On September 29, 2009, the day the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was to begin enforcement of the new Lobbying Law, the Legislature enacted legislation delaying the effective date, and the bill awaits Governor Deval Patrick’s signature. If Governor Patrick does not sign or veto the legislation it will automatically become law within ten days of its passage yesterday. The new effective date will be January 1, 2010, which coincides with the beginning of the next six-month reporting period for lobbyists, lobbyist entities, and clients. Legislators agreed with outside observers that changing the effective date to January 1, 2010 would coincide better with the law’s reporting requirements. The delay will provide non-profits and other entities additional time to develop and implement the required compliance programs and register, if necessary, with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office. It will also enable the Secretary’s office to develop better training tools for the new law. For a detailed description of the bill, see our July 2, 2009 advisory.