State of Alaska

Department of Administration

Alaska Public Offices Commission

Alaska Department of Administration, Alaska Public Offices Commission
Administration >  Alaska Public Offices Commission >  Frequently Asked Questions >  Insight v2.0 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Insight v2.0 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Updated August 2012

Printable version

  1. What is the connection between Insight and my MyAlaska account?

    Insight filings require you to have a secure MyAlaska account with a user name and password.

    You can access Insight via the MyAlaska home page but it will be faster to use the link from the APOC web page.

    1. Go to www.doa.alaska.gov/apoc/
    2. Scroll under the Highlights heading on the landing page
    3. Click on the Insight Version 2 bulleted link
    4. Input your user name and password and you are immediately taken to your account
  2. I am a new user of the Insight system and signed up for a MyAlaska account. When I logged in to Insight, there was a checkbox that said, "Copy my MyAlaska information." I thought clicking this would fill in my identifying information but nothing happened. Why?

    On the MyAlaska home page is the heading MYPROFILE.

    If you click on MYPROFILE in MyAlaska and fill in all of your information, Insight will automatically input this into your forms whenever there is a need for name, address, telephone number etc.

    If you have not completed the profile for MyAlaska, you will need to do this in Insight and the information will be used to fill in your identifying information on Insight filings.

    Information entered in Insight 2.0 cannot be transferred to your MyAlaska profile.

  3. I am having a hard time navigating in Insight. Where do I start?

    Click on the Manage My Filings yellow tab on the left hand top side of the page. Note there are instructions on this page in bulleted form. To read the instruction for a particular task, click on it and the text will unfold below. When you are finished reading the instruction, click again on the link and it will collapse.

  4. Where is the tab for lobbyists and for employers?

    Go to the top of the page and click lobbying to pull up filing options available for both lobbyists and employers.

  5. How do I complete a lobbyist registration in Insight 2.0?

    Electronic registration in Insight is a three-step process that must be completed through efforts of both the lobbyist and the employer.

    The first step occurs when the lobbyist accurately fills out his/her registration form and submits electronic payment (unless employer is making payment). Click on the lobbying link at the very top of the page, then select file a new lobbyist registration and proceed through completion of the form. Insight 2.0 divides the lobbyist registration form into seven sections, allowing you to either complete these one at a time or in sequence at a single sitting.

    Next, the employer will receive an automatically generated email to go and review the lobbyist’s registration in Manage My Filings. This step requires the employer to sign/certify the registration electronically (employer can make payment before certifying if they are submitting payment).

    The final step in the three-step process occurs after the lobbyist receives an automatically generated email—a result prompted by the employer’s certification. The final step is for the lobbyist to go back into Manage My Filings and complete the final certification, changing the registration from pending to submitted status.

  6. I tried to file a lobbyist report but got an error message saying, “must have a submitted Registration for the calendar year with the lobbying start date prior to the selected reporting period's end date.” What does this mean since I know I completed a registration?

    Insight 2.0 records the start date of your lobbyist registration based on the date you entered into the lobbyist employment and compensation section of the form. If you try to file a lobbyist report for a period and were not registered during this timeframe, you will get this error message.

    Make sure you have selected the proper reporting period in the drop down box. If you made a mistake on your start date in the lobbyist registration, amend the form and enter the proper start date.

  7. I am trying to file my lobbyist reports and cannot find the Schedule A and Schedule A-1 in the list at the left of the page when I am in the lobbyist report. Where are Schedules A and A-1?

    Click on the lobbying link at the top of the page, which takes you to the Lobbying Forms page.Once you have begun completing a lobbyist report and are on the lobbyist report page, you will see a Form Overview link on the left hand side of the page.This link has all the elements you must complete to submit your lobbyist report, including the Schedule A and Schedule A-1.

    Anytime you are doing another part of the form and need to get back to the main page, click on “Form Overview”. Then, you either click the Edit button to open the schedule A or A-1 or click the Zero Report box to file a zero report for either schedule.

  8. I keep getting a message saying I entered an invalid dollar value for my Lobbyist Report, Schedule A. This is happening for both the Expenses and Compensation sections and the reimbursable and non-reimbursable expenses sections. Why am I receiving this message, since I have entered the correct value?

    Entering your data in the incorrect dollar format will result in an error message on both the specific Schedule A section and on the Certification page. The dollar amount of your compensation or expense entries must be in a specific format to be accepted.

    The acceptable format is:
    XX.XX with NO dollar sign ($) in front, and the decimal point included
    (Example: 173.50)

    Entering your data in this format will allow you to complete your lobbyist report and certify it successfully without receiving an error message.

  9. Why can I not view/edit submitted filings?

    Once you submit a filing, it is the property of APOC and you are not allowed to edit the submitted filing unless you file an amended report.

