On Monday, Jan. 5, Secretary of State Jim Condos announced the successful launch of the new Vermont Lobbying Information System. The new system allows lobbyists, lobbyist firms, and lobbyist employers to register, manage their information, and make payments online.
Secretary Condos explained “the new system not only makes lobbyist registration and disclosure simple and intuitive to use for anyone – from lobbying firms to local small businesses and nonprofits – that needs to register their activities with our office, it also provides the public with immediate access to more consistent and accurate information through a variety of search options.”
The lobbyist disclosure system is the second system in the new elections platform to go live. It follows the new campaign finance information system (CFIS) that went live in August and becomes mandatory for all campaign finance reporting this month. CFIS allows candidates, PACs, and political parties to enter financial transactions (contributions and expenditures) and file reports on the relevant filing deadlines. The system also tracks mass media expenditures. Information contained in any reports filed by candidates, PACs, and political parties is immediately searchable using the database search functions.
“The development of online filing systems for both lobbyist disclosure and campaign finance that provide searchable information for the general public, in real time, has been long overdue,” Condos said.
“I am pleased to be able to provide Vermonters with these powerful new tools that bring increased transparency to how money flows in Vermont political campaigns and in lobbyist activities. Vermonters have a right to know who is working to influence their legislators and themselves.”
The new lobbyist disclosure system can be accessed at https://lobbying.sec.state.vt.us/. The new campaign finance information system can be accessed at https://campaignfinance.sec.state.vt.us/
