§56. Prohibited conduct

A. No fundraising function shall be held during a regular legislative session for or by a legislator unless written notice of the function has been given to the board not less than thirty days prior to the function. If the deadline for the notice falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday, the notice required by this Subsection shall be extended until the first day after the Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday.

B. Unless the provisions of Subsection A of this Section and R.S. 24:56.1(B) are complied with, no lobbyist, for himself or his principal, shall offer or provide to a legislator or his principal campaign committee any campaign contribution or loan resulting from a fundraising function held during such a legislative session.

C. Unless the provisions of Subsection A of this Section and R.S. 24:56.1(B) are complied with, no legislator shall solicit or receive any campaign contribution or loan for himself or his principal campaign committee from a lobbyist or his principal resulting from a fundraising function held during such a legislative session.

D. For purposes of this Section "loan" shall be defined as in R.S. 18:1505.2(H).

E. The provisions of Subsections A, B, and C of this Section and of R.S. 24:56.1(B) shall not apply to any contribution, loan, or transfer of funds prohibited by R.S. 18:1505.2(Q) and shall not be construed in a manner to permit acceptance of any contribution, loan, or transfer of funds prohibited by R.S. 18:1505.2(Q).

F.(1) No state employee in his official capacity or on behalf of his agency shall lobby for or against any matter intended to have the effect of law pending before the legislature or any committee thereof. Nothing in this Subsection shall prohibit the dissemination of factual information relative to any such matter or the use of public meeting rooms or meeting facilities available to all citizens to lobby for or against any such matter.

(2) No state employee in his official capacity or on behalf of his agency shall enter into a contract with a lobbyist or a contract for lobbying services to lobby for or against any matter intended to have the effect of law pending before the legislature or any committee thereof. For purposes of this Paragraph, a contract shall include the following:

(a) An agreement to expend public funds for lobbyist or lobbying services entered into pursuant to the Louisiana Procurement Code, R.S. 39:1551 et seq.

(b) A memorandum of understanding, cooperative endeavor agreement, or other similar agreement with a lobbyist or for lobbying services.

(3) For purposes of this Subsection, "agency" or "agencies" shall mean any department, office, division, agency, commission, board, committee, or other organizational unit of a state government entity.

(4) The division of administration, office of state procurement, pursuant to the Louisiana Procurement Code, R.S. 39:1551 et seq., shall direct all state procurement officers to revoke procurement authority to all state government agencies with respect to contracts for professional lobbyists or lobbying services and shall terminate or direct to terminate all existing contracts between a state government agency and a lobbyist or other entity that includes a scope of work to provide lobbying services for a state government agency.

G. No person shall enter into a contract to act in a representative capacity for the purpose of lobbying and fail to register or fail to file a supplemental registration providing the name and address of the person by whom he is employed or engaged and, if different, whose interests he represents pursuant to such contract as required by this Part.

Acts 1993, No. 965, §1, eff. Aug. 15, 1993; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 64, §3, eff. July 1, 1996; Acts 2001, No. 1181, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Acts 2004, No. 783, §2; Acts 2006, No. 368, §1, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2018, No. 480, §1.