FAQ

A lobbyist is a person who communicates, directly or indirectly, with state government officials for the purpose of influencing action by the official for compensation. (T.C.A. § 3‐6‐301(15) and (17)) The term lobbyist does not include an employee of a governmental entity. However, a third party contracted to lobby for governmental entity is included in the definition of lobbyist. (T.C.A. § 3‐6‐301(15))

Employer of a lobbyist or employer is any person or entity that employs, retains, or otherwise arranges for a lobbyist to engage in lobbying on behalf of the person or entity for compensation. T.C.A. § 3‐6‐301(8). Entities not included in the definition of “employer” for registration purposes include:

• Governmental entities. (T.C.A. §3‐6‐301(15))
• A person or entity that utilizes the services of a volunteer lobbyist whose reimbursement for out‐of‐pocket expenditures does not exceed ten (10) days. See Manual for Lobbyists and Employers of Lobbyists for definition of volunteer lobbyist.

Registrations are filed electronically through the Commission’s website. 
New users should create a new account here.  If a user thinks they may have an old account, they should email ethics.counsel@tn.gov to double check. No one should have more than one account. 

Lobbyists and employers of lobbyists are required to register, each calendar year, not later than seven (7)days after becoming a lobbyist or an employer of a lobbyist. Note that it is not an act of lobbying which triggers the requirement to register, but the act of accepting employment/retainer of employment. (See Advisory Opinion 06‐01.) For the purpose of employer registration requirements, the lobbyist has been employed whether the engagement is formal or informal, written or oral. A separate registration is required for each lobbyist employed.

As part of the registration process, a lobbyist must submit a current photographic portrait to the Commission within thirty (30) calendar days after registration. This portrait should be submitted in jpeg or gif format, be smaller than 5 megabytes in size, and for best appearance, be 180 by 255 pixels. Portraits should be e‐mailed to the Commission at ethics.pics@tn.gov.

A lobbyist must pay $150 for each registration submitted. An employer of a lobbyist must pay $150 for each registration submitted. Payment must be submitted online by credit card or by check within 30 days of registration. *Note: lobbyists are required to pay a $40 training fee each calendar year

A lobbyist is required to take an annual ethics training course either in person or through their iLobby account online. T.C.A. § 3-6-114 The course is offered electronically. Beginning with 2012, a lobbyist may also attend one of the annual ethics courses provided for members of the general assembly. The cost of the training course is $40 and is due at the time of the first registration. Employers of lobbyists may, but are not required, to complete an ethics course.

An employer of a lobbyist is required to file a semi-annual Lobbying Expenditure Report. This report is filed electronically through the Commission’s website. The reports cover the periods January 1 through June 30 (due by August 14) and July 1 through December 31 (due by February 14).

A lobbyist who is a member of a commission established by and responsible to the general assembly or is a member of a state regulatory commission must file a Sworn Disclosure of Consulting Services form (http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tec/attachments/forms/ss-8006 Consulting Services.pdf). The employer of a lobbyist who has employed such lobbyist must also file the form.

A lobbyist or an employer of a lobbyist who pays for an in-state event must submit a copy of the invitation within seven (7) days before the event. Within thirty (30) days after the event, an in-state event disclosure form (http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tec/attachments/forms/ss-8007.pdf), reporting the costs of the event must be filed with the Commission.

A lobbyist must report any gifts that are made to an official in the legislative or executive branch or to his or her family member who attends an event and accepts a gift that is provided by a person or entity not subject to the prohibition set forth in T.C.A. § 3-6-305(a)(1). See T.C.A. § 3-6-305(c) (https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/ethicscommission/documents/lobbyists/ss-8008LobbyistIndirectGiftDisclosureForm.pdf)

The Commission sends email notifications to lobbyists and employers. Therefore, it is important that email contact information in the ilobby system be kept up to date.

Yes, T.C.A. § 3-6-304 provides specific prohibitions on lobbyists and employers of lobbyists, including prohibitions on campaign contributions. Gift prohibitions and exceptions to the prohibitions are covered under T.C.A. § 3-6-305. See Manual for Lobbyists and Employers of Lobbyists for details on these prohibitions and exceptions, including the exceptions for in-state events. See FAQ #13 for more information on gift prohibitions.

T.C.A. § 3-6-306 provides that the Commission may assess a civil penalty of $25.00 per day up to a
maximum of $750.00 if a lobbyist or employer of lobbyist:

• fails to timely register or timely update a registration;
• fails to timely pay registration fees;
• fails to timely file the lobbying expenditure report.

Further, the statute provides that the Commission may assess a civil penalty, not to exceed $10,000.00, if a lobbyist or employer of lobbyist:

• files information knowing or having reason to know that the information is inaccurate or incomplete;
• utilizes the services of a lobbyist or engages in lobbying for an employer knowing or having reason to know that the lobbyist or employer is not registered
• knowingly violates any provision of § 3-6-304 or § 3-6-305. However, the Commission may only assess a civil penalty up to two hundred percent (200%) of the value of any gift or $25.00, whichever is greater. See Manual for Lobbyists and Employers of Lobbyists.

Registrations are based on a calendar year and expire on December 31 if not withdrawn earlier.

Log in to your iLobby account and click on the date of the registration. Click
on the “withdraw” button at the bottom of the registration and submit.

You need to talk to the TN.gov Accounts Management team. You can call them at (629) 888-5870 or send them an email at apps.support@tn.gov. They support all users for the State of Tennessee, so be sure to give them as much detail about what account you're tryin gto access up front.

Lobbyists and Employers of Lobbyists are prohibited from giving any gift (including, but not limited to, food, beverages, money, personal items, travel expenses, loans, and/or discounts), as defined by Tenn. Code Ann. 3-6-301(10), to any candidate for public office, official in the legislative branch, official in the executive branch, or the immediate family of any such individuals, unless the gift meets the requirements of any specific exception to this prohibition, as outlined by Tenn. Code Ann. 3-6-305(b).  To determine whether or not a particular exception applies in a given circumstance, you may contact the Tennessee Ethics Commission for guidance at Ethics.Counsel@tn.gov.

If you determine that you have given a gift that you should not have given, you should immediately notify the recipient. The recipient must not use the gift and must return it to you within 10 days of either their receipt of the gift or when they become aware that the gift was not permitted, whichever occurs later.  If the gift cannot be returned, the recipient must reimburse you for the fair market value of the gift within the same time frame.

In certain instances, you may also need to make certain disclosures to the Tennessee Ethics Commission as outlined by Tenn. Code Ann. 3-6-305(c). For more information on whether reporting is required, please contact the Tennessee Ethics Commission at Ethics.Counsel@tn.gov.  If disclosure is required, you should send an email to Ethics.Counsel@tn.gov detailing the following information:  1) the name of the candidate, official, or family member that accepted the gift; 2) the nature and purpose of the event; 3) the name, address, and business of the person or entity that provided the gift; 4) a description of the gift; and 5) the cost of the gift.