54-05.1-03. Registration as a lobbyist - Fee - Filing of information - Public inspection -
Certificate of registration.
1. a. Before engaging in any of the activities listed in section 54-05.1-02, an individual
shall register with the secretary of state and receive a certificate of registration
and a distinctive lobbyist identification badge that must be prominently worn by
the lobbyist when engaged in any of the activities listed in section 54-05.1-02
while on the capitol grounds. In lieu of wearing the official badge provided by the
secretary of state, a lobbyist may wear a reasonable reproduction of the official
badge that contains the name of the lobbyist and any of the following: the word
lobbyist, the registration number of the lobbyist, or the organization name of the
lobbyist in characters no smaller than one-quarter inch [6.35 millimeters]. If a
lobbyist's official badge is lost or destroyed, the lobbyist may obtain a duplicate
badge by applying to the secretary of state and paying a fee of ten dollars.
b. The registrant shall state in writing:
(1) The registrant's full name and business address; and
(2) The name and address of any person upon whose behalf the registrant
appears, any person in whose interest the registrant appears or works, the
duration of the employment or appearances, and by whom the registrant is
paid or is to be paid.
c. The registration period commences on July first and expires on June thirtieth of
the following calendar year unless an earlier expiration date is requested by the
registrant.
d. Each lobbyist shall file with the secretary of state, before the issuance of a
certificate of registration, a written authorization to act as a lobbyist. The
authorization must be signed by the official of the corporation, limited liability
company, association, group, or organization employing the lobbyist and may be
filed by facsimile transmission.
e. The secretary of state shall charge a fee of twenty-five dollars for registering each
lobbyist and the first person represented by the lobbyist and an additional fee of
fifteen dollars for each subsequent person represented by the lobbyist.
2. Each lobbyist shall file, on or before August first following the expiration of the
registration period, with the secretary of state a detailed report. The report must
include a statement as to each expenditure, if any, of sixty dollars or more expended
on any single occasion on any individual, including the spouse or other family member
of a member of the legislative assembly or the governor, in carrying out the lobbyist's
work or include a statement that no reportable expenditures were made during the
reporting period. The statement of each expenditure must include a description of the
nature of the expenditure, the amount of the expenditure, the date of the expenditure,
and the name of the recipient of the expenditure. A state official or agency may not
require reporting of lobbyist expenditures other than is required under this subsection.
The secretary of state shall provide a prescribed form for reporting under this chapter.
The secretary of state shall charge and collect fees for late filing of the detailed
expenditure report as follows:
a. Within sixty days after the date provided in this subsection for filing the detailed
expenditure report, twenty-five dollars; and
b. Thereafter, fifty dollars.
3. If a lobbyist fails to file a detailed expenditure report and pay any late fee by October
first, the lobbyist's registration is automatically revoked. The lobbyist's registration may
be reinstated if the lobbyist thereafter files the detailed expenditure report and pays
any outstanding late fee.
4. All information required to be filed under this section with the secretary of state and
that previously filed must be compiled by the secretary of state within forty days after
the close of the period for which the information is filed and the files must be open and
accessible for public inspection during the normal working hours.
