March 31 update – Joan Sullivan rejoins the podcast to add perspective on how COVID-19 is impacting the New York state lobbying community. Joan touches on JCOPE filing extensions; loosening gift giving restrictions in the spirit of supporting relief efforts; and what to expect in terms of compliance enforcement.
Last year, new lobbying regulations took effect in New York state that expanded the scope of lobbying and caused some confusion. This year, the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) has promised to provide clarity; but questions linger about how to remain in compliance. In this episode, Joan Sullivan, leader of our Government Compliance and Investigations Practice Group and a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional walks us through what triggers the Lobbying Act, who needs to register as a lobbyist and why, and the state of lobbying compliance in 2020. Hospital executives, real estate developers, land use professionals, engineers and architects, and anyone concerned with government compliance should download this episode and subscribe to the Harris Beach podcast for additional insight.