Secretary of State Holds Lobbying Workshop

PHOENIX – Improving communication, and therefore disclosure and transparency between the lobbying community and the Secretary of State's office has been a high priority under Secretary Ken Bennett.  A group of public lobbyists met yesterday at the state capital in Phoenix to attend an educational workshop hosted by the Election Services Division. 

During the event, lobbyists had the opportunity to discuss filing quarterly and annual reports, registration requirements, deadlines and recently revised forms.

"Yesterday’s workshop was a great opportunity for public body lobbyists to get a refresher course on the rules and regulations surrounding lobbying on behalf of a governmental entity," said Secretary Bennett.  "This was the first time in recent memory we've held such an event.  We felt it would encourage public lobbyists to review their activities to ensure that they remain in compliance with lobbyist registration and reporting requirements.

"Public lobbyists lobby, similar to private lobbyists.  But most people don't know that state law requires additional reporting of public lobbyists every year in their agency’s annual report. 

"It was also important for our office to listen and establish a dialog where we can get feedback and suggestions on the process.  Who better than these folks to describe potential areas for improvement?  Our goal is to make every interaction as customer friendly and efficient as possible.  Events like these are key to developing ideas that improve the regulatory system, and yesterday was no exception."

The Secretary of State's office will be hosting additional workshops targeted for principles and compensated lobbyists over the year, coinciding with quarterly reporting periods.