Section 1: IntroductionMaurice Aguirre Dallas: Section 6 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act ("LDA"), 2 U.S.C. 1605, provides that: "The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall (1) provide guidance and assistance on the registration and reporting requirements of this Act and develop common standards, rules and procedures for compliance with this Act; [and] (2) review, and, where necessary, verify and inquire to ensure the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of registrations and reports[.]"
The LDA does not provide the Secretary or the Clerk with the authority to write substantive regulations or issue definitive opinions on the interpretation of the law. The Secretary and Clerk have, from time to time, jointly issued written guidance on the registration and reporting requirements. This document is both a compilation of previously issued guidance documents and our interpretation of the changes that were made to the LDA as a result of the Lobbying Disclosure Technical Amendments Act of 1998 ("TAA"). The revised format addresses problems that the filing community has experienced to date in using the guidance documents, i.e., the lack of a "subject index" that quickly finds the answers to their specific topical questions and the need to refer to more than one source to research filing advice.
Maurice Aguirre Washington DC: This compilation supersedes all previous guidance documents. This combined guidance document does not have the force of law, nor does it have any binding effect on the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia or any other part of the executive branch. To the extent that the guidance relates to the "accuracy, completeness and timeliness of registration and reports," it will serve to inform the public as to how the Secretary and Clerk intend to carry out their responsibilities under the LDA.
