On June 6th, State and Federal Communications’ Team Intern had a chance to visit the newest addition to the Goodyear blimp fleet. Upon arrival interns were split into two groups: one group would listen to the public relations speech first and the other would get a tour of the blimp hangar and photo gallery first, then they would switch.

During the public relations presentation, the speaker explained the blimp’s long history and how its purpose is split into three unique categories. The blimp is used to engage, spotlight, and reward.

The Goodyear Blimp is very recognizable, making it easy for it to engage with anyone who sees it in the sky.

It is also used to spotlight certain charities, events, or anniversaries. For example, the Goodyear Blimp was flown to a small tire store to mark its 45th anniversary of selling Goodyear tires.

Finally, the blimp has been involved in many rewarding opportunities, Goodyear once teamed up with NASCAR to give one veteran a huge surprise. They had informed the veteran he was getting a once in a lifetime ride in the Goodyear blimp but did not mention his favorite race car driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., would be dressed like a pilot inside waiting to surprise him.

The tour of the Goodyear Blimp hangar was next. Walking into the hangar was truly an experience, the sheer size of the blimp was beyond impressive. The new blimp was in the process of being built, so it was hanging from the ceiling as the crew continued to build and add the final components. It is the third blimp of Goodyear’s newest fleet. One of the blimp’s pilots said it will take two days to fill the blimp with enough helium to float and extra couple days to purify it. After it is built and filled, it will finally be ready for its first flight.

This experience was not only interesting but also benefited the interns. It allowed us to get out into the community and meet other professionals as well as gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the local culture.

Gov. Steve Bullock announced he will sign an executive order to further Montana’s goal of shedding light on dark money spending in elections.

The executive order applies to new contracts for goods over $50,000 and new services contracts over $25,000 and requires government contractors who have spent more than $2,500 in the past two years in elections to disclose their donations.

The executive order aims to shed light on contributions not otherwise required to be disclosed.

Gov. Bullock will sign the executive order into law on June 8, 2018.

On May 24, the New Hampshire Legislature adjourned its final full day in session.

The Legislature introduced a bill creating a full-time investigator position within the Department of Justice to enforce filing and disclosure requirements for election and lobbying laws, but it did not pass.

Recessed until the next call of the chair by the House and Senate, the legislative body may meet again for a veto session in the fall.

When lawmakers meet to organize in December for the 2019 legislative session, the 2018 session will be adjourned sine die.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed lawsuits against Facebook and Google for failing to comply with political advertising laws.

Under Washington law, commercial advertisers who provide political advertising during an election campaign must maintain documents and books of account that is open for public inspection.

The attorney general contends Facebook and Google have not released political advertising information sponsored through their online platforms when requested by members of the public.

If found guilty, the companies could face a penalty of $10,000 per violation for failing to maintain required information on political advertising sponsored in Washington state elections from 2013 through 2018.

State Sen. John Courson resigned from the South Carolina Legislature on Monday, June 4, after pleading guilty to willful misconduct and agreeing to cooperate with ongoing ethics investigations.

Courson, a former Senate president pro tempore who served 33 years in the state Legislature, was indicted last year on multiple corruption charges stemming from his conversion of campaign money for personal use.

A special election will be called to fill the District 20 seat.

The Louisiana Legislature adjourned a special session late Monday night after passing a skeleton budget similar to one vetoed by Gov. Jon Bel Edwards at the end of the regular session in mid-May.

Lawmakers wanted a more robust budget but were unable to pass enough tax bills to fund it. The approved budget makes deep cuts to public universities and other state agencies.

Gov. Edwards has not said whether he will veto the passed budget but announced he will call another special session before the current fiscal year ends on July 1.

If the passed budget is signed by the Governor, Lawmakers will need to fund about $500 million in expiring taxes to avoid the dramatic budget cuts currently on the table.

You can consider this Silver Anniversary—Part One. On July 1st, State and Federal Communications, Inc. will celebrate its 25th anniversary. WOW! That is a long, long time and I have been here every minute of it.

