HB 2497 Summary

• Requires public officers to disclose any benefits received in the form of travel, lodging, or registration fees for conferences and meetings, itemized by specific dollar amount rather than category ranges, with identification of each donor or payor.

• Expands lobbying expenditure reporting categories to include registration fees paid for conferences, meetings, or other events (regardless of denomination as scholarship, reduced rate, or reimbursement) with identification of all donors or payors into aggregated accounts.

• Eliminates minimum amount thresholds for reporting travel, lodging, and registration fee benefits in lobbying expenditure reports, requiring itemization of these benefits even when amounts are below the standard single expenditure threshold.

• Applies the same travel, lodging, and registration fee disclosure requirements to both private lobbyists and public bodies' designated and authorized public lobbyists.