Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 2 Sec. 264c

  • Employer: means any person, other than a lobbying firm, who engages the services of a lobbyist for compensation for the purpose of lobbying. See
  • Expenditure: includes sums expended in connection with lobbying, including research, consulting, and other lobbying preparation and travel, meals, and lodging. See
  • following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
  • Legislative action: means any action by a legislator with regard to introduction of a bill, resolution, or amendment or with regard to any bill, resolution, amendment, report, appointment, recommendation, nomination, election, proposed or final proposed rule, or other matter proposed for consideration by or pending in the General Assembly or in any committee of the General Assembly. See
  • Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
  • lobbying: means :

  • Lobbying firm: means a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability corporation, or unincorporated association which receives or is entitled to receive $500. See
  • Lobbyist: means a person who receives or is entitled to receive, either by employment or contract, $500. See
  • Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See

§ 264c. Identification in and report of certain lobbying advertisements

(a) Identification.

(1) An advertisement that is intended, designed, or calculated to influence legislative action or to solicit others to influence legislative action and that is made at any time prior to final adjournment of a biennial or adjourned legislative session shall contain the name of any lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer that made an expenditure for the advertisement and language that the advertisement was paid for, or paid in part, by the lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer; provided, however:

(A) if there are more than three such names, only the three lobbyists, lobbying firms, or lobbyist employers that made the largest expenditures for the advertisement shall be required to be identified; and

(B) if a lobbyist or lobbying firm made the expenditure on behalf of a lobbyist employer, the identification information set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be in the name of that lobbyist employer.

(2) This identification information shall appear prominently and in a manner such that a reasonable person would clearly understand by whom the expenditure has been made.

(b) Report.

(1) In addition to any other reports required to be filed under this chapter, a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer shall file an advertisement report with the Secretary of State if he, she, or it makes an expenditure or expenditures:

(A) for any advertisement that is described in subsection (a) of this section and that has a cost totaling $1,000.00 or more; or

(B) for any advertising campaign that contains advertisements described in subsection (a) of this section and that has a cost totaling $1,000.00 or more.

(2) The report shall be made for each advertisement or advertising campaign described in subdivision (1) of this subsection and shall identify the lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer that made the expenditure; the amount and date of the expenditure and to whom it was paid; and a brief description of the advertisement or advertising campaign.

(3) The report shall be filed within 48 hours of the expenditure or the advertisement or advertising campaign, whichever occurs first.

(4) If a lobbyist or lobbying firm made an expenditure described in subdivision (1) of this subsection on behalf of a lobbyist employer and that lobbyist or lobbying firm filed the report required by this subsection, the report shall specifically identify the employer on whose behalf the expenditure was made.

(c) Definitions. As used in this section:

(1) “Advertisement” means a notice that appears in any of the following public media: radio, television, newspapers or other periodicals, or Internet websites.

(2) “Advertising campaign” means advertisements substantially similar in nature, regardless of the media in which they are placed. (Added 2015, No. 49, § 2.)