FEDERAL ADVOCACY RESEARCH GUIDE · OCTOBER 27, 2026
LD-1 vs LD-2: what a lobbying disclosure actually tells you.
Start with the document type, named parties and reporting period. Then separate the disclosed facts from the conclusion you want to draw. A lobbying filing is useful evidence; it is not a complete account strategy or a future Hill-day agenda.
Start with the official record
LDA.gov identifies LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly activity reports and LD-203 contributions reports. Its public search supports registrant, client, lobbyist, issue, year and reporting-period searches. Use the exact document and its dates rather than treating a headline about a new account as the whole disclosure.
Four questions before using a filing in a brief
What is the difference between LD-1 and LD-2?
LD-1 is a lobbying registration; LD-2 is a quarterly activity report. Read the document type before describing its contents. A registration is not evidence that a quarter’s lobbying work was completed or that a reported fee was paid.
Who is the registrant, and who is the client?
Keep the two named parties separate. The registrant is the entity filing the disclosure; the client is the organization on whose behalf the registration or activity is disclosed. An in-house filing can name the same organization on both sides. A retained-firm filing names a separate client.
Does a bill in a filing mean the client supports it?
Not necessarily. A bill reference identifies a subject in the disclosed text. Look for explicit position language and the correct Congress before calling it support or opposition. Do not transfer a position from one client, quarter or event to another.
Can I add in-house expenses and retained-firm income into a unique spending total?
Not safely without checking the reporting basis. The amounts may overlap, so a simple sum can misrepresent an organization’s unique total. Keep the source, report period, amount type and any limitations beside the figure.
Official House/Senate LDA guidance (PDF) explains registrants, clients, report types and inclusion of outside-firm costs in in-house lobbying expenses.
A concrete example: Foundations’ two policy tracks
The public Foundations case uses Thorn Run’s October 2026 LD-1. The filed scope distinguishes FY2027 Labor-HHS appropriations related to CMS survey and certification of new nursing homes from HUD/FHA Section 232 policy related to financing new skilled nursing facilities. These are different research questions—not a single generic healthcare agenda.
The registration does not establish a specific bill, a financing approval, completed lobbying work or Foundations’ attendance at an industry advocacy event. The example keeps those limits beside the source.
Keep the reporting context attached
- Record the document type, posted date, reporting period, registrant and client.
- Check whether a later version supersedes the quarterly report you found.
- Preserve the specific issue language and exact bill Congress rather than inferring a position from a topic.
- Use the source’s named people; review identity discrepancies before joining profiles.
- Refresh the organizer’s own agenda before applying historical disclosure language to an upcoming fly-in.
This is a research-reading guide, not legal advice on registration duties or filing requirements. Consult the official filing guidance for those questions.