Bill
SB 1634
Imposes a five-year ban from lobbying for any person convicted of a felony related to activities regulated by the Lobbyist Registration Act in Illinois.
Status & procedural posture
- Jurisdiction: State of Illinois (25 ILCS 170/10 — Lobbyist Registration Act)
- Introduced: February 4, 2025 (Sen. Julie A. Morrison)
- Early actions: First reading 2/4/2025; referred to Assignments
- Related: Companion bill HB 1367
- Effective date: takes effect upon becoming law (effective immediately upon enactment)
Purpose and intent
- To strengthen penalties and post‑conviction restrictions in the Lobbyist Registration Act by imposing a 5‑year prohibition on registered lobbying for persons convicted of felonies connected to activities regulated by the Act. The intent is to deter and penalize serious misconduct tied to lobbying activities.
Key provisions
- New 5‑year lobbying prohibition: Adds subsection (b‑5) to Section 10 of the Lobbyist Registration Act (25 ILCS 170/10). Any person convicted of any felony “relating to, arising out of, or in connection with any activity regulated by this Act” is barred from lobbying as a registered lobbyist for five years from the date of conviction.
- Existing fines retained/clarified:
- Violations of the Act (except certain specified sections) remain business offenses with fines up to $10,000 per violation.
- Each day a report or registration is late constitutes a separate violation.
- Fund for enforcement: All fines collected under Section 10 are deposited into the newly identified Lobbyist Registration Administration Fund in the State treasury; funds are available, subject to appropriation, for implementation and administration of the Act by the Office of the Secretary of State.
- Effective immediately: The bill states it takes effect upon becoming law (no delayed effective date).
Who is affected
- Registered lobbyists and individuals who engage in activities regulated by the Lobbyist Registration Act.
- Persons convicted of felony offenses connected to lobbying activity — they would lose the ability to lobby as registered lobbyists for five years.
- The Secretary of State’s office (responsible for enforcement and use of collected fines).
Practical impact and considerations
- Raises the post‑conviction bar for felony misconduct tied to lobbying from existing shorter prohibitions (the Act already contains a 3‑year prohibition for certain convictions) to a 5‑year ban for felonies.
- Strengthens deterrence against serious illegal conduct in lobbying and clarifies enforcement funding through the dedicated administration fund.
- May require administrative processes to identify covered felony convictions and to enforce the five‑year prohibition (e.g., registration denials, removal from registry, coordination with criminal records).
- Immediate effective date means any implementation steps by the Secretary of State would begin as soon as the bill is signed into law.
Note
- The legislative packet provided contains other unrelated SB 1634 drafts from other states (Hawaii and Arizona) on different topics; this summary focuses on the Illinois SB 1634 concerning the Lobbyist Registration Act.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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