Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7231

Lobbyist Loophole Closure Act

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

Jan 22·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

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Legislative Progress

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Law

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

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works

Small consulting firms, law practices, and public affairs shops that provide strategic advice to clients on legislative matters would face new registration and disclosure requirements. Many of these businesses currently operate below the 20% threshold or provide "strategic counseling" without making direct lobbying contacts. The lower 10% threshold and expanded definition of lobbying activity would increase their compliance costs and administrative burden.

-2

ImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

-2

ImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 22, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

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.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)

D: 5

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.