State Expands Coverage of Lobbying Law to Include Smaller Municipalities

Gannett reports on the recent change to New York’s Lobbying Act that will expand the coverage of that law to apply to most local governments throughout the state.

Gov. Cuomo is expect to sign the bill into law this week. Once he does, the Lobbying Act’s coverage – currently local governments with a population over 50,000 – will be expanded to those with a population over 5,000. The new law will apply to the lobbying of school districts as well.

As a result, any person or organization that spends more than $5,000 attempting to influence the action of local governments or school districts with a population of more than 5,000 must register with and report their lobbying activities the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE)