Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 25 - LEGISLATURE
25 ILCS 170/ - Lobbyist Registration Act.

(25 ILCS 170/1) (from Ch. 63, par. 171)
Sec. 1.
Short
title.
This Act shall be known as the Lobbyist Registration Act.

(Source: P.A. 76-1848.)

(25 ILCS 170/2) (from Ch. 63, par. 172)
Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise
requires:
(a) "Person" means any individual, firm, partnership, committee,
association, corporation, or any other organization or group of persons.
(b) "Expenditure" means a payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit,
or gift of money or anything of value, and includes a contract, promise, or
agreement, whether or not legally enforceable, to make an expenditure, for
the ultimate purpose of influencing executive, legislative, or administrative
action, other than compensation as defined in subsection (d).
(c) "Official" means:
(d) "Compensation" means any money, thing of value or financial benefits
received or to be received in return for services rendered or to be
rendered, for lobbying or as a consultant.
Monies paid to members of the General Assembly by the State as
remuneration for performance of their Constitutional and statutory duties
as members of the General Assembly shall not constitute compensation as
defined by this Act.
(e) "Lobby" and "lobbying"
means to communicate, including the soliciting of others to communicate, with an official as defined in subsection
(c) for the ultimate purpose of influencing any executive, legislative, or
administrative action at the State, municipal, county, or township government level. Soliciting of others to communicate shall not include (i) the making of a grant by an organization recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code made in accordance with Section 4945 and the regulations thereunder or (ii) a communication by an organization recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code to the public or a segment thereof or to its members to communicate with legislators, executives, or administrators with respect to a proposed action by the legislature, executive, or administrator.
(f) "Influencing" means any communication, action, reportable
expenditure as prescribed in Section 6 or other means used to promote,
support, affect, modify, oppose or delay any executive, legislative or
administrative action or to promote goodwill with officials as defined in
subsection (c).
(g) "Executive action" means the proposal, drafting, development,
consideration, amendment, adoption, approval, promulgation, issuance,
modification, rejection or postponement by a State, municipal, county, or township government entity of a rule,
regulation, order, decision, determination, contractual arrangement, purchasing
agreement or other quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial action or proceeding.
(h) "Legislative action" means the development, drafting, introduction,
consideration, modification, adoption, rejection, review, enactment, or passage
or defeat of any bill, amendment, resolution, ordinance, report, nomination,
administrative rule or other matter by either house of the General Assembly or
a committee thereof, by a legislator, by the legislative body of a municipality, county, or township, or by an alderman, trustee, or township board member. Legislative action also means the
action of the Governor, mayor, or village or township board president, or county executive in approving or vetoing any bill, ordinance, or resolution or portion thereof, and
the action of such officials or any agency under their jurisdiction in the development of a legislative proposal.
(i) "Administrative action" means the execution or rejection of any rule,
regulation, legislative rule, standard, fee, rate, contractual arrangement,
purchasing agreement or other delegated legislative or quasi-legislative action
to be taken or withheld by any executive agency, department, board or
commission of the State, municipal, county, or township.
(j) "Lobbyist" means any natural person who undertakes to lobby State, municipal, county, or township government
as provided in subsection (e).
(k) "Lobbying entity" means any entity that hires, retains, employs, or compensates a natural person to lobby State, municipal, county, or township government as provided in subsection (e).
(l) "Authorized agent" means the person designated by an entity or lobbyist registered under this Act as the person responsible for submission and retention of reports required under this Act.
(m) "Client" means any person or entity that provides compensation to a lobbyist to lobby State, municipal, county, or township government as provided in subsection (e) of this Section.
(n) "Client registrant" means a client who is required to register under this Act.
(o) "Unit of local government" has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution and also includes school districts and community college districts.
(p) "Consultant" means any natural person or entity who, for compensation, provides advisory services, including but not limited to, rendering opinions on or developing strategies for lobbying or influencing, to a lobbyist or lobbying entity for the ultimate purpose of influencing any executive, legislative, or administrative action. "Consultant" does not include (i) an employee of the lobbyist or lobbying entity or (ii) an attorney or law firm providing legal services, including drafting legislation or advising and rendering opinions to clients as to the construction and legal effect of proposed or pending legislation or any executive, legislative, or administrative action.
(Source: P.A. 101-595, eff. 12-5-19; 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/3) (from Ch. 63, par. 173)
Sec. 3. Persons required to register.
(a) Except as provided in Section
9, any natural
person who, for compensation or otherwise,
undertakes to lobby, or any
person or entity who employs or compensates another person for the purposes
of lobbying, shall register with the Secretary of State as provided in this Act, unless that person or entity qualifies for one or more of the following exemptions.
(a-5) If, in the course of providing services as a consultant, the consultant communicates with an official on behalf of the lobbyist or lobbying entity for the ultimate purpose of influencing any executive, legislative, or administrative action, or makes an expenditure on behalf of or benefiting an official, the consultant shall register as a lobbyist within 2 business days of engaging in the communication with the official or making the expenditure benefiting the official.
(b) It is a violation of this Act to engage in lobbying or to employ any
person for the purpose of lobbying who is not registered with the Office of the
Secretary of State, except upon condition that the person register and the
person does in fact register within 2 business days after being employed or retained for lobbying services.
(c) The Secretary shall promulgate a rule establishing a list of the entities required to register under this Act, including the name of each board, commission, authority, or task force. The Secretary may require a person or entity claiming an exemption under this Section to certify the person or entity is not required to register under this Act. Nothing prohibits the Secretary from rejecting a certification and requiring a person or entity to register.
(Source: P.A. 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/3.1)
Sec. 3.1. Prohibition on serving on boards and commissions.
Notwithstanding any other law of this State, on and after February 1, 2004,
but not before that date, a person required to be registered
under this Act, his or her spouse, and his or her immediate family members
living with that person may not
serve on a board, commission, authority, or task force authorized or created
by State law or by executive order of the Governor; except that this
restriction does not apply to any of the
following:

