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A report from the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce - The Voice of Alaska Business

Do you consider 15 minutes a substantial portion of your day? Unless you're in the coffee business and 15-minute coffee breaks are of utmost importance to your bottom line, or you bill in 15-minute increments, what someone does for 15 minutes a day is generally a non-issue unless it is illegal.

Alaska law requires that anyone for whom a substantial or regular portion of their job is to influence legislation or administrative action, or anyone who contracts or is in the profession of lobbying, must register as a lobbyist. The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce recognizes the importance of regulating lobbying so the public knows the identity, income, expenditures and activities of professional lobbyists, and the Chamber does not have a problem with the current law.

In regulating the law, however, the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) has defined "substantial or regular" as just four hours in a 30-day period (the equivalent of 15 minutes a day - or just over 2% of a work month). The State Chamber believes this unjustly restricts business people who are not paid as lobbyists from talking freely with the government.

Laws and regulations enacted by Alaska's public policy makers have significant impact on how businesses operate in Alaska and what their costs of operation will be. It is not uncommon for business people to travel to Juneau for a few days during the legislative session to talk with legislators or administration officials about issues affecting their business. Nor is it uncommon for them to accompany administration officials or legislators on trade missions, or talk to them at conferences and other events.

APOC has determined that these activities, which may be a very small part of what an individual does for his business or company, make a businessperson a lobbyist.

If a businessperson exceeds the four-hour limit, they must pay a $100 fee to register and then file monthly and quarterly reports, and there are stiff penalties associated with the reporting requirements. The businessperson must disclose the source and amount of their income. They are also precluded from engaging in many political activities, such as active participation in political campaigns...