HOW U.S. STATES DEFINE LOBBYING ?

There are more than 50 versions of lobbying laws in U.S. states and territories. Yet, all States share a basic definition of lobbying as an attempt to influence government action. Written and oral communications are both recognized as lobbying. Three states (Delaware, Kansas, and Texas) include in their definitions of lobbying providing entertainment, gifts, recreational events, food and beverages to legislators.

All states recognize certain exceptions for activities that might otherwise be construed as "lobbying." These activities include testifying at committee hearings, meetings, writing letters and casual conversations.

U.S. States  Specific Definitions of Lobby or Lobbying

1. Alabama: Lobby or Lobbying. The practice of promoting, opposing, or in any manner influencing or attempting to influence the introduction, defeat, or enactment of legislation before any legislative body; opposing or in any manner influencing the executive approval, veto, or amendment of legislation; or the practice of promoting, opposing, or in any manner influencing or attempting to influence the enactment, promulgation, modification, or deletion of regulations before any regulatory body. The term does not include providing public testimony before a legislative body or regulatory body or any committee thereof.
2. Arizona: Lobbying means attempting to influence the passage or defeat of any legislation by directly communicating with any legislator, or attempting to influence any formal rule making proceeding by directly communicating with any state officer or employee.
3. Arkansas: Lobbying means communicating directly or soliciting others to communicate with any public servant with the purpose of influencing legislative action or administrative action.
4. Colorado: Lobbying means communicating directly, or soliciting others to communicate, with a covered official for the purpose of aiding in or influencing: (I) The drafting, introduction, sponsorship, consideration, debate, amendment, passage, defeat, approval, or veto by any covered official on: (A) Any bill, resolution, amendment, nomination, appointment, or report, whether or not in writing, pending or proposed for consideration by either house of the general assembly or committee thereof, whether or not the general assembly is in session; (B) Any other matter pending or proposed in writing by any covered official for consideration by either house of the general assembly or a committee thereof, whether or not the general assembly is in session; (II) Repealed. (III) The convening of a special session of the general assembly or the specification of business to be transacted at such special session; (IV) The rafting, consideration, amendment, adoption, or defeat of any rule, standard, or rate of any state agency having rule-making authority. (b) Subject to the exclusions and provisions of this paragraph (b), for the purpose of determining when contributions and expenditures become reportable in disclosure statements, "lobbying" includes activities undertaken by the person engaging in lobbying and persons acting at his request to prepare for lobbying which in fact ultimately occurs.
5. Connecticut: Lobbying means communicating directly or soliciting others to communicate with any official or his staff in the legislative or executive branch of government or in a quasi-public agency, for the purpose of influencing any legislative or administrative action.
6. District of Columbia: Lobbying means communicating directly with any official in the legislative or executive branch of the District of Columbia government with the purpose of influencing any legislative action or an administrative decision.
7. Florida: Lobbying means influencing or attempting to influence legislative action or non-action through oral or written communication or an attempt to obtain the goodwill of a member or employee of the Legislature.
8. Hawaii: Lobbying means communicating directly or through an agent, or soliciting others to communicate, with any official in the legislative or executive branch, for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action or a ballot issue.
9. Idaho: Lobby and Lobbying each means attempting through contacts with, or causing others to make contact with, members of the legislature or legislative committees, to influence the approval, modification or rejection of any legislation by the legislature of the state of Idaho or any committee thereof or by the governor or to develop or maintain relationships with, promote goodwill with, or entertain members of the legislature or executive officials. "Lobby" and "lobbying" shall also mean communicating with an executive official for the purpose of influencing the consideration, amendment, adoption or rejection of any rule of rulemaking as defined in the Idaho Code, or any ratemaking decision, procurement, contract, bid or bid process, financial services agreement, or bond issue.
10. Illinois: Lobby and Lobbying means any communication with an official of the executive or legislative branch of State government for the ultimate purpose of influencing any executive, legislative, or administrative action. "Influencing" means any communication, action, reportable expenditure or other means used to promote, support, affect, modify, oppose or delay any executive, legislative or administrative action or to promote goodwill with officials.
11. Indiana: Lobbying means communicating by any means, or paying others to communicate by any means, with any legislative official with the purpose of influencing any legislative actions.
12. Kansas: Lobbying means: (1) Promoting or opposing in any manner action or non action by the legislature on any legislative matter or the adoption or non adoption of any rule and regulation by any state agency; or (2) entertaining any state officer or employee or giving any gift, honorarium or payment to a state officer or employee in an aggregate value of $40 or more within any calendar year, if at any time during such year the person supplying the entertainment, gifts, honoraria or payments has a financial interest in any contract with, or action, proceeding or other matter before the state agency in which such state officer or employee serves, or if such person is the representative of a person having such a financial interest.