(25 ILCS 170/4)
Sec. 4. (Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 88-187. Repealed by P.A. 96-555, eff. 8-18-09.)

(25 ILCS 170/4.5)
Sec. 4.5. Ethics training. Each natural person required to register as a lobbyist under this Act must complete a program of ethics training provided by the Secretary of State. A natural person registered under this Act must complete the training program before registration or renewal is deemed complete under this Act. If the Secretary of State uses the ethics training developed in accordance with Section 5-10 of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, that training must be expanded to include appropriate information about the requirements, responsibilities, and opportunities imposed by or arising under this Act, including reporting requirements.
The Secretary of State shall adopt rules for the implementation of this Section.
(Source: P.A. 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/4.7)
Sec. 4.7. Prohibition on sexual harassment.
(a) All persons have the right to work in an environment free from sexual harassment. All persons subject to this Act shall refrain from sexual harassment of any person.
(b) (Blank).
(b-5) Each natural person required to register as a lobbyist under this Act must complete, at least annually, a harassment and discrimination prevention training program provided by the Secretary of State. A natural person registered under this Act must complete the training program before registration or renewal is deemed complete under this Act. This requirement does not apply to a lobbying entity or a client that hires a lobbyist that (i) does not have employees of the lobbying entity or client registered as lobbyists, or (ii) does not have an actual presence in Illinois. For the purposes of this subsection, "unlawful discrimination" and "harassment" mean unlawful discrimination and harassment prohibited under Section 2-102 of the Illinois Human Rights Act.
(c) Before registration or renewal is deemed complete under this Act, each natural person and any entity required to register under this Act shall have a written sexual harassment policy that shall include, at a minimum: (i) a prohibition on sexual harassment; (ii) details on how an individual can report an allegation of sexual harassment, including options for making a confidential report to a supervisor, ethics officer, Inspector General, or the Department of Human Rights; (iii) a prohibition on retaliation for reporting sexual harassment allegations, including availability of whistleblower protections under the State Officials and Employee Ethics Act, the Whistleblower Act, and the Illinois Human Rights Act; and (iv) the consequences of a violation of the prohibition on sexual harassment and the consequences for knowingly making a false report.
(d) For purposes of this Act, "sexual harassment" means any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature when: (i) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment; (ii) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual; or (iii) such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. For the purposes of this definition, the phrase "working environment" is not limited to a physical location an employee is assigned to perform his or her duties and does not require an employment relationship.
(e) The Secretary of State shall adopt rules for the implementation of this Section. In order to provide for the expeditious and timely implementation of this Section, the Secretary of State shall adopt emergency rules under subsection (z) of Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act for the implementation of this Section no later than 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 101-221, eff. 8-9-19; 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/5)
Sec. 5. Lobbyist registration and disclosure. Every natural person and every entity required to
register under this Act shall
before any service
is performed which requires the natural person or entity to register, but in any event not
later than 2 business days after being employed or retained, file in the Office of the
Secretary of State a statement in a format prescribed by the Secretary of State containing the
following
information
with respect to each person or entity
employing, retaining, or benefitting from the services of the natural person or entity required to register:
Every natural person and every entity required to register under this Act shall annually submit the registration required by this Section on or before each January 31. The registrant has a continuing duty to report any substantial change or addition to the information contained in the registration.
A registrant who retains a consultant shall file an amended registration before any consulting services are performed, but in any event not later than 2 business days after the consultant is retained, setting forth the information required in subsections (b-7) and (c) of this Section.
The Secretary of State shall make all filed statements and amendments to statements publicly available by means of a searchable database that is accessible through the World Wide Web. The Secretary of State shall provide all software necessary to comply with this provision to all natural persons and entities required to file. The Secretary of State shall implement a plan to provide computer access and assistance to natural persons and entities required to file electronically.
All natural persons
and entities required to register under this Act shall remit a single, annual, and
nonrefundable $300 registration fee. Each natural person required to register
under this Act shall submit, on an annual basis, a picture of the registrant. A registrant may, in lieu of submitting a
picture on an annual basis, authorize the Secretary of State to use any photo
identification available in any database maintained by the Secretary of State
for other purposes. Each registration fee collected for registrations shall be deposited into the Lobbyist
Registration Administration Fund for administration and enforcement
of this
Act.

