WPRO News
Freshman Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea has put lobbying reform in her sights after announcing two pieces of legislation aimed at clarifying laws surrounding the practice.
“We clearly wanted to make sure that everybody knows what lobbying is, who is a lobbyist, and what are the penalties for not registering,” said Gorbea.
The legislation submitted on her behalf by Representative Robert Jacquard (D-Cranston) and Senator Erin Lynch (D-Warwick), focuses on cleaning up lobbying practices in the wake of the 38 Studios scandal.
The legislation entails defining the role of a lobbyist, simplifies the reporting process, gives the State Department subpoena powers, and increases the amount paid in penalties by lobbyist by nearly double.
“The proposed legislation really clarifies the current confusion as to who is exempt and who isn’t,” said Gorbea “The goal of this is to take that legislation and to be able to program an online screen that will allow you to very clearly know, ‘I am a lobbyist.’”
The inspiration for the legislation came from the two lobbying legislation violation cases of Michael Corso and Thomas Zacagnino. Both men had been found guilty by then-Secretary of State Ralph Mollis of failing to properly register as lobbyists on behalf of 38 Studios.
Gorbea’s administration absorbed the cases but ultimately dropped them due to litigation costs and the weakness of the cases.
