(a) Applicability. This title does not apply to:
(1) professional services in drafting bills or in advising and rendering opinions to clients as to the construction and effect of proposed or pending legislation if these services do not otherwise constitute activities as a lobbyist;
(2) appearances before the County Council at its specific invitation or request, but only if the person engages in no further or other activities in connection with the passage or defeat of legislation;
(3) activities as part of the official duties of an elected or appointed official or employee of the State, the County, another political subdivision of the State, or the United States, and not on behalf of any other entity;
(4) actions of a publisher or working member of the press, radio, or television in the ordinary course of the business of disseminating news or making editorial comment to the general public if that person does not engage in lobbying that would directly and specifically benefit the economic, business, or professional interests of that person or that person's employer;
(5) activities at the specific invitation or request of a lobbyist if no other act is undertaken for which reporting is required and if the person is appearing before the County Council, states to the County Council that the person is appearing at the request of the lobbyist;
(6) representation of a bona fide religious organization solely for the purpose of protecting the right of its own members to practice the doctrine of the organization;
(7) activities as part of the official duties of an officer, director, member, or employee of an association engaged exclusively in lobbying for counties and municipalities and not on behalf of any other entity; and
(8) activities undertaken by an employee in connection with the employee's official duties, and not on behalf of any other entity.
(b) Exemptions.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (b)(2), and except for providing the authorization required by § 7-7-102, a person who employs one or more lobbyists, who reasonably believes that all expenditures requiring registration will be reported by the lobbyist, and who engages in no other act that would require registration is exempt from this title.
(2) Failure of a lobbyist to report any information required by this title makes the lobbyist's employer immediately subject to this title.
(c) Compensation. For the purposes of this title, if lobbying is only a portion of a person's employment, "compensation" means a prorated amount that is based on the time devoted by the person to lobbying compared to the time devoted to other employment duties.
(1985 Code, Art. 9, § 7-101) (Bill No. 95-94; Bill No. 38-03; Bill No. 80-18)
State Code reference – General Provisions Article, § 5-702(b).