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Congress·In Committee·about 1 month ago

Representative Ramirez Proposes New Rules to Force More Political Consultants to Register as Lobbyists

Also known as: Lobbyist Loophole Closure Act

Legislative Progress

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Review
House
Senate
President

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • Representative Ramirez introduced a bill to make the rules for lobbyists much stricter. It targets people who help shape laws behind the scenes but currently don't have to tell the public who is paying them.
  • The plan expands the definition of lobbying to include "strategic counseling." This means that if someone is paid to plan a lobbying campaign or give advice on how to influence a politician, they would be treated the same as the person who actually walks into the politician's office.
  • The bill also changes the math for who counts as a lobbyist. Currently, you only have to register if lobbying takes up 20% of your time for a client. This bill lowers that to 10%, which would likely force many more consultants and lawyers to register with the government.
  • By closing these loopholes, the bill aims to give the public more information about who is trying to influence government decisions. It would apply to all lobbying activities starting as soon as the bill is signed into law.
Economy Finance

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 22, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced in House

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Lobbyist Loophole Closure Act

Bill NumberHR 7231
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)
D: 5

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.