Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7231

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

Lobbyist Loophole Closure Act

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

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

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

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

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 22, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced in House

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.

(5)

D: 5

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

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