13. Kentucky: Lobby means to promote, advocate, or oppose the passage, modification, defeat, or executive approval or veto of any legislation by direct communication with any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the secretary of any cabinet , or any member of the staff of any of the officials listed in this paragraph.
14. Louisiana: Lobbying or “To Lobby” means any of the following: (a) Any direct act or communication with a legislator, the purpose of which is to aid in influencing the passage or defeat of any legislation. (b) Any preparation or research specifically intended, at the time it is performed, for use in or in support of any ongoing or planned direct act or communication with a legislator, the purpose of which is to aid in influencing the passage or defeat of any legislation. (c) Conducting or attending a meeting the purpose of which is to discuss direct communication with a legislator to aid in influencing the passage or defeat of any legislation.
15. Maine: Lobbying means to communicate directly with any official in the legislative branch or any official in the executive branch or with a constitutional officer for the purpose of influencing any legislative action or with the Governor or the Governor's cabinet and staff for the purpose of influencing the approval or veto of a legislative action when reimbursement for expenditures or compensation is made for those activities. Lobbying includes the time spent to prepare and submit to the Governor, an official in the legislative branch, an official in the executive branch, a constitutional officer or a legislative committee oral and written proposals for, or testimony or analyses concerning a legislative action.
16. Massachusetts: Legislative Lobbying : any act to promote, oppose, influence or attempt to influence legislation, or to promote, oppose or influence the governor's approval or veto thereof including, without limitation, any action to influence the introduction, sponsorship, consideration, action or non-action with respect to any legislation; provided further, that legislative lobbying shall include acts to influence or attempt to influence the decision of any officer or employee of a city or town when those acts are intended to carry out a common purpose with legislative lobbying at the state level; and provided further, that legislative lobbying shall include strategizing, planning and research if performed in connection with or for use in an actual communication with a government employee.
17. Michigan: Lobbying means communicating directly with an official in the executive branch of state government or an official in the legislative branch of state government for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action.
18. Mississippi: Lobbying means (i) Influencing or attempting to influence legislative or executive action through oral or written communication; or (ii) Solicitation of others to influence legislative or executive action; or (iii) Paying or promising to pay anything of value directly or indirectly related to legislative or executive action.
19. Montana: Lobbying means: (i) the practice of promoting or opposing the introduction or enactment of legislation before the legislature or the members of the legislature; and (ii) the practice of promoting or opposing official action by any public official or the legislature.
20. Nebraska: Lobbying means the practice of promoting or opposing for another person, the introduction or enactment of legislation or resolutions before the Legislature or the committees or the members thereof, and shall include the practice of promoting or opposing executive approval of legislation or resolutions.
21. New Jersey: "Influence Governmental Processes”, Influencing Governmental Processes” or “Influence Governmental Process” means to make any attempt, whether successful or not, to assist a represented entity or group to engage in communication with, or to secure information from, an officer or staff member of the Executive Branch, or any authority, board, commission or other agency or instrumentality in or of a principal department of the Executive Branch of State Government, empowered by law to administer a governmental process or perform other functions that relate to such processes. Governmental Process means promulgation of executive orders; rate setting; development, negotiation, award, modification or cancellation of public contracts; issuance, denial, modification, renewal, revocation or suspension of permits, licenses or waivers; procedures for bidding; imposition or modification of fines and penalties; procedures for purchasing; rendition of administrative determinations; and award, denial, modification, renewal or termination of financial assistance, grants and loans.
22. New Mexico: Lobbying means attempting to influence: (1) a decision related to any matter to be considered or being considered by the legislative branch of state government or any legislative committee or any legislative matter requiring action by the governor or awaiting action by the governor; or (2) an official action.
23. New York: Lobbying or Lobbying Activities mean and include any attempt to influence: (i) the passage or defeat of any legislation or resolution by either house of the state legislature including but not limited to the introduction or intended introduction of such legislation or resolution or approval or disapproval of any legislation by the governor; (ii) the adoption, issuance, rescission, modification or terms of a gubernatorial executive order; (iii) the adoption or rejection of any rule or regulation having the force and effect of law by a state agency; (iv) the outcome of any rate making proceeding by a state agency; (v) any determination: (A) by a public official, or by a person or entity working in cooperation with a public official related to a governmental procurement, or (B) by an officer or employee of the unified court system, or by a person or entity working in cooperation with an officer or employee of the unified court system related to a governmental procurement; (vi) the approval, disapproval, implementation or administration of tribal-state compacts, memoranda of understanding, or any other tribal-state agreements and any other state actions related to Class III gaming as provided in 25 U.S.C. § 2701, except to the extent designation of such activities as "lobbying" is barred by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, by a public official or by a person or entity working in cooperation with a public official in relation to such approval, disapproval, implementation or administration; (vii) the passage or defeat of any local law, ordinance, resolution, or regulation by any municipality or subdivision thereof; (viii) the adoption, issuance, rescission, modification or terms of an executive order issued by the chief executive officer of a municipality; (ix) the adoption or rejection of any rule, regulation, or resolution having the force and effect of a local law, ordinance, resolution, or regulation; or (x) the outcome of any rate making proceeding by any municipality or subdivision thereof.
