<Li> Lobbying contact means "any oral or written communication (including an electronic communication) to a covered executive branch official or a covered legislative branch official". </Li> <P> Still, distinguishing lobbyists from a strategic adviser can be difficult, since the duties of each can often overlap and are hard to define precisely . There have been issues raised about what constitutes the difference between a lobbyist and a bundler; one report described bundlers as "supporters who contribute their own money to his campaign and solicit it from others", and there was a question whether such persons were really lobbyists involved with raising campaign monies for the election of Barack Obama, and whether Obama had broken his own pledge not to receive money from lobbyists . The legal ramifications of lobbying are further intertangled with aspects of campaign finance reform, since lobbyists often spend time seeking donations for the reelection efforts of congresspersons; sorting out these issues can pose ethical challenges . </P> <P> There are numerous regulations governing the practice of lobbying, often ones requiring transparency and disclosure . People paid to lobby must register with the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House of Representatives within 45 days of contacting a legislator for the first time, or 45 days after being employed . An exception is that lobbyists who earn less than $3,000 per client for each fiscal quarter, or whose total lobbying expenses are less than $11,500 each quarter, do not need to register . Part - time lobbyists are exempt from registering unless they spend more than 20% of their working hours doing lobbying activities in any quarter . If lobbyists have two or more contacts with a legislator as a lobbyist, then they must register . Requirements for registering also apply to companies that specialize in lobbying, or ones that have an in - house lobbyist, particularly if they spend more than $11,500 on lobbying . Generally, nonprofit organizations, other than churches, are exempt from registering if they hire an outside lobbying firm . Filing must be made each quarter, and a separate file is needed for each of the lobbyist's clients, and include information such as the name and title of the client, an estimate of lobbying expenses, and an estimate of income the lobbyist achieved after doing the lobbying . </P> <P> States, in addition, are moving in the direction of greater disclosure and transparency regarding lobbying activities . California has an online database called Cal - Access although there were reports that it has been underfunded . Money collected from registration fees are often used to pay for the disclosure services such as Cal - Access . There were complaints in Illinois that the disclosure requirements were often not rigorous enough and allowed lobbyists to work "without public notice" and with possible "conflicts of interest". Many local municipalities are requiring legislative agents register as lobbyists to represent the interests of clients to local city council members such as in the swing state of Ohio cities such as Columbus and Cincinnati . </P>

Who has to register as a federal lobbyist
find me the text answering this question