Denver is tightening its lobbying rules, aiming to provide more transparency about who has the ears of elected officials.
“The residents of Denver, media and public in general deserve a clear and easy way to understand how decisions are made and who is influencing them at City Hall,” Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López wrote in a statement. “These newly passed regulations will bring our lobbying laws into the modern era and greatly expand easy-to-understand information.”
The new lobbying rules, which pertain to paid lobbyists only, passed the Denver City Council with little controversy on Monday night.
How the new rules work
The new rules are designed to make it easier for the public to see how lobbyists are influencing public decision-making in Denver.
Moving forward:
- Lobbyists will be required to disclose who pays them to influence public opinion on city issues..
- Campaigns to influence public opinion on city issues must be formally disclosed.
- Lobbyists must report what city issues, policies and legislation they are working on.
- Meetings held between city officials and lobbyists must be reported.
- Former elected officials and political appointees will have a cooling-off period before they can lobby the city government.
Denver City Council unanimously passed the new policies Monday night, praising the Clerk and Recorder’s staff for its close collaboration on drafting the new rules.
“This legislation modernizes Denver’s lobbying laws and creates visibility into how local contracts and legislation are influenced,” bill sponsors and council members Jamie Torres, Shontel Lewis, and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez wrote in a joint statement.
