Responsible Lobbying & Public Policy Engagement Policy

Status: Version 1.0, accepted October 3, 2026. Reviewed at the annual executive review on December 1, 2026, then annually alongside the December purpose and impact review.

Why this policy exists

Quarry exists to build software that respects the humans on both sides of the screen. When we speak to lawmakers, regulators, or the public about how software should be built and governed, we hold ourselves to the same standard as the work itself. This policy sets the rules for how Quarry engages with public policy, so that any influence we have is used in the open, grounded in evidence, and consistent with our purpose and our values, especially Honesty, Integrity, and Regard.

It also satisfies B Lab’s requirement that a Certified B Corp maintain a public policy on responsible lobbying (GACA1.1), and it prepares Quarry for the annual disclosure expected of small companies from Year 3 of certification (GACA1.3).

Scope and definitions

What counts as lobbying

We use B Lab’s definition, adapted from Transparency International. Lobbying (also called advocacy or public policy engagement) means activity carried out by Quarry, or on Quarry’s behalf, that:

• Communicates directly or indirectly with public officials, policymakers, or their representatives with the aim of influencing a public decision; or
• Seeks to influence public opinion, beyond ordinary marketing, in order to shape a public decision such as a law, regulation, standard, budget, or procurement rule.

This includes meetings, letters, testimony, public comment submissions, open letters, op-eds, petitions, coalition sign-ons, and social media campaigns when the goal is to influence public decision-making. It also includes indirect lobbying through intermediaries such as trade or professional associations, chambers of commerce, coalitions, consultants, or lobbyists.

What is not lobbying

• Responding to a lawful request for information from a public body
• Routine compliance work (permits, registrations, tax filings, procurement paperwork)
• Ordinary marketing of Quarry’s services, which is governed by the Responsible Marketing & Public Relations Policy
• Software and services Quarry builds for clients, including public-sector or nonprofit clients (see Client work)
• Team members’ personal civic and political activity on their own time (see Personal political activity)

Who and where this covers

This policy applies to Quarry Design Group, LLC and everyone who acts on its behalf: the Managing Member, team members, contractors, and vendors. It applies wherever Quarry engages, including the City of Medford, Jackson and Josephine Counties, the State of Oregon, the United States federal government, and any other jurisdiction where Quarry operates or serves clients.

Our current position

• Quarry does not employ or retain lobbyists, lobbying firms, or consultants to influence public decisions on its behalf.
• Quarry does not make political contributions of any kind (see Political contributions and integrity).
• Quarry does, from time to time, engage in limited public policy advocacy on topics at the core of its purpose: digital accessibility, privacy and data protection, humane and non-manipulative design, AI regulation, net neutrality and the open internet, fair and distributed work, and the health of the small-business economy in Southern Oregon.
• All such engagement follows this policy. If Quarry’s approach changes, for example if we retain a lobbyist or join a coalition that lobbies, this policy will be updated before that activity begins.

Principles

1. Positive impact first. We engage only in ways that aim to create positive social or environmental impact, consistent with our purpose, the B Lab Standards, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Evidence-based. We say only what the evidence supports, and we show our sources.
3. Transparent. We identify ourselves, disclose our interests, and keep a record of what we do.
4. Consistent. We say the same thing in private that we say in public, and the organizations we belong to should not say the opposite.
5. Lawful and clean. No contributions, no gifts, no favors, no conflicts of interest.
6. Accountable. A named human approves every engagement, and stakeholders can challenge us.

Commitments

Positive-impact alignment

Quarry engages on public policy only where the position advances positive social or environmental outcomes and is consistent with its purpose. Our priority topics, and the frameworks that guide them, are:

Red lines. Quarry will never lobby, directly or through an intermediary, to weaken protections for accessibility, privacy, consumer rights, workers, civil rights, the open internet, or the environment, or to undermine the commitments Quarry has made under the B Lab Standards.

Evidence-based approach

Every position Quarry takes is grounded in reliable data. In our context, “evidence-based” means:

• Peer-reviewed research and reputable public data (government statistics, academic studies, established nonprofit research)
• Recognized technical standards and guidance (for example W3C, NIST, ISO, IETF)
• Quarry’s own documented practice, such as accessibility audit results or analytics implementation findings, presented with its limits stated
• Lived experience of affected people, gathered and shared with their consent

We cite our sources in written submissions, distinguish evidence from opinion, and do not use selective data to support a predetermined conclusion. When the evidence changes, our position changes with it.

Political contributions and integrity

No political contributions. Quarry does not make financial or in-kind contributions to candidates, political parties, political action committees, super PACs, 527 organizations, or ballot measure committees, in any jurisdiction. This includes event sponsorships, donated services, use of Quarry facilities or tools, and paid staff time. Quarry does not reimburse or otherwise compensate anyone for personal political contributions.

Gifts and hospitality. Quarry does not offer gifts, meals, travel, entertainment, or anything of value to public officials or their staff, beyond what is lawful and clearly nominal (for example, coffee at a public meeting). We follow the gift limits set by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and any stricter local or federal rule.

Anti-bribery and undue influence. Quarry never offers, promises, or gives anything of value to obtain or retain business, influence a public decision, or secure an improper advantage. This applies equally to intermediaries acting on our behalf.

Conflicts of interest. Anyone engaging on Quarry’s behalf must disclose to the Managing Member any personal, financial, or family relationship with a public official, candidate, or public body involved in the matter. Where a conflict exists, that person steps back from the engagement.

Revolving door. Quarry does not hire or contract with current or former public officials in order to gain improper access or influence.

Legal compliance. Quarry complies with all applicable lobbying registration and disclosure laws, including Oregon’s lobbying statutes administered by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act, and local ordinances. If any activity would trigger a registration threshold, we register before proceeding.

