Subject of Possible Rule Making: The public disclosure commission (commission) will consider making revisions to the lobbying reporting requirements, including direct and indirect (grassroots) lobbying activity. The commission also will consider making inflationary adjustments to the contribution limits and reporting values in the Fair Campaign Practices Act, with particular emphasis on the reporting values for lobbying activity, but other subject areas will be under consideration as well.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 42.17A.110, [42.17A].125, [42.17A].615, [42.17A].630, [42.17A].635, and [42.17A].640.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The commission will review current regulatory requirements for direct and indirect lobbying reporting in conjunction with the planning for updates to the lobbying reporting system, which will provide the opportunity for updating or improving the current requirements. Particular emphasis will be placed on considering revisions to the indirect (grassroots) lobbying reporting requirements.

The commission will also consider making inflationary adjustments to the monetary values and reporting thresholds, with particular emphasis on lobbying. Under RCW 42.17A.125, the commission must consider revising monetary limits and reporting values every two to five years. Adjustments are made by rule in recognition of the economic changes as reflected in the inflationary index recommended by the office of financial management (OFM) and rounded off to be most accessible for the public.

The economic conditions reflected in the current inflationary index may warrant adjustments in monetary limits and thresholds in regards to lobbying, and also may include adjustments or technical changes to the values in other areas of the rules. In addition, the monetary values set in rule will be evaluated in relation to the inflationary adjustments in statutory values to ensure continuity and effectiveness of the law.

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: The commission must use an inflationary index recommended by OFM to calculate the inflationary adjustments. The commission will coordinate with OFM to determine the inflationary index to calculate the adjustments for each monetary value.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Sean Flynn, 711 Capitol Way South, Suite 206, Olympia, WA 98504, phone 360-753-1111, fax 360-753-1112, email pdc@pdc.wa.gov, website www.pdc.wa.gov.