Instructions for Lobbyist Employer or Lobbying Coalition Registration Statement

The “Lobbyist Employer/Lobbying Coalition Registration Statement” is used for:

• Initial registration of a person or entity (including a “lobbying coalition” as defined in FPPC Regulation 18616.4) that employs one or more in-house lobbyists.
• Renewal of registration.

Filing Requirements:

Any person (including a lobbying coalition), other than a lobbying firm, who employs one or more lobbyists for economic consideration, other than reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses, for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action must file the Form 603.

Persons or entities that employ only a lobbying firm (including an individual contract lobbyist) are not required to complete this form and register with the Secretary of State. However, they must complete a Form 602 (Lobbying FirmActivityAuthorization) and file quarterly reports of lobbying payments Form 635 (Report of Lobbyist Employer/Lobbying Coalition).

Deadline for Filing

Initial Registration: A lobbyist employer or lobbying coalition must register with the Secretary of State within 10 days of qualifying as a lobbyist employer or lobbying coalition.

Renewal of Registration: Lobbyist employers and lobbying coalitionsrequired to file thisstatement must renew their registration between November 1 and December 31 of each even-numbered year.

Requirements of Registration:

In addition to the “Lobbyist Employer/LobbyingCoalition Registration Statement,” submit the following:

• A Form 604 (Lobbyist Certification Statement) completed by each in-house employee lobbyist;
• Renewing a Registration: Submit a $100 registration fee ($50 per year) or
• New Registration: The registration fee is $50 per year and when registering in the first year of the two-year session a payment of $100 is required; and
• A recent photograph (head and shoulders only) of each lobbyist.

To Amend the Lobbyist Employer/Lobbying Coalition Registration Statement:

If any change occurs in any of the information contained on the Form 603 such as adding a new lobbyist, a change in address, addition or deletion of a state agency to be lobbied, etc., a Form 605 (Amendment to Registration) must be filed within 20 days of the change.

Verification:

The Form 603 must be verified and signed by the filer. In the case of a business entity or organization, the verification must be signed by a responsible officer, or by an attorney or a certified public accountant who acts as an agent for the entity or organization.

Section 86100 requires a registration statement to be filed online or electronically and the original and one copy in paper format with:

Secretary of State
Political Reform Divison
1500 11th Street
P.O. Box 1467
Sacramento, CA 95812-1467

Additional Information

Refer to the Lobbying Disclosure Information Manual for additional information and information required to be provided to you pursuant to the Information Practices Act of 1977.

Reporting Agencies to be Lobbied

Each lobbyist identified in Part I will be registered to lobby all agencieslisted on the Lobbyist Employer Registration Statement and all subsequent amendments unless a lobbyist identifies specific agencies on his/her Lobbyist Certification Statement (Form 604).

Reporting Lobbying Interests

Following are some examples of how to report lobbying interests on the registration statement:

• Example 1: ABC Corporation develops, manufactures and distributes pharmaceuticals. On its Form 603 (Lobbyist Employer Registration Statement), it would not be sufficient to describe the corporation’s lobbying interests as “Legislation relating to business,” or “Legislation relating to manufacturing.” The description should say “Legislation relating to the development, manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceuticals.”
• Example 2: A group of real estate companies decidesto share the cost of hiring a lobbying firm to influence a specific regulation being considered by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Because there are 10 or more companies pooling funds to hire a lobbyist, the group qualifies as a “lobbying coalition.” The Form 603 should specifically describe the administrative action to be lobbied, such as “Regulations of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing relating to adults-only rental policies (Section 12-8, 12-9).”
• Example 3: The DEF Association is an organization which represents local government entities, such as cities and counties. One of DEF Association’s employees is its lobbyist. The lobbyist’s primary lobbying efforts during one reporting period are in connection with a bill to limit the liability of local governmental entities in personal injury lawsuits and a bill affecting the powers of redevelopment agencies. The lobbyist also monitors other bills relating to local government issues, but does not actively lobby those bills. On its Form 603, the association would describe its lobbying interests as “Legislation relating to cities, counties, and other local government entities.”

NOTE: Lobbyist employers and lobbying coalitions are also required to file quarterly reports disclosing, among other things, the specific legislative or administrative actions lobbied during the period covered by the report. See the Form 635 (Report of Lobbyist Employer/Report of Lobbying Coalition) or the Lobbying Disclosure Information Manual for detailed information.

Nature and Interests of Lobbyist Employer:

Check the box that indicates whether you are an individual, a business entity, an industry, trade or professional association, or some other type of entity, such as a lobbying coalition, a religious organization, a political or public interest organization, or a recreational club. Complete Part A, B, C, or D, whichever is applicable, and then complete Part E.

Industry Group Classification

All filers must complete Section E. Check one box that most accurately describesthe industry group you represent. Industry, trade, or professional associationsshould check the box that most accurately describes the industry group of its members, (e.g., an association of hospitals would be classified as “Health,” and an association of mortgage banking entities would be classified as “Business-Finance/ Insurance”). Following are some additional examples:

• Agriculture: Includes growers, ranches, vineyards, flower growers, fertilizer manufacturers, etc.
• Education: Includes educators, private and public schools, and education unions.
• Government: Includes cities, counties, and all other publiclyfunded agencies.
• Health: Includes physicians, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, nurses, etc., aswell as ambulance companies, convalescent homes, pharmacists, pharmaceutical manufacturers,therapists, hospitals, etc.
• Labor Unions: Does not include public employee and education unions.
• Legal: Includes attorneys and attorney associations, except those representing public employee attorneys
• Political Organizations: Includes political committees and clubs
• Public Employees: Includes all public employee associations, organizations, and unions (except education unions), including district attorneys, public defenders, firefighters, judges, police, sheriffs, etc.
• Utilities: Includes telephone, power, and water companies.
• Other: Describe.(After reviewing your description,the Secretary of State may place you in one of the classifications described above or assign you to the miscellaneous category in the Directory of Lobbyists, Lobbying Firms and Lobbyist Employers.)

The category “Business” has been divided into severalsub-categories, including:

• Entertainment/Recreation: Includes baseball, football teams and country clubs, casinos, horse breeders, race tracks, music companies, and theaters. Does not include hobby or recreational clubs which are not business-related.
• Finance/Insurance: Includes health insurance companies, collection agencies, credit services, mortgage bankers, title companies, etc.
• Lodging/Restaurants: Includes bars, hotels, night clubs, resorts, etc.
• Manufacturing/Industrial: Includes beverage manufacturers, canneries, cement companies, chemical laboratories, timber companies, wineries, etc.
• Merchandise/Retail: Includes beverage distributors, coin dealers, florists, home furnishing stores, pharmacies, etc.
• Oil and Gas: Includes drilling contractors, exploration companies, gas and oil companies, etc.
• Professional/Trade: Includes individuals or business entities, or organizations representing accountants, architects, auctioneers, bail agents, building trades, construction interests, court reporters, engineers, photographers, travel agents, stock brokers, plumbers, veterinarians, etc. NOTE:Atrade association representing ranchers would be classified as “Agriculture,” not as “Professional/Trade.”
• Real Estate: Includes developers, rental companies, real estate companies, property management, etc.
• Transportation: Includes airlines, moving, and storage, railroads, shipping, trucking, etc.
• Other: Describe your business interest if it does not fall into any of the other business categories (example, apartment owners, funeral homes, mobile home parks, publishers, refuse companies, retirement homes, waste management, etc.). NOTE: This subsection is different from the “Other” category identified in the Industry Group Classification which is for use by filers whose activities are not business-related.

Form 603

End of Page, Form 603 Instructions