# US Lobbying Disclosure Scraper - Senate LDA (`flash_scraper/lobbying-disclosure-scraper`) Actor Scrape US federal lobbying disclosures from the official Senate LDA API — registrant (firm), client, income/expenses, issues lobbied, named lobbyists & targeted agencies. Filter by year/registrant/client/issue, dedupe. Export CSV/JSON/Excel. No API key. - **URL**: https://apify.com/flash\_scraper/lobbying-disclosure-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Flash Scrape](https://apify.com/flash_scraper) (community) - **Categories:** News, Automation, Other - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.000035 / actor start This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Lobbying Disclosure Scraper — revolving-door detection & Senate LDA data, $5 per 1,000 filings Turn the official **US Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA)** database into a clean, filterable lead feed of who's lobbying whom, for how much, and — the part no other scraper does — **which lobbyists previously held a government job (revolving door)**. **$5 per 1,000 filings**, pay only for results delivered. ### What does it do? This actor pulls federal **lobbying disclosure filings** straight from the official Senate LDA API and flattens the deeply nested JSON into one row per filing: the **registrant** (lobbying firm), the **client** who paid, filing type/year/period, **income and expenses**, the **issues lobbied**, the **named lobbyists**, and the **government entities targeted**. Every filing is scored with an explainable **0-100 influence score** and flagged for **revolving-door lobbyists** — people who moved from a covered government position straight into lobbying — plus **foreign ties** and prior **conviction disclosures**. It's built to replace manual digging through lda.senate.gov or a $10k+/year subscription to FiscalNote or Quorum. ### Why use it / who's it for - **Investigative journalists & oppo researchers** who need to answer "who lobbied for this bill, for which client, and did any of the lobbyists used to work in government" without reading hundreds of PDFs. - **Public-affairs and PR firms** tracking competitors' or clients' lobbying footprint — spend, issues, and agencies targeted — over a quarter or year. - **Policy researchers & think tanks** mapping which industries are spending the most on which issue codes (tax, healthcare, defense, tech). - **Compliance and government-affairs teams** monitoring their own registrants, clients, and lobbyist rosters for accuracy and disclosure gaps. - **Anyone replacing an enterprise lobbying-intelligence subscription** ($10k+/year tools) with pay-per-result access to the same underlying public data. ### How to use it 1. Optionally set a **filing year** (e.g. `2024`) — leave blank for the most recent filings. 2. Optionally filter by **registrant name** (lobbying firm), **client name** (who paid), or **issue code** (`TAX`, `HCR`, `DEF`, `TEC`, etc.) — all partial-match. 3. Turn on **`revolvingDoorOnly`** to keep only filings naming a lobbyist who previously held a covered government position — the core investigative angle. 4. Optionally set **`minInfluenceScore`** (0-100) to filter out small/routine filings and surface only the heaviest lobbying efforts. 5. Set **`maxItems`** and run. Export the dataset to CSV, JSON, or Excel, or pull it via API/MCP into your own pipeline. ### Output fields | Field | Description | |---|---| | `filing_uuid` | Unique filing identifier | | `filing_year`, `filing_period`, `filing_type` | When the filing covers and what type it is (registration / Q1-Q4 report) | | `influence_score` | Explainable 0-100 score (spend + lobbyist headcount + issues + agencies + revolving door + foreign ties) | | `influence_breakdown` | Point-by-point breakdown of the score above | | `revolving_door` | `true` if any named lobbyist previously held a covered government position | | `revolving_door_lobbyists` | List of `{name, former_position}` for each revolving-door lobbyist | | `registrant`, `registrant_city`, `registrant_state` | The lobbying firm and its location | | `registrant_contact`, `registrant_phone` | Registrant's listed contact person and phone | | `client`, `client_state`, `client_description` | The organization paying for lobbying | | `amount_usd`, `income_usd`, `expenses_usd` | Reported lobbying spend (income for hired firms, expenses for in-house lobbying) | | `issues`, `issue_count` | Issue areas lobbied (e.g. Telecommunications, Taxation) | | `lobbyists`, `lobbyist_count` | Named individual lobbyists on the filing | | `government_entities` | Agencies and chambers targeted (e.g. U.S. Senate, FCC) | | `foreign_entities` | Foreign entities with an interest in the filing, with country & ownership % | | `has_foreign_ties` | Boolean flag for quick filtering | | `affiliated_organizations` | Organizations affiliated with the client, with state/country | | `conviction_disclosures`, `has_conviction_disclosure` | Any disclosed lobbyist convictions | | `termination_date`, `posted_date` | Filing lifecycle dates | | `filing_url`, `document_url` | Links to the LDA API record and source PDF | #### Example output A real sample from a live run: | registrant | client | filing_year | filing_type | issues | influence_score | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | RWE OFFSHORE WIND HOLDINGS, LLC | RWE OFFSHORE WIND HOLDINGS, LLC | 2024 | Registration | Budget/Appropriations, Energy/Nuclear... | 37 | | VENN STRATEGIES | INVENERGY LLC | 2024 | Registration | Energy/Nuclear | 33 | | ALSTON & BIRD LLP | TRAUMA CENTER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA | 2024 | Registration | Health Issues, Medicare/Medicaid | 41 | | REACT19 | REACT19 | 2024 | Registration | Health Issues, Medical/Disease Resear... | 6 | ### Input example ```json { "filingYear": 2024, "issueCode": "TEC", "revolvingDoorOnly": true, "minInfluenceScore": 40, "maxItems": 500 } ```` Every field is optional — running with no input pulls the most recent filings across all registrants and clients. ### How much does it cost? This actor uses **pay-per-event pricing: $0.005 per result ($5 per 1,000 filings)**, effective 2026-07-16. You're charged only for filings actually returned — no subscription, no charge for empty runs. New Apify accounts get roughly **1,000 free results per month** on the platform's free tier, enough to test revolving-door detection and influence scoring on a real issue area before paying anything. A 5,000-filing research pull costs $25; a 20,000-filing year-long sweep costs $100 — a fraction of a FiscalNote or Quorum seat. ### FAQ #### Is it legal to scrape lobbying disclosure data? Yes. This actor only reads the **official public Senate LDA API** (lda.senate.gov) — the same disclosure data lobbying firms and clients are legally required to file. There's no login, no paywall bypass, and no private data involved. #### How fresh is the data? Filings come from a **live query to the Senate LDA API** at run time, so results reflect whatever has been posted to lda.senate.gov as of the run — typically within a day of the official filing. Re-run periodically (or schedule via Make/n8n/Zapier) to catch new filings for a client, registrant, or issue. #### What exactly counts as "revolving door"? A filing is flagged `revolving_door: true` when at least one named lobbyist has a `covered_position` on record — meaning they previously held a government position covered by the Lobbying Disclosure Act (e.g. congressional staff, executive-branch role) before becoming a registered lobbyist. The former role is included in `revolving_door_lobbyists`. #### Do I need an API key? No. It runs on the public LDA endpoint with no key required. You can optionally add a free Senate LDA API key (from lda.senate.gov/api/register) only if you're running very large or frequent pulls and hit rate limits. #### Can I filter for the biggest or most sensitive lobbying efforts only? Yes — set `minInfluenceScore` to skip routine, low-spend filings and keep only the heaviest efforts, or combine it with `revolvingDoorOnly` to surface high-influence filings with a former-government lobbyist attached — the exact combination investigative teams look for first. ### Other Flash Scrape lead tools - [Bulk Email Verifier](https://apify.com/flash_scraper/email-verifier) — verify and score every email address before you send a campaign - [Company & Domain Enricher](https://apify.com/flash_scraper/company-domain-enricher) — turn a domain list into full company records with tech stack and socials - [Local Business Leads Scraper](https://apify.com/flash_scraper/local-business-leads) — any local business category, by city, with website platform detection - [Google Maps Leads Scraper](https://apify.com/flash_scraper/google-maps-leads-opener) — Google Maps business leads with AI-written cold-email openers # Actor input Schema ## `filingYear` (type: `integer`): Year of the lobbying filings to pull (e.g. 2024). ## `registrantName` (type: `string`): Filter by the registrant / lobbying firm name (optional, partial match). ## `clientName` (type: `string`): Filter by the client (the company/org paying for lobbying) name (optional, partial match). ## `issueCode` (type: `string`): Filter by lobbying issue, e.g. 