House Bill 91, a retained bill related to lobbying, was passed with the proposed amendment (HB 91-FN) as of January 2, 2008 from the House to the Senate. The Senate hearing on the bill has not been set yet, but we will keep you informed as to when that will be. Below is a summary of the changes in the amendment that affect nonprofits:

Registration
•You must register as a lobbyist if you spend more than 75 hours in a calendar year working in a representative capacity.
•You must register no later than 10 business days following the completion of 75 hours.
•You must register once a year.

Exclusions from Requirements
•The following communications are excluded from the regulation and will not be considered in a determination of whether a person is required to register and report as a lobbyist:
a)Public testimony before a legislative committee or sub-committee
b)Public testimony before any entity subject to RSA 91-A, the right-to-know law
c)A written document filed in the course of a public proceeding or any other communication that is made on the record in a public proceeding
d)Communication made by a public official acting in the public official’s official capacity
f)Communication made in a speech, article, publication, or other material that is distributed and made available to the public, or through radio, television, cable television, the Internet, or other medium of mass communication
h)  Attendance or participation in executive and legislative branch task forces, work
    groups, stakeholder groups, and other similar meetings which are not subject to
    RSA 91-A, provided that, prior to or concurrent with the convening of any such
    group or meeting, the convening authority files with the secretary of state a
    statement listing the subject matter, participants, and anticipated duration of the
    group or meeting and provides a copy to the participants. The secretary of state
    shall make available a form to effectuate the purpose of this filing requirement.

Lobbyist Statements
•If you are a lobbyist or have met the 75-hour requirement, you must file statements no
later than the last Wednesday of each January, April, July, and October covering all fees received and expenditures, contributions, honorariums, or expense reimbursements made during the previous month, since the last required filing, from fees received at any time from a lobbying client or employer or from funds otherwise provided by the lobbyist, partnership, firm, or corporation, or from the client or employer.
•The first statement filed by persons who register as lobbyists shall cover all fees received and expenditures or expense reimbursements made from such fees received and funds providing during the 75 hours worked prior to registration.
•The following requirement has been taken out of the amendment for lobbyists submitting lobbyist statements: For each political contribution made that is reportable pursuant to RSA 664: 1) The name of the candidate, 2) The office the candidate is seeking, 3) The value of the contribution, 4) If the contribution is an in-kind contribution, a brief description of the contribution.


To read the full amendment, visit the following link and scroll down to HB-91 FN:
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/caljourns/calendars/2008/houcal2008_01.html