jan. 30. The reports disclose lobbying expenses and the issues that were followed as well as campaign contributions.
Mollis gives the public access to information about who is lobbying as well as their issues, employers, compensation and clients on his website at sos.ri.gov.
"One of my priorities is making government more transparent. We post thousands of reports covering hundreds of lobbyists, lobbying firms and companies," said Mollis.
In addition, legislation improving executive lobbying reporting went into effect this year. Executive lobbyists are now barred from registering for the 2013 session if any of their lobbying reports due in 2012 are delinquent and must now register annually. Previously, they did not have to re-register from year to year.
Enacted by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Lincoln Chafee last year, the legislation was sponsored by state Sen. James Doyle and state Rep. Deborah Ruggiero and co-sponsored by state Representatives Larry Valencia, Larry Ehrhardt, Raymond Hull and David Bennett. The bill was modeled on 2011 legislation from Mollis that addressed legislative lobbying.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier to vote, making it easier to do business in Rhode Island and making government more open and accessible. For more information about the programs and services the Secretary of State offers Rhode Islanders, visit sos.ri.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Barnett at 222-4293
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