On November 8, voters in California rejected a proposition requiring the state not pay for any prescription drug from a drug manufacturer at any price over the lowest price paid for the same drug by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). With over 96.6 percent of the precincts reporting, 53.7 percent voted against the proposition and 46.3 percent voted for it, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

Proposition 61, which would have created The California Drug Price Relief Act, applied to any program where the state agency is the ultimate payer for a prescription drug, even if the state agency does not itself buy the drug. The proposition exempted purchases of prescription drugs under managed care programs funded through Medi-Cal, which offers comprehensive health coverage to the state’s low-income residents. The managed care program serves approximately 75 percent of Medi-Cal enrollees. The proposition only applied to the fee-for-service system of Medi-Cal covering the remaining 25 percent of enrollees.

Opponents of the proposition argued drug manufacturers could decline to offer the state certain drugs sold to the VA or increase drug prices for the VA to reduce any decrease to profits.

Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 2 with nearly 70 percent of voter support. The ballot measure is effective December 8, 2016.

The amendment establishes the Missouri Campaign Contribution Reform Initiative, reinstating campaign contribution limits for individuals or entities contributing to political parties, political committees, or committees to elect candidates for state or judicial office. The initiative also prohibits individuals and entities from intentionally concealing the source of such contributions, and bans direct corporation and labor union contributions to candidates.

State contribution limits, originally approved by voters in 1994, were repealed by the General Assembly in 2008. Constitutional Amendment 2 limits contributions to statewide candidates to $2,600 per election. Contributions to political parties are capped at $25,000 in the aggregate per election at the state, county, municipal, district, ward, and township levels combined.

Citizens of South Dakota voted in favor of lobbying and campaign finance reform. Initiated Measure 22 (IM 22), known as the South Dakota Government Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act, passed by a tally of 52% to 48%.

IM 22 creates a publicly funded campaign finance system and lowers contribution limits as well as new gift limits and revolving door restrictions for former state officials.

Though approved by the voters, the measure may face constitutional challenges in court.

On November 8, California voters approved a proposition directing state elected officials overturn Citizens United.

Overturn of Citizens United Act Advisory Question (Proposition 59) asked voters to affirm state elected officials should use all constitutional authority, including, but not limited to, proposing and ratifying one or more amendments to the U.S. Constitution to overturn Citizens United and other applicable judicial precedents to allow the full regulation or limitation of campaign spending. The proposition also directs the officials to act to make clear corporations should not have the same constitutional rights as human beings.

As of 5:00 a.m., with over 90 percent of the precincts reporting, the proposition passed 52.4 percent to 47.6 percent, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

As the country votes, news outlets everywhere will be breaking down and analyzing results state by state and county by county. If you’d like to join in on the fun and test out your own theories, there are some great interactive tools to draw your own electoral maps.

Check out a few of our favorites below and see if you can predict each candidates path to 270 electoral votes!

ABC News

CNN

Real Clear Politics

270 to win

The Chicago Board of Ethics recently submitted two amendments to City Council, potentially affecting lobbyist filing procedures.

One amendment would require lobbyists to file all documents electronically in the Electronic Lobbyist Filing (ELF) system. The other amendment would establish enforcement provisions related to the electronic filing requirement.

Unless a majority of aldermen vote to disapprove them, the amendments will become effective on December 11, 2016. Once effective, the Board of Ethics will implement the new procedures beginning January 1, 2017. Paper filings will no longer be accepted after December 31, 2016.

Elizabeth Bartz has seen it all. For 32 years, she has worked with corporations, trade associations, and professional firms to help them stay on top of the changes made to lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying laws.

Now she will share her experiences and insights with attendees at the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., on November 10 in the session “Been There, Done That: Words of Wisdom.”

A crowd favorite of the conference, this panel features women in senior government and public policy positions discussing their experiences in this arena.

This is the third year Elizabeth will be taking part in this panel. Joining her this year are Gloria Dittus, founder of Story Partners; Helen Holton, Baltimore City Council member; and former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.

PWIA aims to provide training and networking opportunities to women in all areas of advocacy – from government relations to community activism.

“This conference will give women the opportunity to learn and network with other advocacy professionals, providing them with the tools they need to get a seat at the table and keep it,” Elizabeth said. “Through PWIA, all public policy professionals will learn to be better advocates for themselves and their organizations.”

It has been a long time coming, but Election Day 2016 has arrived and we can start on 2017 elections.

My real intention for this column is to remind everyone—family, friends, vendors, and your community—that they need to vote today, November 8. Take them with you. For the past 10 years, I have taken my parents to vote early so they do not have to stand in long lines on Election Day. It also helps because they can sit and think about the vote at that time. Sometimes I get asked a question and happy that I can help out.

This is it! This is the time! Stand up and vote! WOW! This is exactly what we scream at Cleveland Cavaliers’ games. It is very true right now. We need to be #ALLIN16.

And, you can count on State and Federal Communications to provide the needed information about the ballot issue questions affecting lobbying and campaign finance. Plus, we will soon work on our 2017 Inauguration Guide.

