A House modernization report on creating unique identifiers for lobbyists was published last week. The long-running project intends to make it easier to track lobbyists across lobbying reports. As things stand now, someone looking at the data from the lobbying reports cannot tell if a person listed as “John Smith” on a Q3 2024 report is the same “John Smith” listed on a Q2 2024 report. In other words, you cannot easily track lobbying activities over time, which is a significant purpose of the lobbying disclosure system. Lobbyists do have unique identifiers, but they are not published to the public, and it has sometimes been the case that Congress has given new lobbyist IDs to people who have lost their old ID, creating multiple IDs connected with a particular individual.

The House Modernization Committee recommended a unique lobbying ID be created and appropriators have authorized the creation of such an ID. This modernization report is the 13th in the series, with the first report back in May 2020, more than four years ago. The Senate provides no visibility into their end of the project.

The Clerk reports that since their January 2024 report, they have worked with the Senate to “formalize and launch a project to modernize the existing systems.” A “Lobbying Disclosure Act Executive Decision Board” continues to meet monthly, having met five times since January. In the coming months, they plan to continue with “project discovery and requirements gathering” to define key features of the redesigned lobbying disclosure system. The Board will use some of the $1.4 million in appropriated funds for research, development, and implementation of identity verification and improved account management. They are currently using some funds to “augment staff” to assist with system development.

The next report is expected by January 2025, and the estimated completion date for the Lobbying Disclosure modernization effort, which will include unique IDs for lobbyists, is May 2026.