March 28, 2019
Wondering how to report a meal with a state legislator that involves multiple lobbyists representing multiple employers?
Each lobbyist would show the amount that they paid in the "entertainment" section of their monthly report. Then, in the "participant listing" field of the electronic form, the lobbyist would disclose the total cost of the meal and note how many lobbyists split the bill. Each participant would be listed and have the amount of food and beverage that was actually spent on them in parenthesis.
One of the lobbyists would send a L-2 memo to the state official, if the total cost of food and beverage for the state lawmaker, their family members and their staff members was $50 or more. The L-2 memo would show each lobbyist's share of those costs.
See the Legislative Ethics Board's Rule 5 Infrequent Meals, effective January 1, 2015, if the entertainment includes providing a meal to a legislator.
Note: The Public Disclosure Commission has determined that entertainment expenses must be reported at full value. This means that if the actual cost of an official's meal is $60 and the official pays $10 so that the lobbyist pays just $50, the lobbyist discloses $60 and gives an L-2 memo to the official showing a $60 meal. An L-2 memo report is not provided to an official who pays his or her entire share.