eNews Action Alert – March 2, 2026

OPPOSE SB50: Unfunded mandate expands lobbying to include local governments

Monday, March 2, 2026/Categories: eNews

OPPOSE SB50: Unfunded mandate expands lobbying to include local governments

SB50 is in the House General Laws Procurement/Open Government Subcommittee which meets tomorrow afternoon (March 3).

SB50 (Rouse) Lobbying; expands the definition to include influencing/attempting to influence local government action.

What it does:

SB50 requires the Secretary of the Commonwealth to maintain a list of local government officials (as defined below) updated semi-annually so that lobbyists can register when they attempt to influence a local government action (as defined below).

Definition of “Local Government Officials”: SB50 defines a “local government official” as a member of a city or town council, board of supervisors, local governing body, supervisory or policy board, commissions, or other entities established by and responsible to local government and people employed by a person or entity established by and responsible to a local government.

Definition of “Local Government Action”: SB50 defines a “local government action” as the adoption, enactment, modification, or repeal of an ordinance or resolution. This includes actions related to local taxes, the budget of the locality, and land use proceedings.

Reasons to OPPOSE SB50:

• This is an unfunded mandate to require a locality to maintain and file semi-annually a list of local government officials with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
• The list of local government employees who are subject to this law and who must be reported to the Secretary of the Commonwealth is much broader than state officials. The effect will be that a large percentage of actions taken by local governments will be subject to the law.
• Localities will have to train all the local government officials (as defined above) on what lobbying is and the process for dealing with this new, unfunded mandate.
• Local officials may have long-standing relationships that will have to be revised based upon these new rules potentially to the detriment of the locality. The impact is much broader than for state officials.
• Among the local government actions covered in the bill, it fails to clearly indicate what “modification” means. Does it mean a local government attorney interpretation of an ordinance? Does it mean a zoning administrator making a determination?

Action Requested:

SB50 is currently with the House General Laws Procurement/Open Government Subcommittee which will meet tomorrow afternoon (March 3). Please contact the members of the subcommittee (below) and ask them to vote NO on SB50.

VML Contact: Michelle Gowdy, mgowdy@vml.org