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Request that the Board waive the $500 late fee assessed against Josh Meikrantz for failure to timely file a Supplemental Lobbying Registration Report. |
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Josh Meikrantz filed his Supplemental Registration report that was due by June 1, 2015, 10 days late on June 11, 2015. He was assessed a late fee of $500. Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Gross & Leoni LLP serves as outside political law counsel to Novartis Vaccines. In that role, the firm assists the company with lobbyist registration and reporting in Louisiana. The firm received 3 letters from our office dated June 26, 2015 regarding 2015 supplemental registration late filing assessments for three employees of Novartis Vaccines, including Josh Meikrantz, Steven Gabor and Tracey Cooper.
As they were confident that the filing obligations of the three individuals were timely filed, the contacted the Board to discuss the letters. Their conversation's with the Board revealed that an error was made on their end when they filed the termination reports for Mr. Meikrantz, Mr. Gabor and Mr. Cooper. When they prepared registration amendments for the three, they inadvertently entered May 22, 2015 as the date representation ended with Novartis Vaccines. This was not accurate. Mr. Meikrantz, Mr. Gabor and Mr. Cooper all represented Novartis Vaccines until June 11, 2015, which is the date all three ceased to lobby in Louisiana on behalf of the company.
This fact is further reiterated in our Louisiana lobby filings for the month of June, which covered the period June 1st through June 11th, and were filed on June 12, 2015. Accordingly, as the termination filings for Mr. Meikrantz, Mr. Gabor and Mr. Cooper were timely filed within 10 days of ceasing to represent Novartis Vaccines, they respectfully request a waiver of the late filing assessment for all three individuals.
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REPORT: Supplemental Registration Report
REPORT DUE: June 1, 2015
REPORT FILED: June 11, 2015
DAYS LATE: 10 DAYS LATE
FEE ASSESSED: $500
ACTIVITY REPORTED: $0.00
OTHER LATE FILINGS: None
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La R.S. 24:58D(1), 49:78D(1) state that any person required to register and who fails to timely register and any person who fails to timely file any report required by this Part shall be assessed, pursuant to R.S. 42:1157, a late fee of fifty dollars per day.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Mike Dupree |
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