(Source: P.A. 101-595, eff. 12-5-19; 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/6) (from Ch. 63, par. 176)
Sec. 6. Reports.
(a) Lobbyist reports. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, every lobbyist registered under this Act who is solely employed by a lobbying entity
shall file an affirmation, verified under
oath pursuant to Section 1-109 of the Code of Civil Procedure, with
the
Secretary of
State attesting to the accuracy of any reports filed pursuant to subsection (b) as those reports pertain to work performed by the lobbyist. Any lobbyist registered under this Act who is not solely employed by a lobbying entity shall personally file reports required of lobbying entities pursuant to subsection (b). A lobbyist may, if authorized so to do by a lobbying entity by whom he or she is employed or retained, file lobbying entity reports pursuant to subsection (b) provided that the lobbying entity may delegate the filing of the lobbying entity report to only one lobbyist in any reporting period.
(b) Lobbying entity reports. Every lobbying entity registered under this Act shall report expenditures related to lobbying, including any expenditures made by a consultant in performing services for the lobbying entity. The report shall itemize each individual expenditure or transaction
and shall include the name of the official on whose behalf the
expenditure
was made, the name of the client if the expenditure was made on behalf of a client, the
total amount of the expenditure, a description of the expenditure, the vendor or purveyor to whom the expenditure was made (including the address or location of the expenditure), the date on which the expenditure occurred and
the subject matter of the lobbying activity, if any.
For those expenditures made on behalf of a client, if the client is a client registrant, the report shall also include the name and address of the client or clients of the client registrant or the official or officials on whose behalf the expenditure ultimately was made. Each expenditure required to be reported shall include all expenses made for or on behalf of an official or his or her immediate family member living with the official.
(b-1) The report shall include any change or addition to the client list information, required in Section 5 for registration, since the last report, including the names and addresses of all clients who retained the lobbying entity together with an itemized description for each client of the following: (1) lobbying regarding executive action, including the name of any executive agency lobbied and the subject matter; (2) lobbying regarding legislative action, including the General Assembly and any other agencies lobbied and the subject matter; and (3) lobbying regarding administrative action, including the agency lobbied and the subject matter. Registrants who made no reportable expenditures during a reporting period shall file a report stating that no expenditures were incurred.
(b-2) Expenditures attributable to lobbying officials shall be listed and reported
according to the following categories:
(b-3) Expenditures incurred for hosting receptions, benefits and other large
gatherings held for purposes of goodwill or otherwise to influence executive,
legislative or administrative action to which there are 25 or more State
officials invited shall be reported listing only the total amount of
the
expenditure, the date of the event, and the estimated number of officials in
attendance.
(b-7) Matters excluded from reports. The following items need not be included in the report:
(c)
A registrant who terminates employment or duties which required him to
register under this Act shall give the Secretary of State, within 30 days after
the date of such termination, written notice of such termination and shall
include therewith a report of the expenditures described herein, covering the
period of time since the filing of his last report to the date of termination
of employment. Such notice and report shall be final and relieve such
registrant of further reporting under this Act, unless and until he later takes
employment or assumes duties requiring him to again register under this Act.
(d) Failure to file any such report within the time designated or the
reporting of incomplete information shall constitute a violation of this Act.
A registrant shall preserve for a period of 2 years all receipts and records
used in preparing reports under this Act.
(e) Within 30 days after a filing deadline or as provided by rule, the lobbyist shall notify each
official on whose behalf an expenditure has been reported. Notification shall
include the name of the registrant, the total amount of the expenditure, a description of the expenditure, the
date on which the expenditure occurred, and the subject matter of the lobbying
activity.
(f) A report for the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending on June 30, 2010 shall be filed no later than July 15, 2010, and a report for the period beginning July 1, 2010 and ending on December 31, 2010 shall be filed no later than January 15, 2011. Beginning January 1, 2011, reports shall be filed semi-monthly as follows: (i) for the period beginning the first day of the month through the 15th day of the month, the report shall be filed no later than the 20th day of the month and (ii) for the period beginning on the 16th day of the month through the last day of the month, the report shall be filed no later than the 5th day of the following month. A report filed under this Act is due in the Office of the Secretary of State no later than the close of business on the date on which it is required to be filed.
(g) All reports filed under this Act shall be filed in a format or on forms prescribed by the Secretary of State.