'TAX', 'HCR' (health), 'DEF' (defense), 'TEC' (tech). Optional. ## `filingType` (type: `string`): Filter by filing type code: 'Q1'-'Q4' quarterly activity reports (contain income/expense amounts), 'RR' registrations (no amounts). Prefilled to Q1 so demo rows include dollar amounts. Clear to fetch all types. ## `revolvingDoorOnly` (type: `boolean`): Return only filings that name at least one lobbyist who previously held a covered government position (a revolving-door signal). ## `minInfluenceScore` (type: `integer`): Only return filings with a computed influence score (0-100) at or above this. 0 = no filter. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of lobbying filings to return. ## `apiKey` (type: `string`): A free LDA API key (lda.senate.gov/api/register) raises the rate limit for large runs. Not required for normal use. ## Actor input object example ```json { "filingYear": 2024, "filingType": "Q1", "revolvingDoorOnly": false, "minInfluenceScore": 0, "maxItems": 200 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "filingYear": 2024, "filingType": "Q1" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("flash_scraper/lobbying-disclosure-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "filingYear": 2024, "filingType": "Q1", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("flash_scraper/lobbying-disclosure-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "filingYear": 2024, "filingType": "Q1" }' | apify call flash_scraper/lobbying-disclosure-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=flash_scraper/lobbying-disclosure-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "US Lobbying Disclosure Scraper - Senate LDA", "description": "Scrape US federal lobbying disclosures from the official Senate LDA API — registrant (firm), client, income/expenses, issues lobbied, named lobbyists & targeted agencies. Filter by year/registrant/client/issue, dedupe. Export CSV/JSON/Excel. No API key.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "ajNHyejs4JROYkx7E" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/flash_scraper~lobbying-disclosure-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-flash_scraper-lobbying-disclosure-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/flash_scraper~lobbying-disclosure-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-flash_scraper-lobbying-disclosure-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/flash_scraper~lobbying-disclosure-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-flash_scraper-lobbying-disclosure-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "filingYear": { "title": "Filing year", "minimum": 1999, "maximum": 2027, "type": "integer", "description": "Year of the lobbying filings to pull (e.g. 2024)." }, "registrantName": { "title": "Registrant (lobbying firm)", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by the registrant / lobbying firm name (optional, partial match)." }, "clientName": { "title": "Client", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by the client (the company/org paying for lobbying) name (optional, partial match)." }, "issueCode": { "title": "Issue area", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by lobbying issue, e.g. 'TAX', 'HCR' (health), 'DEF' (defense), 'TEC' (tech). Optional." }, "filingType": { "title": "Filing type", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by filing type code: 'Q1'-'Q4' quarterly activity reports (contain income/expense amounts), 'RR' registrations (no amounts). Prefilled to Q1 so demo rows include dollar amounts. Clear to fetch all types." }, "revolvingDoorOnly": { "title": "Revolving-door filings only", "type": "boolean", "description": "Return only filings that name at least one lobbyist who previously held a covered government position (a revolving-door signal).", "default": false }, "minInfluenceScore": { "title": "Minimum influence score", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "Only return filings with a computed influence score (0-100) at or above this. 0 = no filter.", "default": 0 }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max filings", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of lobbying filings to return.", "default": 200 }, "apiKey": { "title": "Senate LDA API key (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "A free LDA API key (lda.senate.gov/api/register) raises the rate limit for large runs. 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