Lobbyist registration
Definition
Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, a person must register as a lobbyist if they make two or more lobbying contacts with covered federal officials and spend at least 20% of their time for that client on lobbying activities within any three-month period, and the client's spending or income from lobbying clears a quarterly dollar threshold.
Why it matters
The 20%-of-time and dollar thresholds are easy to structure around. Firms can split work among several people so no individual crosses the 20% line, or route strategic advice through "consultants" who avoid direct contact with officials, letting substantial influence work happen entirely outside public disclosure.
Seen in the wild
The Senate's registration thresholds were increased for 2025-2026 to $16,000 per quarter for organizations with in-house lobbyists and $3,500 per quarter in client income for lobbying firms, indexed for inflation. Government watchdogs have long noted that many people who function as lobbyists deregister or avoid registering by staying just under the 20%-time threshold, becoming so-called "shadow lobbyists."1