Virginia Code 2.2-426: Lobbyist reporting; penalty
A. Each lobbyist shall file with the Council a separate annual report of expenditures, including gifts, for each principal for whom he lobbies by July 1 for the preceding 12-month period complete through the last day of April.
Attorney's Note
Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 5 felony | up to 10 years | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Virginia Code 2.2-426
- Adjournment sine die: The end of a legislative session "without day." These adjournments are used to indicate the final adjournment of an annual or the two-year session of legislature.
- Council: means the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council established in § 30-355. See Virginia Code 2.2-419
- Executive official: means :
1. See Virginia Code 2.2-419
- Immediate family: means (i) the spouse and (ii) any other person who resides in the same household as the executive or legislative official and who is a dependent of the official. See Virginia Code 2.2-419
- Lobbyist: means :
1. See Virginia Code 2.2-419
- Person: means an individual, proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, joint stock company, syndicate, business trust, estate, company, corporation, association, club, committee, organization, or group of persons acting in concert. See Virginia Code 2.2-419
- principal: means the entity on whose behalf the lobbyist influences or attempts to influence executive or legislative action. See Virginia Code 2.2-419
- Value: means the actual cost or fair market value of an item or items, whichever is greater. See Virginia Code 2.2-419
B. Each principal who expends more than $500 to employ or compensate multiple lobbyists shall be responsible for filing a consolidated lobbyist report pursuant to this section in any case in which the lobbyists are each exempt under the provisions of subdivision 7 or 8 of § 2.2-420 from the reporting requirements of this section.
C. The report shall be on a form prescribed by the Council and shall be accompanied by instructions provided by the Council. All reports shall be submitted electronically and in accordance with the standards approved by the Council pursuant to the provisions of § 30-356.
D. A person who knowingly and intentionally makes a false statement of a material fact on the disclosure statement is guilty of a Class 5 felony.
E. The name of a legislative or executive official, or a member of his immediate family, attending any reportable entertainment event shall not be required to be disclosed by the principal if that legislative or executive official reimburses the principal for, or otherwise pays for, his attendance, or the attendance of a member of his immediate family, at the entertainment event. Reimbursement shall be calculated using the average value for each person attending the event.
F. Each lobbyist shall send to each legislative and executive official who is required to be identified by name on Schedule A or B of the Lobbyist‘s Disclosure Form a copy of Schedule A or B or a summary of the information pertaining to that official. Copies or summaries shall be provided to the official by January 10 for the preceding 12-month period complete through December 31. In addition, each lobbyist shall send to each legislator and executive official who is required to file a report of gifts accepted or received during a regular session of the General Assembly pursuant to § 2.2-3114.2 or 30-110.1 a summary of all gifts made by such lobbyist to each legislator or executive official or a member of his immediate family during the period beginning on January 1 complete through adjournment sine die of the regular session of the General Assembly. Summaries shall be provided to the legislator or executive official no later than three weeks after adjournment sine die. For purposes of this section, “adjournment sine die” means adjournment on the last legislative day of the regular session and does not include the reconvened session.
1994, cc. 857, 937, § 2.1-786; 1997, cc. 616, 635, 843; 1998, c. 732; 2000, c. 297; 2001, c. 844; 2002, cc. 248, 491; 2005, c. 90; 2006, c. 843; 2014, cc. 792, 804; 2015, cc. 763, 777; 2016, cc. 773, 774; 2017, cc. 829, 832.