The Letters to the Editor section of The Hill includes a helpful letter from the Secretary of the Senate/Clerk of the House:

In the Feb. 26 edition of The Hill, the article “K Street grows, maybe even beyond disclosure,” referenced disclosure requirements of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1996.

The LDA definition of “lobbying activities,” or “lobbying contacts,” is explained in the joint guidance issued by the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House. The guidance makes clear, for example, that depending on the situation “status” requests, “monitoring,” and “communications” may fall within the definition of lobbying activities, and the costs related to such lobbying activities must be included in the total of lobbying firm’s lobbying receipts and organization’s lobbying expenses.

Our offices advise callers every day to disclose all of their lobbying activities and costs accurately and completely. To suggest that there is a blanket carve-out of the three aforementioned activities is incorrect. We encourage filers, the public and the press to call our offices with any questions so that they may receive accurate guidance and assistance.

Washington