Illinois lobbyist registration on hold

Here’s the latest in Illinois after a court case involving lobbyist registration came down.

Secretary of State Jesse White’s office has put a hold on lobbyist registrations while two lawsuits challenging large increases in lobbyists registration fees wind their way through the court system

A post on White’s Web site Wednesday said the registration system had been disabled because a federal judge in Chicago had imposed a temporary restraining order prohibiting imposition of the higher fees on lobbyists for nonprofit organizations.

Here’s what the state’s website says:

Due to the temporary restraining order entered by the U.S. District Court, the lobbyist registration system is not available at this time.

Registration will be made available as soon as possible, consistent with further orders of the court. Any lobbyist or lobbying entity that registers within the first two weeks after registration becomes available will automatically be registered retroactive to January 1, 2010.

The deadline for filing the annual expenditure report for 2009 will be extended accordingly.

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