State employees who lobby the Legislature or government officials as part of their jobs – like, for example, the lobbyists for the state’s universities – always used to register as lobbyists and disclose their spending. But Idaho Statesman reporter Bill Dentzer writes that after an Attorney General’s opinion found they didn’t need to, the university lobbyists and other state workers whose jobs entail lobbying stopped filing. BSU, ISU and the U of I all had registered lobbyists in 2011; none have had any since.

Now, Dentzer reports, new Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney wants to propose legislation to make them register and disclose again, along with all state employees whose jobs entail lobbying lawmakers or the executive branch. He also obtained a new Attorney General’s opinion stating that gifts to lawmakers or executive branch officials must be disclosed, even if they come from state employees in the course of doing their jobs.

Denney told the Statesman, “Any agency or any entity that actually spends money lobbying or entertaining legislators or executive officials, I think they should report the money that they spend. … The people have a right to know if a state agency is doing lobbying.”

Bruce Newcomb, director of government relations for BSU since 2007 and, like Denney, a former speaker of the House, said he doesn’t object to registering. “I did it for five years,” he told Dentzer. “What I object to is having all this inconsistency, of having one system and then changing it. If you’re going to be consistent, then all state agencies ought to report, and I agree with Lawerence in that regard.” Dentzer’s full report is online here.