(Source: P.A. 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/6.5)
Sec. 6.5. Expenditures on behalf of officials.
(a) A registrant that makes an expenditure on behalf of an official must inform the official in writing, contemporaneously with receipt of the expenditure, that the expenditure is a reportable expenditure pursuant to this Act and that the official will be included in the report submitted by the registrant in accordance with Section 6.
(b) Any official disclosed in a report submitted pursuant to Section 6 who did not receive the notification of the expenditure required by subsection (a) of this Section or who has returned or reimbursed the expenditure included in a report submitted pursuant to Section 6 may, at any time, contest the disclosure of an expenditure by submitting a letter to the registrant and the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall make the letter available to the public in the same manner as the report.

(Source: P.A. 96-1358, eff. 7-28-10.)

(25 ILCS 170/7) (from Ch. 63, par. 177)
Sec. 7. Duties of the Secretary of State.
(a) It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to provide appropriate
forms for the registration and reporting of information required by this
Act and to keep such registrations and reports on file in his office for 3
years from the date of filing. He shall also provide and maintain a
register with appropriate blanks and indexes so that the information
required in Sections 5 and 6 of this Act may be accordingly entered. Such
records shall be considered public information and open to public
inspection.
(b) Within 5 business days after a filing deadline, the Secretary of State shall notify
persons he determines are required to file but have failed to do so.
(c) The Secretary of State shall provide adequate software to the persons required to file under this Act, and all registrations, reports, statements, and amendments required to be filed shall be filed electronically.
The Secretary of
State shall promptly make all filed reports publicly available by means of a
searchable database that is accessible through the World Wide Web. The
Secretary of State shall provide all software necessary to comply with this
provision to all persons required to file. The Secretary of State shall
implement a plan to provide computer access and assistance to persons
required to file electronically.
(d) The Secretary of State shall include registrants'
pictures when publishing
or posting on his or her website the information required in Section 5.
(d-5) Within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Secretary of State shall create a publicly accessible and searchable database bringing together disclosures by registered lobbyists under this Act, contributions by registered lobbyists required to be disclosed under the Election Code, and statements of economic interests required to be filed by State officials and employees under the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.
(e) The Secretary of State shall receive and investigate allegations of violations of this Act. Any employee of the Secretary of State who receives an allegation shall immediately transmit it to the Secretary of State Inspector General.

(Source: P.A. 101-595, eff. 12-5-19.)

(25 ILCS 170/8) (from Ch. 63, par. 178)
Sec. 8. Contingent
fees prohibited. No person shall retain or employ another to lobby or provide services as a consultant with respect to any legislative, executive, or administrative action for compensation contingent in whole or in part upon the
outcome of the action and no person shall accept any such employment
or render any such service for compensation contingent upon the outcome of the legislative, executive, or administrative action.

(Source: P.A. 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/9) (from Ch. 63, par. 179)
Sec. 9.

Nothing in
this Act shall be construed to infringe in any way the right of a citizen
to lawfully petition a member of the General Assembly or any other public
official as guaranteed in the Constitution of the State of Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 76-1848.)

