JCOPE Approves Emergency Source of Funding Regulations

At its meeting earlier today, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) unanimously approved emergency amended source of funding regulations.  The revised regulations conform JCOPE’s regulations to the Lobbying Act amendments that the Legislature approved at the end of the 2016 legislative session, which Gov. Cuomo is expected to approve at some point.

The amendments, which are contained in Part D of S.8160/A.10742, change the source of funding disclosure requirements by reducing the annual lobbying threshold from $50,000 to $15,000; reducing the threshold for a reportable contribution from $5,000 to $2,500; and eliminating the requirement that organizational dues be reported (though the name of the dues paying entity must still be reported).

The emergency regulations include a specific section (938.3-a) which only apply to the Client Semi-Annual report, which covers the period of July – December 2016 and is due by July 16, 2017.  Because the law is expected to be signed before the end of the year, it could require some organizations to disclose donations that they received earlier in the reporting period — before the law was in effect.

Read news coverage of the issue in the Capitol Confidential blog and Politico NY (behind a pay wall).