See how important #ALLIN16 is right now.

The New York City Council plans to hear legislation aimed at limiting contributions from contributors who have city business to groups directed or affiliated with an elected official.

The bill, yet to be released publicly, will likely limit contributions to hundreds of dollars and require city or public officials to report contributors annually.

The bill will likely be introduced to City Council within two weeks.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

National:

Election Maps Are Telling You Big Lies About Small Things
Washington Post – Lazaro Gamio | Published: 11/1/2016

November 8 is the Super Bowl for election maps, when red-and-blue geographical representations of the U.S. fill the front pages of news websites by night and newspapers the next morning. This kind of map is common in almost every election: 50 states (and the District of Columbia), two colors, one winner. Despite its ubiquity, it is profoundly flawed. These maps say only one thing – some states are bigger than others. In a presidential election, how much bigger the state of Wyoming is than New Jersey is not relevant to the outcome, which is based on how electoral votes are apportioned. If you chart the states by electoral votes, a more accurate picture of which states will elect Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton emerges.

Why Sexual Harassment Persists in Politics
New York Times – Sheryl Gay Stolberg | Published: 11/2/2016

It has been 25 years since Anita Hill testified against Clarence Thomas before an all-male Senate Judiciary Committee, and propelled the term sexual harassment into the national spotlight. Once again, the nation is debating gender roles, amid a presidential campaign that features a woman, Hillary Clinton, who stands a chance of becoming America’s first female president, against a man, Donald Trump, who has been caught on a recording bragging about kissing and groping women whenever he wanted. Politics and Legislatures, like many other environments, remain rife with sexual harassment – and young people, including men, are particularly at risk, and still reluctant to speak out.

Federal:

Abedin Tells Colleagues She’s in Dark About New Email Trove
Politico – Josh Gerstein | Published: 10/31/2016

Top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin has told people she is unsure how her emails could have ended up on a device she viewed as her husband’s computer, the seizure of which has reignited the Clinton email investigation. A person familiar with the inquiry said Abedin was not a regular user of the computer, and when she agreed to turn over emails to the State Department for federal records purposes, her lawyers did not search it for materials, believing none of her messages to be there. That could be a significant oversight if Abedin’s work messages were indeed on the computer of her estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, who is under investigation for allegedly exchanging lewd messages with a 15-year-old girl. So far, it is unclear what – if any – new, work-related messages were found by authorities.

Evan Bayh’s Private Schedule Details Ties with Donors, Lobbyists
CNN – Manu Raju | Published: 11/1/2016

Former U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh is running to win back his seat in one of this year’s marquee races. His internal 2009 schedule obtained by CNN shows how he maneuvered behind the scenes during one of the most consequential periods of legislating on Capitol Hill. The schedule provides a rare account of how Bayh privately engaged with fundraisers, lobbyists, and donors who had a keen interest on issues. At times, his own campaign fundraiser was sitting in on his meetings with donors in his official Senate office, the schedule says, raising potential conflict-of-interest concerns. The schedule lays bare a reality of Washington, that well-connected donors often get a private audience with a powerful member of Congress, a luxury most Americans cannot afford.

For Democrats, Anthony Weiner Makes an Unwelcome Return
New York Times – Maggie Haberman and Alexander Burns | Published: 10/30/2016

Anthony Weiner – the name became almost a curse word among Democrats over the past few days as the disgraced former congressman unexpectedly surfaced in the final stretch of the presidential contest. Weiner, who lost his seat after repeated episodes in which he sent lewd messages to women, is now under federal investigation for allegedly sending sexual messages to a 15-year-old girl. In that inquiry, the FBI seized a laptop that contained thousands of messages belonging to Huma Abedin, Weiner’s estranged wife and a top aide to Hillary Clinton. FBI Director James Comey said investigators will now review those messages. “It’s like one of those ‘Damien’ movies – it’s like every time you think he’s dead, he keeps coming again,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton.

How Politicians Hide Their Spending from the Public
Politico – Shane Goldmacher | Published: 11/2/2016

Donald Trump has leveraged an increasingly popular loophole for politicians seeking to outmaneuver the campaign finance system: routing their spending through consulting firms to obscure the ultimate destination of their dollars, keeping the public in the dark about facts as basic as who they are paying and how much they are paying them. Hillary Clinton has paid her digital firm more than $55 million through payments from her campaign and joint committee with the party, and provided no specifics on the firm’s ad-buying or other activities. At its most extreme, a candidate could theoretically hire a single firm to run their entire campaign and only disclose that one payment.

Sleeping Like the Enemy
Politico – Shane Goldmacher and Annie Karni | Published: 11/1/2016

Since the debut of her official campaign plane on Labor Day, there have been full weeks when Hillary Clinton has campaigned every day in swing states and returned to her home every night in between. In total, she has spent a little over half a dozen nights on the road. Instead of more efficient campaign trips, Clinton has prioritized ending her days in either her farmhouse in New York or her mansion in Washington. In a campaign of contrasts, it is one of the most striking similarities between Clinton and Donald Trump – two well-to-do New Yorkers who add hours of travel to their schedules, and thousands of dollars to their campaign expenses, in order to avoid sleeping in hotels.

