The House Oversight Committee has recommended that lobbying disclosure laws be updated to squarely place the burden of reporting on lobbyists, and also to ensure that the Department of State can communicate audit findings to the State Ethics Commission, and that the primary reasons for the adoption of regulations are to increase transparency and assist stakeholders with compliance.

The recommendations were announced by state Reps. Seth Grove, R-York, the committee chairman, and Matthew Bradford, D-Montgomery, the Democratic chairman.

The committee report was issued after a months-long investigation, according to a statement from Grove's office. It concluded that while the vast majority of principals, lobbying firms and lobbyists diligently follow the transparency requirements of Act 2 of 2018—which focused on registration and reporting of expenditures—the actual rate of compliance cannot be determined.

Changes in the law are needed to enhance its goal of providing the public with an accurate picture of the level of spending to influence decision-making by state officials and employees in the legislative and executive branches, the report said.

"It is the committee's hope the report will help improve lobbying disclosure in Pennsylvania so residents have better access to information," Grove said.