PROVIDENCE – Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea has unveiled legislation that aims to strengthen and increase the transparency of Rhode Island’s lobbying laws.
The Lobbying Reform Act of 2015 would replace existing legislative- and executive-branch lobbying laws with a single comprehensive statute, Gorbea said in a statement.
Provisions in General Assembly bills include:
n Authorizing administrative subpoena power in the course of conducting investigations.
n Strengthening and simplifying lobbying-reporting guidelines, while also making it easier for the general public to access the reports.
n Increasing maximum penalties for noncompliance to more than double the current amounts.
Gorbea’s legislation was developed with input from a Lobbying Advisory Task Force convened in March that included citizen advocates.