    If you want to amend the report, click on the amend link.

    If you want to view the filing, press the view/print link, which will open the submitted filing in a new browser window. The new browser window will show you the submitted filing in a printable format. You will need to use your browser’s print feature in order to print a paper copy.

  10. Under the employer list, I see enable/disable representatives. What is this feature for?

    This is a feature that allows employers of lobbyists to authorize or designate more than one person to submit APOC forms on the company's behalf.

    This enables employers to have multiple authorized signers for reports and eliminates the problem of a single authorized signer leaving the business and no one being able to access the employer’s Insight account to file reports. This feature may be used to authorize more than one person as a signer or may be used when employees leave or join a company. Note that a representative must have a MyAlaska and Insight account in order to be added as an authorized representative to sign your forms.

    1. At the top of the page, go to the lobbying link
    2. Under employer of a lobbyist, click on enable/disable representatives for an employer.
    3.  Click on add representative.
    4. Put in the last name of the person or simply press search.

    If the person already has an Insight account, his/her name will appear in the master list. If the person you wish to add is on this list, simply click the add selected user button next to the name.

    If the person is not on the list, an option will appear for you to invite someone to be a representative.

    1. Complete the required information and click invite.
    2. Insight will send an email to the individual telling them to set up a MyAlaska/Insight account.
    3. Once the person sets up the Insight account, they must notify you this is done.
    4. Then you will need to complete the second step of adding them to your list of representatives by clicking the add selected user button (explained above) which will now be next to his/her name.
  11. What is the difference between a preparer and a representative?

    The primary difference is that a preparer is only authorized to prepare a form, meaning to enter all the data and get it ready for final certification. Insight does not allow a preparer to certify a form. Preparers may be designated to prepare forms on behalf of either a registered lobbyist or an employer of a lobbyist.

    A representative is only for use by employers, not lobbyists. Representatives serve in exactly the same capacity as the employer/signer. As such, a representative has the same level of permission, access and certification authority as the individual who originally set up the employer account. Representatives have a higher level of authority in Insight than preparers and may legally certify both a lobbyist registration (on behalf of the employer) and an employer report.

  12. How do I invite someone to be a preparer of my reports?
    1. Click on the yellow tab labeled My Preparers.
    2. Click on add preparer. Put in the last name of the person or simply press search.
    3. If the person already has an Insight account, his name will appear in the master list. If the person you wish to invite is on this list, simply click the enable button next to the name.

    If the person is not on the list, an option will appear for you to invite someone to be a preparer. Complete the required information and click invite. Insight will send an email to the individual telling them to set up a MyAlaska/Insight account.

    Once the person sets up the Insight account, they must notify you this is done.

    Then, you will need to complete the step of adding him/her to your list of preparers by clicking the enable button (explained above) which will now be next to his/her name.

  13. I am trying to certify a form but keep getting error messages. What do I do?

    The certification page identifies missing fields that have not been completed.

    1. Click on the red link when you get the error message to be taken directly to the information you must complete.
    2. Then you can press certify and submit the form.

    Please note that it is the filer’s responsibility to thoroughly review all forms prior to pressing certify/submit. The form is visible for you to review so you are able to ensure it is accurate and complete. Do not certify the form until you have reviewed all of the information.

    Make sure you are entering your password and not your username.

  14. If I have a question about a report and want to have APOC staff see what I am working on, what do I do?
    1. Go to Insight home at the very top of the page, left hand corner.
    2. Then, under setup, click grant APOC permission to my filings.

    Once you select an account and click grant permission, APOC staff will have access to your Insight account, including any pending forms you have created.

    You may revoke this permission at any time by clicking on the revoke permission link.

  15. Why am I required to enter in my password prior to submitting a form in Insight?

    The Department of Law has determined that this is required for electronic signatures in Insight. Now, prior to final submission of a lobbyist registration, lobbyist report or employer of lobbyist report, all filers will need to enter their password to successfully certify a form.

  16. I thought that I had submitted my Report, but now I am being told I have not submitted it and that I owe a late fee.  How did this happen?

    When you have finished entering all of the requisite data for your given report and you are ready to submit, you scroll to the bottom of the General Information page (the page with all of the sections listed with Edit buttons under each one).

    At the bottom you will see a section labeled Certification with a button underneath that says Edit.  Click on that button.  You will then need to click on the Certify/Submit button on the next page.

    The next screen is the final page for your review.  This page affords you the opportunity to review all the information you have entered on one easy to read page.  Scroll to the bottom of this page, and when you are happy with what you see, ENTER YOUR PASSWORD AT THE BOTTOM AND CLICK CERTIFY.

    Once you click the Certify button, you will automatically be taken back to the Manage My Filings page and should see the report listed as Submitted.