S.C. Code Regs. § § 52-403

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 11, November 22, 2024

Section 52-403 - Lobbyists and Lobbyist's Principal Reporting Requirements

A. Each lobbyist and each lobbyist's principal, except as provided in subparagraph (C) below, shall no later than June thirtieth and January thirty-first of each year, file a report with the Commission covering the lobbyist's and lobbyist's principal's expenditures arising during the filing period.

B. The filing periods are from January first to May thirty-first for the June thirtieth report and from June first to December thirty-first for the January thirty-first report.

C. Economic Development. When an approving official determines that the confidentiality of a state or local economic development project would be compromised by disclosure under this regulation and the approving official indicates by prior written approval that disclosure of the information would jeopardize the negotiations in an economic development project, the following action must be taken:

(1) The approving official must state in writing that disclosure of information would jeopardize negotiations in an economic development project. The prior written approval must state the approving official authorizes non-disclosure, generally list the economic development project, provide the public official's or public employee's name and governmental entity, and bear the date of the writing and signature of the approving official. The approving official's prior written approval is confidential and must be boldly marked as such.

(2) If the approving official has given his approval, the lobbyist's principal must file a confidential disclosure form marked boldly "Confidential Economic Development" and report the amount of the expense(s) associated with the recipient and information about the expenditure at the time he files his June thirtieth or January thirty-first reports. The confidential disclosure form shall be filed in addition to the disclosure reports required by these regulations and the Act.

(3) A public official or public employee who is required to file a statement of economic interests and who accepts from a lobbyist's principal in conjunction with an economic development project lodging, transportation, entertainment, food, meals, beverages, or an invitation to a function paid for by a lobbyist's principal must report this information as required by the Act and Regulation 52-603.

(4) Confidential forms are not part of the public record until the approving official determines that public disclosure is appropriate and notifies the Commission in writing that public disclosure is appropriate.

D. State Agency or Department's Filing of Lobbyist's Principal Disclosure Forms. If the State is a lobbyist's principal, the State Agency or department shall file no later than June thirtieth and January thirty-first of each year a Lobbyist Principal Disclosure Form with the Commission covering that agency's lobbying during that filing period.

(1) Failure to file the required registration form is subject to sanction in the same method, manner and amount as provided for lobbyists and lobbyist's principals.

(2) [Reserved]

S.C. Code Regs. § 52-403

Added by State Register Volume 21, Issue No. 6, Part 2, eff June 27, 1997; State Register Volume 48, Issue No. 05, eff. 5/24/2024.