Government and Community Relations
117 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802

Date: March 18, 2008

From: Richard DiEugenio, Special Assistant to the President for Government and Community Relations
Zack Moore, Director of Federal Relations
Sheilah Borne, Director of Governmental Health Relations

To: Penn State Faculty and Staff

Subj: Federal Lobbying Activities

On September 14, 2007, President Bush signed into law the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. This legislation amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 in several significant areas, and changes the way the University reports its lobbying activities to the federal government. The University, as a registered lobbying entity, now will have to file a federal lobbying report quarterly instead of semi-annually. There also are more stringent rules regarding gifts (meals, entertainment and anything else of value) and travel. This memo will serve to notify all employees who engage in federal lobbying activities or have contact with federal officials on behalf of the University of procedures that must be followed so that the University can meet its reporting obligations under the recently amended Lobbying Disclosure Act.

Pursuant to Penn State Policy AD50, (Contact with State and Federal Officials and Official Visits by Government Agencies), Penn State faculty and staff are required to coordinate any lobbying efforts made on behalf of the University with Penn State’s Government and Community Relations. A link to Policy AD50 can be found on our web site: www.govt.psu.edu. To ensure compliance with the University’s federal reporting requirements, all University faculty and staff who participate in federal lobbying activities for the University must report all time and expenses related to these activities to Government and Community Relations. Our office will then use this information to report the University’s activities and total federal lobbying expenses to the U.S. Congress on a quarterly basis.

As a reminder, federal lobbying activities include contacts (in person, written or by phone) with covered executive branch and legislative branch officials made on behalf of the University regarding: (1) legislation, legislative proposals, rules, regulations, executive orders, programs, policies, or positions of the government; (2) administration or execution of federal programs or policies (including federal contracts and grants); and, (3) nomination or confirmation of a person for a position subject to confirmation by the Senate. In general, covered executive branch officials are political appointees, not program managers or grant administrators. It is not considered a lobbying activity if you were asked by a Member of Congress or a Congressional Committee to testify or respond to a request for information.

We have developed a form to assist you in reporting federal lobbying activities and expenses on the University’s behalf. This form can be downloaded from our office web site: https://www.govt.psu.edu/federal-lobbying-disclosure-act/. Also on this site, we have provided a more detailed explanation of the information we are asking you to provide, as well as a link to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Ethics Manuals, the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, and other helpful information.

The first deadline to submit your federal lobbying activities and expenses is Monday, March 31, 2008, for activities for the reporting period of January 1 – March 31, 2008. Future reports will then be due on the final day of every quarter.

Please feel free to contact Amanda Wintersteen, Assistant Vice President for Federal Relations, by calling (814) 865-5431 or emailing awintersteen@psu.edu if you have questions regarding this information.