In accordance with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Act, an Annual Report of Lobbyist Principal is required to be filed annually with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board ("Board"). Any business or association which retains or employs a registered lobbyist in the State of Minnesota is required to file the annual report no later than March 15. The form of the report will be sent to all lobbyist principals by the Board.
This report must disclose the total amount of money spent by the principal on lobbying efforts in Minnesota from January 1 through December 31 of the preceding year. The reported amount can be rounded to the nearest $20,000 and must include:
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All expenditures for advertising, mailing, research, analysis, compilation and dissemination of information, and public relations campaigns;
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All salaries and administrative expenses attributable to lobbying activities of the principal; and
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All direct payments to lobbyists under contract.
The report may be filed with the Board by United States Mail, personal delivery, or facsimile transmission to (651) 296-1722 or (800) 357-4114. If filed by mail, the filing must be postmarked by March 15. Alternatively, the report may be filed electronically (click here). All reports are available for viewing by the public.
If the report is not received by March 15, the Board will notify the lobbyist principal by certified mail. The Board may impose late filing fees in an amount equal to $5 per day (up to a maximum of $100) beginning eleven (11) days after providing written notice that the report was not received. Failure to report after receiving notice from the Board can result in civil penalties of up to $1,000. Lobbyist principals must retain records related to lobbyist expenses for a period of four (4) years.