(25 ILCS 170/10) (from Ch. 63, par. 180)
Sec. 10. Penalties.
(a) Any person who violates any of the provisions of this Act, except for a violation of Section 4.7 or paragraph (d) of Section 5, shall be
guilty of a business offense and shall be fined not more than $10,000 for each violation. Every day that a report or registration is late shall constitute a separate violation. In determining the appropriate fine for each violation, the trier of fact shall consider the scope of the entire lobbying project, the nature of activities conducted during the time the person was in violation of this Act, and whether or not the violation was intentional or unreasonable.
(a-5) A violation of Section 4.7 or paragraph (d) of Section 5 shall be considered a violation of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, subject to the jurisdiction of the Executive Ethics Commission and to all penalties under Section 50-5 of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act.
(b) In addition to the penalties provided for in subsections (a)
and (a-5) of this Section, any person convicted of any violation of any provision of
this Act is prohibited for a period of three years from the date of such
conviction from lobbying.
(c) There is created in the State treasury a special fund to be known as
the Lobbyist Registration Administration Fund. All fines collected in the
enforcement of this Section shall be deposited into the Fund. These funds
shall, subject to appropriation, be used by the Office of the Secretary of
State for implementation and administration of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 100-554, eff. 11-16-17.)

(25 ILCS 170/11) (from Ch. 63, par. 181)
Sec. 11. Enforcement.
(a) The Secretary of State Inspector General appointed under Section 14 of the Secretary of State Act shall initiate investigations of violations of this Act upon receipt of credible evidence of a violation. If, upon conclusion of an investigation, the Inspector General reasonably believes a violation of this Act has occurred, the Inspector General shall provide the alleged violator with written notification of the alleged violation. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the notification, the alleged violator shall submit a written response to the Inspector General. The response shall indicate whether the alleged violator (i) disputes the alleged violation, including any facts that reasonably prove the alleged violation did not violate the Act, or (ii) agrees to take action to correct the alleged violation within 30 calendar days, including a description of the action the alleged violator has taken or will take to correct the alleged violation. If the alleged violator disputes the alleged violation or fails to respond to the notification of the alleged violation, the Inspector General shall transmit the evidence to the appropriate State's Attorney or Attorney General. If the alleged violator agrees to take action to correct the alleged violation, the Inspector General shall make available to the public the notification from the Inspector General and the response from the alleged violator and shall not transmit the evidence to the appropriate State's Attorney or Attorney General. Nothing in this Act requires the Inspector General to notify an alleged violator of an ongoing investigation or to notify the alleged violator of a referral of any evidence to a law enforcement agency, a State's Attorney, or the Attorney General pursuant to subsection (c).
(a-5) Failure to cooperate in an investigation initiated by the Secretary of State Inspector General appointed under Section 14 of the Secretary of State Act is a separate and punishable offense for which the Secretary of State Inspector General, through the Attorney General, shall file pleadings with the Executive Ethics Commission, which has the discretion to strike or suspend the registration of any person, or lobbying entity for which that person is employed, registered under this Act. Nothing in this Section limits or alters a person's existing rights or protections under State or federal law.
(b) Any violation of this Act may be prosecuted in the county where the offense is committed or in Sangamon County. In addition to the State's Attorney of the appropriate county, the Attorney General of Illinois also is authorized to prosecute any violation of this Act.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Inspector General may at any time refer evidence of a violation of State or federal law, in addition to a violation of this Act, to the appropriate law enforcement agency, State's Attorney, or Attorney General.

(Source: P.A. 100-588, eff. 6-8-18.)

(25 ILCS 170/11.2)
Sec. 11.2. Preemption. Other than a municipality with a population over 500,000, no unit of local government, including a home rule unit, may regulate lobbying in a manner inconsistent with this Act, and all existing laws and ordinances that are inconsistent with this Act are hereby superseded. This Section is a limitation of home rule powers under subsections (h) and (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.

(Source: P.A. 102-664, eff. 1-1-22.)

(25 ILCS 170/11.3)
Sec. 11.3. Compensation from a State agency. It is a violation of this Act for a person registered or required to be registered under this Act to accept or agree to accept compensation from a State agency for the purpose of lobbying legislative action.
This Section does not apply to compensation (i) that is a portion of the salary of a full-time employee of a State agency whose responsibility or authority includes, but is not limited to, lobbying executive, legislative, or administrative action or (ii) to an individual who is contractually retained by a State agency that is not listed in Section 5-15 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
For the purpose of this Section, "State agency" is defined as in the Illinois State Auditing Act.

(Source: P.A. 96-555, eff. 1-1-10.)

(25 ILCS 170/12) (from Ch. 63, par. 182)
Sec. 12.
Severability clause.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Act is
for any reason held to be unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect
the validity of the remaining portions of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 76-1848.)