We are going to take the opportunity to celebrate this event in Akron, Ohio and in Washington, DC and I hope you can all join us.

Feel free to respond to this email and I will make sure you receive an invitation. We are looking forward to opening our doors to all of our clients and friends around the country.

Thank you…Thank you for always relying on our quality services and knowing we are here to make sure government affairs world a lot easier.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

The Illinois General Assembly adjourned its spring session on Thursday, May 31. Prior to adjournment, lawmakers passed a $38.5 billion budget for the next fiscal year.

Legislators also approved a bill with a series of ethics reforms related to complaints filed, investigated, or pending with the state’s inspectors general. The position of the legislative inspector general (LIG) will be a full-time permanent post, rather than the temporary special position it is now.

While the changes are a step in the right direction, many argue the reforms do not go far enough in making the complaint process more responsive. Critics are pushing for the LIG to be a completely independent position.

Currently, the LIG cannot investigate an ethics complaint made against legislators or legislative staff unless or until it receives permission from the Legislative Ethics Commission, a bipartisan panel of legislators.

The annual six-day veto session for the 100^th General Assembly convenes November 13.

National:

Who’s Behind Those Political Ads on Facebook? Now, You Can Find Out.
San Antonio Express-News – Tony Romm (Washington Post) | Published: 5/24/2018

Facebook and Twitter, said they are following through on promises to add verification, disclosures, and additional information to all political advertisements. For both companies, the stakes are high ahead of the 2018 midterm election, after Russian agents spread propaganda, through ads and other posts, on social media sites in a bid to create social and political unrest in the U.S. during the 2016 presidential race. On Facebook, political ads will include a marker at the top indicating who has paid for it. Clicking on the label will bring users to a new repository of all political ads that have run on the site. Twitter said it soon would require political advertisers to prove their identity before promoting tweets on the platform.

Federal:

F.B.I. Official Wrote Secret Memo Fearing Trump Got a Cover Story for Comey Firing
MSN – Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, and Michael Schmidt (New York Times) | Published: 5/30/2018

Former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe wrote a confidential memo last year recounting a conversation that offered significant behind-the-scenes details on the firing of McCabe’s predecessor, James Comey. His dismissal is a central focus of the special counsel’s investigation into whether President Trump tried to obstruct the probe into his campaign’s ties to Russia. McCabe described a conversation with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who played a key role in the firing, writing a memo that rebuked Comey over his handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton. In a meeting with McCabe, Rosenstein said Trump originally asked him to reference Russia in his memo. To McCabe, that seemed like possible evidence Comey’s firing was actually related to the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, and Rosenstein helped provide a cover story by writing about the Clinton inquiry.

Former Drug Industry Lobbyist Helps Steer Trump Drug Plan
Politico – David Pittman | Published: 5/27/2018

Joe Grogan – a former drug industry lobbyist who has sweeping authority over drug pricing, entitlement programs, and other aspects of federal health policy at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – did not obtain a waiver from a directive President Trump issued during his first week in office that imposed a two-year waiting period between lobbying and regulating on the same “specific issue area.” Grogan was the top lobbyist for Gilead Sciences until he arrived at the OMB last March. The administration says Grogan did not need such a waiver because his government job does not overlap with what he did for Gilead. His new role, the OMB says, affects policy for an entire industry, not simply the one company he worked for.

How a Sanctioned Russian Bank Wooed Washington
Center for Public Integrity – Carrie Levine | Published: 5/31/2018

Foreign campaigns to influence American officials are supposed to be transparent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a law requiring detailed disclosure of foreign influence efforts. But few believe FARA has been working well. It is riddled with exemptions, enforcement is weak, and criminal penalties apply only to willful violations. And lobbyists’ filings are frequently late with few consequences, making available information less valuable to the public. Now, with accusations of foreign meddling gripping the nation’s capital, FARA is drawing more scrutiny. The case of VTB, a state-owned Russian bank, illuminates what Americans learn – or do not – under FARA.

