The Office of Federal Relations serves as an advocate and conduit for contact between the University of Texas administration and faculty and officials in the federal government, specifically, the President of the United States, his Cabinet Officers, agency personnel, members of the Senate or House of Representatives, and their staff. This includes invitations to campus, requests for appointments with legislative or senior executive branch officials regarding legislation, rules or policies made on behalf of the University.
It is not the intention of the Office of Federal Relations to limit communication between university faculty and administration with federal representatives. Delegation members receive a multitude of requests each day for government assistance from a diverse constituency. The purpose of this policy is to provide a mechanism by which our institutions' requests can be carefully coordinated while focusing on our campuses' highest priorities, and providing a tracking system to ensure compliance with federal lobbying regulations.
The UT System is required to report all lobbying activities under the Lobbying Disclosure Act and applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations. Broadly defined, lobbying includes all contact with elected officials for the purpose of influencing legislation. A record of all contacts, issues discussed, and costs involved must be kept and reported semi-annually by the System. In addition, the university representative conducting the approved lobbying activity(s) will be required to complete a form based on contacts reported by the University of Texas faculty and administration. The Report of State Agency Travel to Washington, D.C. form is available online at http://www.osfr.state.tx.us/. Failure to disclose such information could result in fines and/or the possible loss of UT System's tax-exempt status and travel budget.
Our policy for contacting federal officials does not apply to dealing with elected officials in personal matters that do not in any way involve the activities related to an individual's employment at the University of Texas. In these cases, university stationary should not be used, and it should be made clear that the individual or group is not representing the university.
Questions about the UT System's policy on contacts with federal government officials should be directed to Amanda Hughes, coordinator for system federal relations, at (202) 955-9091.
