(A) Any person who acts as a lobbyist must, within fifteen days of being employed, appointed, or retained as a lobbyist, register with the State Ethics Commission as provided in this section. Each person registering must pay a fee of one hundred dollars and present to the State Ethics Commission a communication reflecting the authority of the registrant to represent the person by whom he is employed, appointed, or retained. If a partnership, committee, association, corporation, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons registers as a lobbyist, it must identify each person who will act as a lobbyist on its behalf during the covered period. There is no registration fee for a lobbyist who is a full- time employee of a state agency and limits his lobbying to efforts on behalf of that particular state agency.

(B) The registration must be in a form prescribed by the State Ethics Commission and be limited to and contain:

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Terms Used In South Carolina Code 2-17-20

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Covered agency actions: means the proposal, drafting, development, consideration, amendment, withdrawal, or promulgation of a regulation under Article 1, Chapter 23 of Title 1 of the 1976 Code. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Covered gubernatorial actions: means :

    (a) gubernatorial approval or veto of legislation;

    (b) gubernatorial consideration or issuance of any executive order;

    (c) gubernatorial consideration or making of any appointment; or

    (d) gubernatorial consideration of or the decision to award any grant derived from federal or other funds or from any source. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Income: means the receipt or promise of any consideration, whether or not legally enforceable, including attorney's fees attributable to lobbying. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Legislation: means :

    (a) bills, resolutions, amendments, reports, legislative acts, vetoes, nominations, rules, and regulations pending or proposed in either the House or Senate;

    (b) any other matter which may be the subject of action by either house; or

    (c) the appointment of committees of conference and free conference by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President of the Senate. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Lobbying: means promoting or opposing through direct communication with public officials or public employees:

    (a) the introduction or enactment of legislation before the General Assembly or the committees or members of the General Assembly;

    (b) covered gubernatorial actions;

    (c) covered agency actions; or

    (d) consideration of the election or appointment of an individual to a public office elected or appointed by the General Assembly. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Lobbyist: means any person who is employed, appointed, or retained, with or without compensation, by another person to influence by direct communication with public officials or public employees: (i) the action or vote of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or any other statewide constitutional officer concerning any legislation; (ii) the vote of any public official on any state agency, board, or commission concerning any covered agency actions; or (iii) the action of the Governor or any member of his executive staff concerning any covered gubernatorial actions. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means an individual, a partnership, committee, an association, a corporation, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Public body: means the General Assembly, the Executive Office of the Governor, any department of the State, or any state board, commission, agency, or authority, including committees of any such body, by whatever name known. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.

(1) the lobbyist’s full name and address, telephone number, occupation, name of employer, principal place of business, and position held in that business by the lobbyist;

(2) an identification of the public office or public body which the lobbyist will engage in lobbying and the subject matter in which the lobbyist will engage in lobbying, including the name of legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions, if known; and

(3) certification by the lobbyist that the information contained on the registration statement is true and correct.

(4) If a lobbyist fails to identify the public office or public body for which he is authorized to engage in lobbying, as required by item (2) of this subsection, then the lobbyist’s principal for whom the lobbyist is authorized to engage in lobbying is deemed a lobbyist’s principal as to all public offices or public bodies of the State.

(C) Each lobbyist who ceases to engage in lobbying requiring him to register pursuant to the provisions of this section shall file a written statement with the State Ethics Commission acknowledging the termination of lobbying. The written statement of termination is effective immediately, except that the provisions of Sections 2-17-80(A)(5), 2-17-80(B)(5), 2-17-110(C), and 2-17-110(F) continue in force and effect for the remainder of the calendar year in which the lobbyist was registered, regardless of the date of the termination statement filed with the State Ethics Commission. Each lobbyist who files a written statement of termination pursuant to the provisions of this section must file reports required by this chapter for any reporting period during which the lobbyist was registered pursuant to the provisions of this section.

(D) A lobbyist must file a supplemental registration statement indicating any substantial change in the information contained in the prior registration statement within fifteen days after the date of the change.

(E) The State Ethics Commission annually must furnish to each chairman of standing and special committees of the General Assembly, each member of the General Assembly, and each statewide constitutional officer a list of all lobbyists registered with that office. The State Ethics Commission must furnish monthly updates to the same persons. These lists must be available to state agency heads upon request.

(F) Each lobbyist must maintain for not less than four years records which must be available to the State Ethics Commission for inspection and which must contain:

(1) the identification of each person from whom income attributable to the lobbyist’s lobbying is paid or promised and the amount of such income attributable to the lobbyist’s lobbying paid or promised; and

(2) the total expenditures of the lobbyist for lobbying.

(G) A lobbyist must reregister annually with the State Ethics Commission by January fifth of each year.

(H) The State Ethics Commission shall not allow a lobbyist to register, reregister, or continue to be registered pursuant to this section until the lobbyist complies with the reporting requirements pursuant to § 2-17-30, and pays all late filing penalties in accordance with § 2-17-50 and all complaint fines in accordance with § 8-13-320(10)(1).

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