Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA)

Dear Colleagues,

On January 1, 2008 the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act took effect, amending the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.  The act revises previous federal lobbying disclosure requirements by:
requiring federal lobbying activity and expenses to be reported quarterly, requiring any employee who spends 20 percent or more of their time on federal lobby activities to register as lobbyists, modifying the previous federal gift allowances and making the giver, not just the recipient, subject to sanctions for violating rules governing Congressional gifts, and calling for increased civil and criminal penalties for knowing violations.

UC Davis and UC Davis Health System have existing policy (UCD 310-50 and UCDHS 1480) governing employee contact with government officials. These policies require employees to work through our Office of Government and Community Relations whenever they have contact with government officials on behalf of the university.

Faculty whose contacts with federal government officials are in compliance with these existing policies need not do anything more at this time in regard to reporting lobbying activities. Because Government and Community Relations staff are already aware of and involved in those activities, they will report them as necessary, in keeping with the new law. If they need additional information from you, they will contact you directly.

If you have had contact with federal government officials advocating for the University of California, and that contact was not coordinated through our Government and Community Relations Office, please review the attached documents to determine your reporting obligations. If you have questions, please phone Susan deMarois, Assistant Director of the UCDHS Office of Government and Community Relations at 734-5441 to discuss whether your activities may be reportable under the federal lobbying law.

Thank you for your compliance with this important regulation.

Sincerely,

Edward J. Callahan, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Personnel
Professor of Family and Community Medicine
UC Davis School of Medicine

HLOGA FAQ