24. North Carolina: Lobbying means any of the following: a. Influencing or attempting to influence legislative or executive action, or both, through direct communication or activities with a designated individual or that designated individual's immediate family. b. Developing goodwill through communications or activities, including the building of relationships, with a designated individual or that designated individual's immediate family with the intention of influencing current or future legislative or executive action, or both.
25. Oklahoma: Lobbying or any derivative of the word, means any oral or written communication with a member of the Legislature, with the Governor, with a member of the Corporation Commission, with a member of the judiciary or with an employee of the Legislature, the Governor, the Corporation Commission or the judiciary on behalf of a lobbyist principal with regard to the passage, defeat, formulation, modification, interpretation, amendment, adoption, approval or veto of any legislation, rule, regulation, executive order or any other program, policy or position of the state government.
26. Oregon: Lobbying means influencing, or attempting to influence, legislative action through oral or written communication with legislative officials, solicitation of executive officials or other persons to influence or attempt to influence legislative action or attempting to obtain the good will of legislative officials.
27. Pennsylvania: Lobbying. An effort to influence legislative action or administrative action in this Commonwealth. The term includes: (1) direct or indirect communication; (2) office expenses; and (3) providing any gift, hospitality, transportation or lodging to a State official or employee for the purpose of advancing the interest of the lobbyist or principal.
28. Rhode Island: Lobbying means acting directly or soliciting others to act for the purpose of promoting, opposing, amending, or influencing in any manner the passage by the general assembly of any legislation or the action on that legislation by the governor.
29. South Carolina: Lobbying means promoting or opposing through direct communication with public officials or public employees: (a) the introduction or enactment of legislation before the General Assembly or the committees or members of the General Assembly; (b) covered gubernatorial actions; (c) covered agency actions; or (d) consideration of the election or appointment of an individual to a public office elected or appointed by the General Assembly.
30. Tennessee: Lobby means to communicate, directly or indirectly, with any official in the legislative branch or executive branch, for pay or for any consideration, for the purpose of influencing any legislative action or administrative action.
31. Utah: Lobbying means communicating with a public official for the purpose of influencing the passage, defeat, amendment, or postponement of legislative or executive action.
32. Vermont: Lobby or Lobbying means: (A) to communicate orally or in writing with any legislator or administrative official for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action; (B) solicitation of others to influence legislative or administrative action; (C) an attempt to obtain the goodwill of a legislator or administrative official by communications or activities with that legislator or administrative official intended ultimately to influence legislative or administrative action; or (D) activities sponsored by an employer or lobbyist on behalf of or for the benefit of the members of an interest group, if a principal purpose of the activity is to enable such members to communicate orally with one or more legislators or administrative officials for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action or to obtain their goodwill.
33. Virginia: Lobbying means: (1.) Influencing or attempting to influence executive or legislative action through oral or written communication with an executive or legislative official; or (2.) Solicitation of others to influence an executive or legislative official.
34. Washington: Lobby or Lobbying each mean attempting to influence the passage or defeat of any legislation by the legislature of the state of Washington, or the adoption or rejection of any rule, standard, rate, or other legislative enactment of any state agency under the state Administrative Procedure Act. Neither "lobby" nor "lobbying" includes an association's or other organization's act of communicating with the members of that association or organization.
35. West Virginia: Lobbying or Lobbying Activity means the act of communicating with a government officer or employee to promote, advocate or oppose or otherwise attempt to influence: (i) The passage or defeat or the executive approval or veto of any legislation which may be considered by the Legislature of this state; or (ii) The adoption or rejection of any rule, regulation, legislative rule, standard, rate, fee or other delegated legislative or quasi legislative action to be taken or withheld by any executive department.
36. Wisconsin: Lobbying means the practice of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action by oral or written communication with any elective state official, agency official or legislative employee, and includes time spent in preparation for such communication and appearances at public hearings or meetings or service on a committee in which such preparation or communication occurs