What Is The Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA)?

Christopher DeLacy is a Partner, Douglas Dziak is Senior Counsel and Andrew H Emerson is an Associate in our Washington DC office .

The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as amended (LDA), is a federal lobbying statute administered by Congress that applies to legislative and executive branch contacts. The LDA does not apply to state or local lobbying. The LDA requires registration and then disclosure of certain lobbying activities, including the issues lobbied, individual lobbyists, and lobbying costs. LDA violations are subject to fines of up to $200,000 per violation and, in some cases, up to 5 years in prison. The LDA is a companion statute to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended ( FARA).