Court says Illinois lobbyist fee too high

Here’s an ACLU press release about the group’s victory in a lawsuit challenging Illinois’ $1,000 lobbyist registration fee.

In her decision, Judge Gottschall found that the State of Illinois simply could not justify the new dramatically increased fees. Currently, nine states and the federal government charge no fee for a lobbyist to register. Fourteen additional states charge an annual lobbyist registration fee that is no more than $150. While other states have sliding scales, Illinois’ $1,000 fee per lobbyist is far out of the national mainstream.