Dublin Irish Festival

The 30th Annual Dublin Irish Festival will take place Friday, August 4 – Sunday, August 6, 2017. The following guidance concerns reporting requirements for lobbyists and employers of lobbyists who provide tickets to the Festival to Members of the General Assembly and other reportable persons.

Due to the varying types of ticket packages (each with differing price levels and access to VIP clubs and otherwise restricted stage viewing areas), establishing a standardized daily ticket value by this office is not feasible. As with all ticketed events, the reportable value of a daily Festival ticket is the fair market value of the particular ticket provided.

Where the value of the ticket(s) accepted is greater than $25.00, the recipient will be named as a gift recipient on either the lobbyist’s or the employer’s next lobbying report, and the recipient will disclose the respective source under Section 11: Non-disputed Information on his or her 2017 Financial Disclosure Statement.

The amount to be reported is the face/fair market value of the ticket. Where no face value is printed on a ticket (or the ticket was purchased as part of a package), the lobbyist/employer must assign a reasonable and good-faith value based on the value of a badge with similar access.

A Festival ticket provided to a spouse/family member of a Member or other reportable person is attributable to the Member or other reportable person unless the spouse/family member has an independent relationship with the ticket source.

Meals and beverages not included in the cost of a provided Festival ticket are to be reported in accordance with the normal reporting requirements for meal and beverage expenditures.

As a reminder, Members of the General Assembly and all legislative employees are prohibited from accepting more than $75.00 in gifts and meals/beverages from a lobbyist in a calendar year. No reporting is required where the recipient reimburses the full cost of the ticket(s) and/or meals/beverages provided.

Please contact the OLIG at 614-728-5100 with any specific reporting questions relative to this year’s Dublin Irish Festival.