Getting started as a lobbyist employer

Those filing reports for lobbyists and/or lobbyist employers must first set up a user account to get access to the electronic filing system.

Under the current filing system, individual filers can submit reports for one lobbyist or lobbyist employer, or several, all through one user account. 

To set up a user account, follow the instructions below. 

If you already set up a user account, jump ahead to either set up a new lobbyist/firm or to link an existing lobbyist/firm or employer

  1. Go to the electronic filing system for lobbyists and lobbyist employers.
  2. At the next page, go to “Log in via Secure Access Washington.” Secure Access Washington, or SAW, facilitates secure logins to the PDC’s filer systems. 
  3. If you have a Secure Access Washington account, enter your username and password to log in. If you don’t have a Secure Access Washington account, click the “Sign Up!” button at the right and, follow the instructions.
  4. You should now be on the My PDC dashboard.  Select “File” on the Lobbying tile.
  5. The first time you visit this dashboard, you will need to establish access. Existing users will now be prompted to enter their username and password from the PDC’s last lobbyist filing application. If you are new to filing with the PDC, select “New Profile,” under New Account. See the screenshot below. 
Single sign-on activation
  1. Enter your name, telephone number, and postal address on the information profile screen. Select “I certify” and save.

Creating an account as a lobbyist employer

An entity that wishes to employ a lobbyist in Washington State must have an account with the Public Disclosure Commission. A lobbyist employer is a group, such as a business, that compensates a person for efforts to influence either legislation on a state level, or the process of creating rules, rates, or standards by a state agency.

To set up a new lobbyist employer, go to the PDC’s electronic filing system.

  1. Log in using Secure Access Washington. If you don’t have a user account, use the instructions above to create one. 
  2. Select “File” on the Lobbying tile.
  3. Under Clients/Employers I file for, click “Register” to add a new employer. You will be prompted to search for the entity to make sure it does not already have an account with the Public Disclosure Commission.  Filers should not create two accounts for the same group. 
Create a new lobbyist employer

 

  1. If you find the lobbyist employer in that search, link your user account to their registration.
Link account to existing registration

 

  1. If the entity that you report for is not already registered with the Public Disclosure Commission as a lobbyist employer, scroll to the bottom of that page and check the box to verify and submit your account request.
  2. The next screen will prompt you to create a new lobbyist employer. There are two yes-or-no questions:
Are you connected, related or closely affiliated with a political action committee that provides funds for you to make political contributions including purchase tickets to fund raising events? If so, list the name of that political action committee.

If you answer “yes” to this question, fill in the PAC’s name.

Are you a business, trade association or organization that lobbies on behalf of its members, or a representative entity that lobbies on behalf of businesses, groups, associations or organizations?

This question is meant for groups such as trade organizations that have businesses or other groups as members. A labor union whose dues-paying members are individual persons, and which does not lobby for businesses or other organizations,  should answer "no" to this question.

If you answer “yes” to this question, you will be prompted to provide the name and address of each member or funder who has paid fees, dues or other payments over $4,000 during either of the past two years or is expected to pay more than $4,000 this year. The members or funders which must be listed in this section are not individual persons such as union members.

If you have a long list of members or funders to report, you may wish to import this information from a CSV file. To do this, select “advanced import option” near the top of the members/funders section. 

 

  1. After you have filled out the lobbyist employer registration form, check “I certify” and save.