Registering as a Retirement System Lobbyist

A Retirement System lobbyist is a person who is lobbying one or all of Ohio’s five state retirement systems: Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS); State Teachers Retirement System (STRS); School Employees Retirement System (SERS); Ohio Highway Patrol Retirement System (HPRS); Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund (OP&F).

 You should register as a retirement system lobbyist if you will be spending at least 25% of the time you are compensated by a client actively advocating the investment or management of state retirement system funds.  This may include contact with a board member of one of the state retirement systems, an investment official or an employee who exercises a material and substantial amount of discretion in the investment of retirement system funds. 

Also, individuals making contact with third party managers of the state retirement funds, even though the third party managers are not considered employees of the retirement systems, may be required to register if they meet the aforementioned thresholds and requirements.

For questions regarding retirement system lobbying in general or registration in particular, please contact the Office of the Legislative Inspector General at 614-728-5100.