REFERENCE TITLE: local governments; lobbying; prohibition

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-fifth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2022

SB 1198

Introduced by

Senators Petersen: Leach; Representative Cook

AN ACT

Amending section 41-1234, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to registration and regulation of lobbyists.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 41-1234, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE41-1234. Publicly funded contract lobbyists; prohibition

A. Notwithstanding any other law, a state agency, office, department, board, or commission, county, city, town, school district or other political subdivision of this state and any person acting on behalf of a state agency, office, department, board, or commission, county, city, town, school district or other political subdivision of this state shall not:

1. Enter into a contract or other agreement with a person or entity for lobbying services.

2. Spend monies for any person or entity to lobby on behalf of that agency, office, department, board, or commission, county, city, town, school district or other political subdivision unless that person is a state employee or an employee of a county, city, town or school district. If a county, city, town, school district or other political subdivision of this state is a member of an organization of which the majority of the members are composed of political subdivisions or OTHER public bodies, no portion of membership dues may be authorized for lobbying ACTIVITIES.

B. This section does not apply to any state agency, office, department, board or commission that is either:

1. Headed by one or more elected officials.

2. Exempt from title 41, chapter 23 of this title for the purposes of contracts for professional lobbyists.

C. This section does not apply to the employment relationship of a lobbyist who is a state employee directly employed by a state governmental unit for whom the employee acts as a lobbyist or lobbying is part of the employee's job description.

D. For the purposes of this section, "state employee" has the same meaning prescribed in section 41-1231. END_STATUTE