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Data dictionary
What each of the 43 columns means. Each row is one lobbying filing. Examples are taken from a single Q4 2025 filing by Roku, Inc.
Columns
Where a filing lists several bills, lobbyists or foreign interests, they are kept together in one column; the keys are listed in each description.
| # | Column | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filing | ||||
| 1 | filing_url | string (URL) | The URL link to the original HTML lobbying filing, as hosted by the Senate Office of Public Records, can be accessed via https. | https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/bb5ff032-956e-49c8-9ebc-844c0348ff12/print/ |
| 2 | filing_uuid | string (UUID) | The identifier, specific to a lobbying filing, which represents the association between a client and a lobbying firm. | bb5ff032-956e-49c8-9ebc-844c0348ff12 |
| 3 | filing_year | integer | The year in which the lobbying activities, reported in the filing, were conducted. | 2025 |
| Client and security | ||||
| 4 | client_uuid | string | The identifier, unique to LobbyingData.com, which identifies a client (an entity that procures lobbying services from a lobbying firm). | 1e8698d6bb622dab97da… |
| 5 | client_name | string | The name of the client, which procures lobbying services from a lobbying firm, comprising of companies, organizations, public entities, and interest groups. | Roku, Inc. |
| 6 | client_general_description | string | A brief overview of the client's business operations, provided it's accessible. | Roku pioneered the TV streaming platform. Consumer electronics. Broadcast media. |
| 7 | ticker_symbol | string | This column represents the specific stock market ticker symbol used by a client during the year in which the lobbying activities, denoted by the "filing year" variable, took place. Assuming the client is a publicly traded entity, this "point in time" ticker symbol can vary from year to year and row to row, reflecting any historical changes in the ticker symbol. This approach ensures a more precise historical analysis as it aligns the ticker symbol with the exact one used by the company in the stock market during each respective filing year. | ROKU |
| 8 | cik | integer | The CIK associated with the ticker symbol, if available. | 1428439 |
| 9 | client_ticker_indicator | string (Yes/No) | This column signifies whether a matching stock ticker symbol is present for the client based on the "ticker_symbol" column. The values are either "Yes" or "No", denoting the presence or absence of a corresponding current (as of 2023) stock ticker symbol. Please note that this indicator is linked to the static, time-invariant "ticker_symbol" and does not reflect the potentially varying "pit_ticker_symbol". | Yes |
| 10 | client_ticker_indicator_bool | integer (1/0) | Binary version of client_ticker_indicator: 1 for Yes, 0 for No. | 1 |
| 11 | client_government_entity | string (Yes/No) | A column indicating the presence or absence of a government entity status for the client, either "Yes" or "No". | No |
| 12 | client_government_entity_bool | integer (1/0) | Binary version of client_government_entity: 1 for Yes, 0 for No. | 0 |
| 13 | aff_orgs_indicator_bool | integer (1/0) | Binary version of aff_orgs_indicator: 1 for Yes, 0 for No. | 0 |
| 14 | aff_orgs_indicator | string (Yes/No) | A column indicating the presence or absence of any affiliations for the client, including associations with other organizations such as foreign parent companies or subsidiaries, either "Yes" or "No" | No |
| 15 | affiliated_organizations | JSON (list) | A JSON column containing a list of dictionaries, each representing an entity or organization associated with the lobbying client. Keys: name, country. | empty in this record |
| 16 | affiliated_organizations_count | integer | The numerical count of organizations, companies, or interest groups that are affiliated with the client. | empty in this record |
| Registrant and lobbyists | ||||
| 17 | registrant_id | integer | The unique identifier, assigned by the Senate Office of Public records, for a registrant, being a lobbying firm that is remunerated for providing lobbying services on behalf of a client. | 305932 |
| 18 | registrant_name | string | The name of the registrant, which conducts lobbying services on behalf of a client, comprising of law firms located on K Street and the internal lobbying/government relations practice of companies. | The Petrizzo Group, Inc. |
| 19 | lobbyist_uuids | string (list) | The unique identifiers of the lobbyists, associated with the relevant lobbying filing, separated by commas. | 95488ad9…, 2d92480a… |
| 20 | lobbyist_names | string (list) | The full names of the lobbyists associated with the relevant lobbying filing, as separated by commas. | As disclosed, comma-separated |
| 21 | lobbyist_count | integer | The numerical count of unique lobbyists associated with the relevant lobbying filing. | 2 |
| 22 | lobbyist_more_info | JSON (list) | A JSON column containing a list of dictionaries, each providing additional information about a registered lobbyist associated with the lobbying client. Keys: lobbyist_name, lobbyist_uuid, previous_positions. | empty in this record |
| 23 | lobbyist_conviction_disclosures | JSON (list) | A JSON column containing a list of dictionaries, each providing information about any past criminal convictions of registered lobbyists associated with the lobbying client. Keys: lobbyist_name, lobbyist_uuid, conviction_date, conviction_description. | empty in this record |
