PDC releases update for public agency lobbying filing system

This week, the Public Disclosure Commission released updates to its online filing system for public agency lobbying reports (L-5).

The L-5 report, due quarterly, names employees who lobby on behalf of government agencies in Washington and includes descriptions of lobbying activities and total lobbying expenditures. The next report is due by April 30.

Changes to the L-5 filing system include a new public agency lobbying dashboard listing reports previously filed and reports due by quarter. Each quarter will also display a status, such as “not filed,” “started,” “filed,” or “amended.”

Also, filers amending reports will now be able to see a draft of the changes before filing the new version. Users can also now track amendment histories.

Agencies will notice a new screen asking them to certify their report before submitting. No changes have been made to the process of inputting data into the report at this stage. Rules for public agency lobbying reporting also have not changed.  

For questions about using the new filing system, contact the PDC at pdc@pdc.wa.gov.