Transparency

• When engaging a public official or body, we identify ourselves as Quarry and state the interest we represent.
• We disclose material commercial relationships (for example, a client or partner with a stake in the outcome) when they are relevant to a position we take.
• We keep an engagement log (see Engagement log) of every lobbying activity, including who was contacted, the topic, the position taken, the date, and who approved it.
• Positions Quarry has taken publicly are available on request, and beginning with the Year 3 review we will publish an annual summary of our policy engagement, intermediary memberships, and confirmation of zero political contributions, consistent with GACA1.3.

Intermediary organizations

Intermediaries include trade and professional associations, chambers of commerce, business coalitions, B Local groups, advocacy networks, and any consultant or vendor that might speak on Quarry’s behalf.

Before joining or signing on. Leadership reviews the organization’s public policy positions and recent advocacy against our priority topics and red lines. We join only where the positions are consistent with this policy, and we record the review in the engagement log.

Annual review. Each December, leadership reviews the public positions of every intermediary Quarry belongs to or funds, and records the outcome.

When positions diverge. If an intermediary takes or plans a position inconsistent with this policy, Quarry will, in order:

1. Raise the concern directly with the organization and ask for the position to be reconsidered
2. Decline to be associated with that position and, where relevant, publish Quarry’s own position
3. End the membership or relationship if the misalignment cannot be resolved

Red lines for immediate exit. Quarry will leave any intermediary that lobbies against the protections listed under Positive-impact alignment, that engages in bribery or deceptive influence, or that refuses to disclose its lobbying activity when asked.

Controls. Quarry does not fund or authorize any intermediary to lobby on its behalf without written approval from the Managing Member, and any such engagement is bound by this policy.

Personal political activity

Team members and contractors are free to take part in civic and political life on their own time, with their own resources, in their own name. When doing so they must not use Quarry’s name, logo, email, tools, or funds, must not suggest they speak for Quarry, and should make clear that views are their own when the connection to Quarry is visible. Quarry never pressures anyone to support or oppose a candidate, party, or cause, and participation or non-participation has no bearing on anyone’s work at Quarry.

Public statements and campaigns

Open letters, petitions, coalition sign-ons, op-eds, public comment submissions, testimony, and social media campaigns made in Quarry’s name are lobbying under this policy and require approval under the approval workflow. They must also meet the truthfulness, accessibility, and disclosure standards in the Responsible Marketing & Public Relations Policy.

Client work

Quarry may build software for public bodies, campaigns, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations. That is client work governed by our engagement practices, and it does not make Quarry a party to the client’s advocacy. Quarry does not lobby on behalf of clients, and we decline engagements that would require us to influence a public decision for a client’s benefit or that would put us in conflict with our priority topics and red lines.

Governance, controls, and risk management

Accountability

The Managing Member is Quarry’s highest governing body and is accountable for this policy: approving it, reviewing it at least annually, approving all lobbying engagements, and responding to breaches. Day-to-day ownership sits with the Policy Owner (see Roles).

Approval workflow

Engagement log

Quarry maintains a log of all lobbying and public policy engagement. Each entry records the date, the public body or organization, the topic, the position taken and the evidence relied on, who engaged, who approved, and any disclosure obligations triggered. The log is the primary evidence for the annual review and for B Lab disclosure.

Training and awareness

This policy is part of the Team Handbook and is covered in onboarding for everyone who may represent Quarry externally. The Policy Owner briefs the team on any material change. Anyone unsure whether an activity counts as lobbying asks before acting.

Monitoring and breaches

• The Policy Owner reviews the engagement log quarterly and reports to the Managing Member.
• Suspected breaches of this policy, including by an intermediary, are reported to the Managing Member (or, where the Managing Member is involved, through the grievance mechanism described under Raising concerns).
• Breaches are investigated promptly. Responses may include retracting or correcting a position publicly, ending an intermediary relationship, filing any required disclosure, and corrective action for the individuals involved, up to termination of the engagement or contract.
• Material breaches and the response are recorded in the log and reported at the next annual review.

Risk management

The Managing Member reviews lobbying-related risk annually as part of the December review, considering: legal and registration exposure, reputational risk from intermediary positions, conflicts of interest, and whether Quarry’s practice still matches this policy. Findings and any changes to the policy are recorded in meeting minutes.

Roles

Raising concerns

Any team member, client, partner, community member, or other stakeholder who believes Quarry’s lobbying or public policy engagement falls short of this policy, or who suspects a breach, can raise it with leadership directly or through our stakeholder grievance mechanism. Concerns are acknowledged, reviewed, and responded to under that mechanism, and material issues are corrected as described under Monitoring and breaches. No one will face retaliation for raising a concern in good faith.

Review and publication

• This policy is reviewed at least annually by the Managing Member as part of the December review of Quarry’s purpose, social, and environmental impact, and updated whenever Quarry’s practice, the law, or the B Lab Standards change.
• It is kept with Quarry’s other policies and is published under Policies so that it is accessible to all stakeholders, as GACA1.1 requires.
• Adoption and each subsequent review are recorded in meeting minutes as evidence for certification and recertification.

Related documents

• Quarry’s vision and values
• Responsible Marketing & Public Relations Policy
• Grievances & Concerns
• B Lab Standards: Government Affairs & Collective Action
• B Lab guidance: how to write a responsible lobbying policy (GACA1.1)

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This policy has been developed to support compliance with the requirements of the B Lab Standards Version 2.2 and to advance the Company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. It should be interpreted and implemented in a manner consistent with applicable B Lab Standards requirements and any future updates adopted by B Lab.