| 24 | lobbyist_conviction_disclosures_count | integer | A rare occurrence: the numerical count of unique lobbyists that have criminal convictions. | empty in this record |
| Activity | ||||
| 25 | agencies | string | The compilation of all government agencies that were the subject of lobbying efforts, as reported in the relevant lobbying filing (grouped by the filing_uuid), separated by commas. | Senate, House of Representatives |
| 26 | agency_count | integer | The numerical count of government agencies that were the subject of lobbying efforts, as reported in the relevant lobbying filing. | 2 |
| 27 | general_issue_codes | string | The compilation of all general issue codes (80 in total) that were the subject of lobbying efforts, as reported in the relevant lobbying filing (grouped by the filing_uuid), separated by commas. | ADV, COM, CPT, CSP, MIA, TEC, TRD |
| 28 | general_issues | string | The compilation of all original general issue names that were the subject of lobbying efforts, as reported in the relevant lobbying filing (grouped by the filing_uuid), separated by commas. | Advertising, Communications/Broadcasting/Radio/TV, … |
| 29 | general_issue_count | integer | The numerical count of general issues that were the subject of lobbying efforts, as reported in the relevant lobbying filing. | 7 |
| 30 | specific_issues | string | The detailed descriptions of the lobbying activities and the specific reasons for which a client (company, organization, or interest group) engaged in lobbying efforts with the federal government. | Issues related to the technology industry, including competition in the digital and streaming marketplaces… |
| 31 | bills_lobbied_on | JSON (list) | A JSON column containing a list of dictionaries, each representing a bill that the lobbying client has engaged in lobbying activities on. Keys: congress, bill_name, bill_title, bill_number. | [{‘congress’: ‘119’, ‘bill_name’: ‘S. 708’, …}] |
| 32 | bills_lobbied_on_count | integer | The count of congressional bills and public/private laws lobbied on by filing_uuid | 1 |
| 33 | lobbying_activities_more_info | JSON (list) | A JSON column containing a list of dictionaries, each representing the full relationship between issues lobbied on and agencies targeted, as well as lobbyists positioned on those issues. Keys: agency_ids, lobbyist_uuids, specific_issue, general_issue_code, general_issue_name. | [{‘agency_ids’: ‘1, 2’, ‘general_issue_code’: …}] |
| Foreign entities | ||||
| 34 | foreign_entity_indicator_bool | integer (1/0) | Binary version of foreign_entity_indicator: 1 for Yes, 0 for No. | 0 |
| 35 | foreign_entity_indicator | string (Yes/No) | A column indicating the presence or absence of any affiliations with foreign entities, including foreign companies and foreign governments, for the client. | No |
| 36 | foreign_entities | JSON (list) | A JSON column (list of dictionaries) that contains detailed information about all foreign organizations and entities affiliated with a lobbying client. Keys: name, country, contribution. | empty in this record |
| 37 | foreign_entity_issues | string | The issues that were the subject of lobbying efforts by foreign entities. | empty in this record |
| 38 | foreign_entity_count | integer | The numerical count of foreign entities that are associated with the client. | empty in this record |
| Amount, type and timing | ||||
| 39 | dollar_amount | float (USD) | The dollar amount transacted in a lobbying contract between a client and a registrant. | 60000.0 |
| 40 | filing_type | string | The type of contract associated with the lobbying filing, i.e. registration, quarterly report, end of year report. | 4th Quarter – Report |
| 41 | termination_date | date | The date in which the lobbying relationship between a client and registrant was terminated. This is typically seldom updated and comes unaltered from the Senate Office of Public Records. | empty in this record |
| 42 | date_time_posted | datetime (PST) | The date and time the lobbying filing was submitted to the government, in PST | 2026-01-05 00:38:39 |
| 43 | date_posted | date (PST) | The date the lobbying filing was submitted to the government, in PST. | 2026-01-05 |
Reference tables
| Table | Column | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agencies | agency_id | integer | Senate Office of Public Records identifier for a government agency. | 25 |
| Agencies | agency_name | string | Senate Office of Public Records name for the agency. | Department of Defense (DOD) |
| Issue codes | general_issue_code | string | LDA general issue code. | AER |
| Issue codes | issue_name | string | Name of the general issue code. | Aerospace |
| Filing types | filing_type_value | string | Standard filing type code. | RR |
| Filing types | filing_type_name | string | Name of the filing type. | Registration |
The dictionary is also sent as a file with every sample.
Methodology notes
Reporting conventions to account for in research.
Reporting cadence
Reports were filed twice a year until 2008 and quarterly since, after the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. The format is the same throughout.
Reported amounts
Spending is reported for each filing as a whole, not for each issue or bill, and is rounded to the nearest $10,000.
Registrant types
Outside firms report what the client paid them; companies that lobby in-house report what they spent.
Ticker granularity
Tickers are assigned by year. Private companies have no ticker but are still tracked consistently.
Revisions
Amendments arrive as separate filings. Filings later withdrawn from the government’s database are kept.
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