The Government Accountability Board adopted a new set of rules covering for violations of campaign, finance ethics and lobbying law Monday.

The rule formalized the penalties the GAB can bring against lobbying organizations, lobbyists, political committees and state public officials for failing to meet registration and reporting deadlines, according to a GAB statement.

The state Legislature gave the GAB the authorization to categorize the violations as civil and settle the offenses without a formal investigation and upon receiving payment from the offenders.

The new rule also formalizes the penalties that punish public officials and employees for submitting required statements of economic interest late.

“The board’s action should increase accountability among state registrants,” GAB Director Kevin Kennedy said in a statement. “It will also improve efficiency in the reporting process.”

Common reporting violations include failing to submit a campaign finance report by deadline, exceeding contribution limits, failure to provide information about a contributor or failure to register as a lobbying organization or obtain a lobbyist license, the statement added.

Mike McCabe, director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign who testified at the GAB meeting Monday, said the rule was adopted as part of a major legislative package and called the adoption an “excellent step forward,” applauding the GAB’s actions to make rules regarding lobbyist organizations more consistent.

“There are groups that miss deadlines, there are candidates that miss filing deadlines, there are donors and campaign committees that go over the limit. We’ve advocated for years that there needs to be more consistent penalties,” McCabe said. “Punishment has to be swift and sure.”

According to Lisa Subeck, NARAL executive director, said the ruling is unlikely to affect her organization since they already follow the guidelines in place.

“We recognize that the rues are in place to protect the place. … We already follow the rules, so something solidifying them isn’t going to change anything we do,” Subeck said.

The GAB also voted to send revised regulations on advertisements run by third-party candidates on to the Legislature Monday.