The Residents in the Nerdiest Group House in Washington Want to Shake Up Washington’s Oldest Trade
Washingtonian Magazine – Michael Gaylord | Published: 10/30/2016

Since its debut, Quorum has cranked out the political charts and graphics that websites and blogs feast on. At the same time, the company has signed up a passel of heavy-hitter clients who pay into the six figures per year, with Covington & Burling, the United Nations Foundation, Toyota, the Podesta Group, the Club for Growth, and U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy among them. Quorum produces political intelligence for lobbyists and companies that monitor minute changes in policy. Its platform features bill tracking, social-media alerts, a searchable Congressional Record, and tools to connect and set up meetings with staffers.

From the States and Municipalities:

California – A $72-Million Apartment Project. Top Politicians. Unlikely Donors.
Los Angeles Times – David Zahniser and Emily Alpert Reyes | Published: 10/30/2016

Dozens of donors with direct or indirect connections to real estate developer Samuel Leung gave more than $600,000 to Los Angeles-area politicians as his $72-million project was being reviewed. Of those who donated, 11 said they did not give or do not remember doing so, raising questions about whether they were the true source of the money. Several donors said they could not recall basic information about their contributions, including why they gave and to whom. One donor said she was reimbursed for at least one conrtribution, a practice that is not permitted under the city’s ethics law.

Kentucky – Lobbyist Donations Aid Candidates Despite Law
Louisville Courier-Journal – Tom Loftus | Published: 10/31/2016

Those who lobby the General Assembly are forbidden by state law from making campaign contributions to candidates for the Kentucky House or Senate. But they are allowed to donate to state political parties, which this year have no higher priority than electing their candidates in the high-stakes races that will decide control of the House. And most major lobbyists are taking advantage of the opportunity.

Massachusetts – Law Firm ‘Bonuses’ Tied to Political Donations
Boston Globe – Viveca Novak (Center for Responsive Politics) and Andrea Estes | Published: 10/30/2016

The Thornton Law Firm in Boston commonly reimbursed the firm’s partners for their campaign contributions by awarding them bonuses. From 2010 through 2014, three partners donated nearly $1.6 million to Democratic Party fundraising committees and a parade of politicians. Over the same span, the lawyers received $1.4 million listed as “bonuses” in the firm’s records. Thornton said its donation reimbursement program was reviewed by outside lawyers and complied with applicable laws. Campaign finance experts said without reviewing the firm’s records, they cannot say the payback system breaks the law, but it raises numerous red flags.

Montana – Federal Judge Upholds Montana Campaign Disclosure Law
Montana Public Radio – Matt Volz (Associated Press) | Published: 11/1/2016

A federal judge upheld Montana’s campaign finance reporting and disclosure laws, rejecting arguments it unconstitutionally interferes with the free speech of groups that want to influence elections without revealing where they get their money or how they spend it. Montanans for Community Development, which had previously sued the state over its campaign finance laws, amended its lawsuit last year to challenge the Disclose Act. U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen knocked down each of the group’s arguments. Besides ruling the law serves an important government interest, the judge also rejected arguments it was overly burdensome to political committees and unconstitutionally vague on what constitutes a committee, expenditure, and contribution.

New York – Behind Closed Doors, Measures to Reform City’s Campaign Laws Raise Concerns
New York Times – Jim Dwyer | Published: 11/1/2016

Three years after elections revealed flaws in New York City’s campaign finance laws, the city council may be moving to fix some of the worst problems, but not without including a few changes that would benefit individual council members. Up to a dozen new bills are being shaped behind closed doors, and although no drafts have been released yet, word coming from the council has alarmed some of the city’s advocates for better and fairer elections.

State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 60 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.

Gov. Pat McCrory announced that he expects to call a special session in early December to address Hurricane Matthew relief.

The governor said he will turn in the state’s request for federal disaster assistance on Nov. 14.

Once federal relief is approved by Congress, the state will need to provide matching funds and funding for what federal relief won’t cover.

Photo of Gov. Pat McCrory by Hal Goodtree on Wikimedia Commons.

On November 9, a public hearing will be held regarding proposed regulations for the new Rhode Island Lobbying Reform Act. The hearing will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the State House, Room 313.

Additionally, a public comment period is open until November 27.

Senate Bill 2361 and House Bill 7388, both officially signed into law on June 13, repeal the current lobbying laws in Title 22 and Title 42 in the state’s statutes and enact the new act. Among the changes are the simplification of lobbyists’ reporting requirements, an increase in penalties for failing to comply with lobbying requirements, and the allowance for more investigative and administrative authority for enforcing the lobbying laws, including administrative subpoena power.

The Rhode Island Lobbying Reform Act takes effect on January 1, 2017. If passed, the new regulations will take effect on January 2, 2017.

Photo of the Rode Island State Capitol by Garrett A. Wollman on Wikimedia Commons.