Bolder Advocacy Resource Library

Are you required to register as a lobbyist & report your lobbying activities? If you or your nonprofit organization works to impact public policy in the City of Dallas, you may be required to register as a lobbyist and report your lobbying activities. The general rule is that a person (including an individual or organization) is engaged in a lobbying activity if the person communicates, directly or indirectly, to a city official in an effort to influence that official’s position on a municipal question.

If you or your nonprofit organization works to impact public policy in the city of El Paso, you may be required to register as a lobbyist and report your lobbying activities to the City.

Nonprofit organizations active in state or local California ballot measure campaigns must comply both with federal tax law and California ballot measure disclosure laws. Federal tax law permits public charities to engage in a limited amount of ballot measure advocacy. Under California law, organizations engaging in certain activities to support or oppose a ballot measure may need to disclose their expenditures in support of or opposition to the ballot measure, as well as the names of donors whose contributions were used to support the organization’s ballot measure activities. However, the following activities are exempt from California’s disclosure laws and can be done by an organization without fear of triggering any special disclosure reports.

Is your organization active in California legislative or administrative policy change? California has a sunshine law designed to reveal who has influence on California politics, and that sunshine law may apply to your organization. An organization is required to register and report its California lobbying activities if it exceeds specific monetary thresholds, or if an employee(s) of an organization spends enough time communicating with certain state officials. Just because an organization engages in lobbying at the state level in California does not necessarily mean it will have reporting obligations under state law. This factsheet will help you understand if your organization should report as a $5,000 Filer, a Lobbyist Employer, or neither.

This fact sheet discusses what type of reporting may be required for nonprofits supporting or opposing ballot measures in California.

The ballot initiative process in California can be an effective tool for nonprofits, including 501(c)(3) public charities, to bring about change in public policy. This fact sheet outlines the legal considerations associated with circulating petitions.

The San Antonio Ethics Review Board requires individuals and organizations who lobby in San Antonio to register with the city and file activity reports if they meet certain requirements.

If you or your nonprofit works to impact public policy in the City of Corpus Christi, you may be required to register as a lobbyist. The general rule is that a person (including corporations or associations) is engaged in lobbying if he or she communicates with a city official directly or indirectly, in writing or orally (including electronic communications), in an effort to persuade that official to favor or oppose, recommend or not recommend, vote for or against, or take or refrain from taking action on a municipal question.

If you or your nonprofit organization works to impact public policy in Houston, Texas you may be required to register as a lobbyist and report your lobbying activities.