SB 577 Summary

• Amends Rule 5.21 of the Ethics Commission Rules to modify legislative lobbyist reporting requirements regarding meals and events provided to state officials and employees.

• Requires reporting of individual meal costs (price plus tax, excluding gratuity) provided to the Governor, legislators, or their employees, with detailed apportionment rules for shared meals and a $10.00 annual aggregate threshold for non-meal food and beverages.

• Establishes reporting requirements for lobbyist-funded food and beverages at legislative events including all-member events, political caucus meetings, committee/subcommittee meetings, and out-of-state professional conferences, including the lobbyist principal's percentage contribution if less than 100%.

• Permits but exempts from reporting nominal transportation costs by private vehicle or taxi within Oklahoma or near out-of-state events, and requires duplicate reporting only once when multiple legislative liaisons represent the same lobbyist principal.

• Mandates electronic filing of reports and requires disclosure of subject areas of legislation advocated or opposed by the legislative lobbyist, effective January 1, 2018.