Section 560.220  Registration Requirements

a)         Every natural person and every entity required to register under the Act shall register 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.  (Section 5 of the Act)  Every lobbying entity shall designate a person as an authorized agent (see Sections 560.100 and 560.205) who shall be responsible for reporting under this Part.

b)         The authorized agent shall file an Entity Registration Statement and an Exclusive Lobbyist Information Statement for all persons who lobby exclusively for the entity even if lobbying is a small percentage of that person's job duties.  (See Section 560.405.)

c)         Every natural person and every entity required to register under the Act  shall annually renew his or her registration on or before January 31 of each year if continuing lobbyist activities from the previous year.  By December 15 of each year, the Secretary of State Index Department will send to all current authorized agents reminder notices of the January 31 deadline.  Nothing in this Section shall relieve a lobbyist or lobbying entity from the requirement to register before commencing lobbying activities in a particular year and within 2 business days after being employed or retained for lobbying services.

d)         The registrant has a continuing duty to report any substantial change or addition to the information contained in the registration.  (Section 5 of the Act)

e)         Registration statements shall be filed in accordance with the definition of "filing" (see Section 560.100).

f)          All registration statements shall include an annual, non-refundable, non-transferable registration fee, assessed as follows, in the form of a credit or debit card payment or electronic check payable to the Secretary of State:

1)         A lobbyist's registration shall include a single, annual, non-refundable, non-transferrable registration fee of $300.   A self-employed independent contract lobbyist who does not lobby under a business entity name or an assumed business name and who has no employees engaged in lobbying activities may submit a single annual fee of $300 and need not pay an entity fee.

2)         A lobbying entity's registration shall include a single, annual, non-refundable, non-transferable registration fee of $300 for the entity and a  single, annual, non-refundable, non-transferable registration fee of $300 for each person registering as a lobbyist on an Exclusive Lobbyist Information Statement.

g)         The Secretary of State Index Department will provide an acknowledgment to each authorized agent indicating the date of receipt for all statements filed (see Section 560.100).

h)         Persons solely engaged in grass roots lobbying as an employee of a lobbying entity or a participant in a grass roots lobbying event who make a reportable expenditure are required to register unless the expenditure is reported to the registered entity pursuant to Section 560.326.

(Source:  Amended at 35 Ill. Reg. 12761, effective July 18, 2011)