2018 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 13. Legislative branch.
13.625 Prohibited practices.
13.625 Prohibited practices.
(1) No lobbyist may:
(a) Instigate legislative or administrative action for the purpose of obtaining employment in support or opposition thereto.
(b) Give to any agency official or legislative employee of the state or to any elective state official or candidate for an elective state office, or to the candidate committee of the official, employee, or candidate:
1. Lodging.
2. Transportation.
3. Food, meals, beverages, money or any other thing of pecuniary value, except that a lobbyist may deliver a contribution or make a personal contribution to a partisan elective state official or candidate for national, state or local office or to the candidate committee of the official or candidate; but a lobbyist may make a personal contribution to which sub. (1m) applies only as authorized in sub. (1m).
(d) Contract to receive or receive compensation dependent in any manner upon the success or failure of any legislative or administrative action.
(1m)
(a) Except as provided in par. (b), a lobbyist may not do any of the following:
1. Make a personal contribution to a partisan elective state official for the purpose of promoting the official's election to any national, state, or local office.
2. Make a personal contribution to a candidate for a partisan elective state office to be filled at the general election or a special election.
3. Make a personal contribution to the candidate committee of a partisan elective state official or candidate for partisan state elective office.
(b) A lobbyist may make a personal contribution to a partisan elective state official or candidate for partisan elective state office or to the candidate committee of the official or candidate between the first day authorized by law for the circulation of nomination papers as a candidate at a general election or special election and the day of the general election or special election, except that:
1. A contribution to a candidate for legislative office may be made during that period only if the legislature has concluded its final floorperiod, and is not in special or extraordinary session.
2. A contribution by a lobbyist to the lobbyist's candidate committee for partisan elective state office may be made at any time.
(2) No principal may engage in the practices prohibited under subs. (1) (b) and (1m). This subsection does not apply to the furnishing of transportation, lodging, food, meals, beverages, or any other thing of pecuniary value which is also made available to the general public.
(3) No candidate for an elective state office, elective state official, agency official, or legislative employee of the state may solicit or accept anything of pecuniary value from a lobbyist or principal, except as permitted under subs. (1) (b) 3., (1m), (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8) and (9). No candidate committee of a candidate for state office may accept anything of pecuniary value from a lobbyist or principal, except as permitted for such a candidate under subs. (1) (b) 3., (1m), (2), and (6).
(4) Subsections (1) (b) and (3) do not apply to the compensation or furnishing of employee benefits by a principal to an employee who is a candidate for an elective state office but who does not hold such an office if the employee is neither an agency official nor legislative employee, and if the principal or employee can demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the principal's employment of the employee and the compensation and employee benefits paid to the employee are unrelated to the candidacy. If the employee was employed by the principal prior to the first day of the 12th month commencing before the deadline for the filing of nomination papers for the office sought and the employment continues uninterrupted, without augmentation of compensation or employee benefits, except as provided by preexisting employment agreement, it is rebuttably presumed that the employment and compensation and benefits paid are unrelated to the candidacy.
(5) This section does not apply to food, meals, beverages or entertainment provided by the governor when acting in an official capacity.
(6) Subsections (1) (b), (1m), (2), and (3) do not apply to the furnishing of anything of pecuniary value by an individual who is a lobbyist or principal to a relative of the individual or an individual who resides in the same household as the individual, nor to the receipt of anything of pecuniary value by that relative or individual residing in the same household as the individual.
(6g)
(a) Subsections (1) (b) and (3) do not apply to the furnishing of anything of pecuniary value by a principal that is a local governmental unit to a legislative official or an agency official who is an elected official of that local governmental unit, or to the solicitation or acceptance thereof by such a legislative official or agency official, in an amount not exceeding the amount furnished to other similarly situated elected officials of the same local governmental unit.
(b) Subsections (1) (b) and (3) do not apply to the furnishing of a per diem or reimbursement for actual and reasonable expenses by a principal that is a local governmental unit to a legislative official or an agency official who is an appointed official of that local governmental unit, or to the solicitation or acceptance thereof by such a legislative official or agency official, in an amount not exceeding the amount furnished to other similarly situated appointed officials of the same local governmental unit.
(6r) Subsections (1) (b), (1m), and (3) do not apply to the furnishing of anything of pecuniary value by a lobbyist or principal to an employee of that lobbyist or principal who is a legislative official or an agency official solely because of membership on a state commission, board, council, committee or similar body if the thing of pecuniary value is not in excess of that customarily provided by the employer to similarly situated employees and if the legislative official or agency official receives no compensation for his or her services other than a per diem or reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his or her duties, nor to the receipt of anything of pecuniary value by that legislative official or agency official under those circumstances.
(6s) Subsections (1) (b) and (3) do not apply to the furnishing of anything of pecuniary value by a principal to an officer or employee of the University of Wisconsin System, or the solicitation or acceptance thereof by such an officer or employee, for service as a member of the governing body of the principal, in an amount not exceeding the amount furnished to other members of the governing body for the same service.
(6t) Subsections (1) (b), (2) and (3) do not apply to the furnishing of educational or informational material by a lobbyist or principal to an elected state official, legislative official or agency official, or acceptance thereof by an elected state official, legislative official or agency official.
(7) This section does not apply to the furnishing or receipt of a reimbursement or payment for actual and reasonable expenses authorized under s. 19.56 for the activities listed in that section.
(8) Subsection (3) does not apply to the solicitation of anything of pecuniary value for the benefit of the endangered resources program, as defined in s. 71.10 (5) (a) 2., by an agency official who administers the program.
(8m) Subsection (3) does not apply to the solicitation of anything of pecuniary value to pay the costs of remedying environmental contamination, as defined in s. 292.51 (1), by an agency official of the department of natural resources.
(9) This section does not apply to the solicitation, acceptance, or furnishing of anything of pecuniary value by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, or to a principal furnishing anything of pecuniary value to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, under s. 19.56 (3) (e) or (f) for the activities specified in s. 19.56 (3) (e).
(10) This section does not apply to the solicitation, acceptance or furnishing of anything of pecuniary value by the department of tourism, or to a principal furnishing anything of pecuniary value to the department of tourism, under s. 19.56 (3) (em) or (f) for the activity specified in s. 19.56 (3) (em).
History: 1977 c. 278, 418; 1979 c. 32; 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 338; 1991 a. 39, 269; 1995 a. 27 ss. 35, 36, 9116 (5); 1995 a. 227; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 153; 2015 a. 117; 2017 a. 366.
Chapter 13 does not address the conduct of a lobbyist's spouse at all. There is no prohibition against a lobbyist's spouse making political contributions from any source at any time. Katzman v. State Ethics Board, 228 Wis. 2d 282, 596 N.W.2d 861 (Ct. App. 1999), 98-2884.
This section does not prohibit the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District from paying normal expenses and salaries to commissioners who are legislators and does not prohibit those legislators from accepting payments. 78 Atty. Gen. 149.
The prohibition against furnishing anything of pecuniary value to state officials and its interaction with s. 19.56 is discussed. 80 Atty. Gen. 205.
The clause in sub. (1) (b) 3. stating “any other thing of pecuniary value" is unconstitutional insofar as it prohibits uncompensated personal services by lobbyists on behalf of candidates for state office. Barker v. State Ethics Board, 841 F. Supp. 255 (1993).