Trump Says He Will Pardon Dinesh D’Souza, an Obama Critic Who Violated Campaign Limits
USA Today – Gregory Korte | Published: 5/31/2018

President Trump announced he would offer a pardon to conservative pundit Dinesh D’Souza, who pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws but later said he was targeted for his conservative views. Trump said he is also considering leniency in number of other cases, including those of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Martha Stewart. D’Souza’s pardon would continue Trump’s use of clemency power to correct what he perceives as politically motivated prosecutions. But they also come amid investigations into his own campaign and inner circle, including a probe into whether his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, violated the law when he illegally paid off an adult film actress who said she had a relationship with Trump.

From the States and Municipalities:

Arizona: Women Slam Don Shooter’s Campaign for Arizona Legislature After Harassment Expulsion
Arizona Republic – Dustin Gardiner | Published: 5/30/2018

Don Shooter, the former Arizona lawmaker expelled from office for sexually harassing women, has qualified to appear on the ballot as a candidate for the state Senate. The Arizona House expelled Shooter after investigators concluded he sexually harassed at least seven women over many years, including fellow lawmakers, a lobbyist, and the former publisher of The Arizona Republic. One of those women, lobbyist Marilyn Rodriguez, immediately took to Twitter to protest his candidacy. “Don Shooter is a predator and serial harasser who disgraced the honor of elected office,” Rodriguez tweeted.

California: Chairwoman of California’s State Campaign Watchdog Agency Resigns Amid Power Struggle
Los Angeles Times – Patrick McGreevy | Published: 5/29/2018

Jodi Remke submitted her resignation as chairperson of the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) amid turmoil as other members of its panel were moving to reduce her powers. The resignation comes after a majority of the FPPC supported the creation of two subcommittees to provide input on key decisions that previously have been made largely by Remke, who is the only member of the panel who has a full-time role. Remke is becoming the presiding administrative law judge for the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

Michigan: Feds: Ex-Detroit airport manager took bribes, ate evidence to cover up crime
Detroit Free Press – Tresa Baldas | Published: 5/23/2018

A former Detroit Metropolitan Airport official was indicted in federal court on charges he pocketed more than $5 million in bribes and tried to cover up the crime by eating evidence. Former airport utilities and infrastructure manager James Warner had the power to approve and extend maintenance projects funded through the Wayne County Airport Authority from 2010 to 2014. During one dinner, Warner and contactor Gary Tenaglia discussed contracts and kickbacks, prosecutors said. “During the meal, James Warner wrote ‘5k,’ a proposed kickback amount, on a napkin,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment. “He folded it and slid it across the table to Gary Tenaglia. After Gary Tenaglia acknowledged the meaning of the writing on the napkin, James Warner retrieved the napkin and ate it.”

Missouri: Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Resigns, Ending Political Career Once Aimed at Presidency
Kansas City Star – Jason Hancock and Bryan Lowry | Published: 5/29/2018

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens announced he will resign amid personal and political scandals that marred his once-promising career. A woman with whom Greitens had an affair alleged he took a nude photograph without her consent to use as blackmail to keep her from talking about their relationship. He was indicted on a felony count of invasion of privacy stemming from the woman’s accusations. Greitens also faced charges he used a veterans charity donor list to raise money for his 2016 campaign for governor without the permission of the group. State lawmakers called a special session to consider impeaching Greitens. In stepping down, he presented himself as a victim of an unjust political attack, despite criticism he has received from across the political spectrum.

New Mexico: New Mexico Governor Candidate Profited from High-Risk Insurance Plans
Politico – Rachana Pradhan | Published: 5/30/2018

U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democratic candidate for governor in New Mexico, profited from the state’s use of a high-priced health-insurance program for seriously ill patients, even after the Affordable Care Act made such programs virtually obsolete. As most states were shuttering their subsidized health-insurance programs for people with pre-existing conditions because they could get coverage through Obamacare, a firm co-founded by Lujan Grisham and a close political ally received millions of dollars to run New Mexico’s program, even as she served in Congress. Lujan Grisham denied she exerted pressure on state officials to keep the program open because of their financial interests, although watchdogs suggest that influence would be difficult to detect, in part because of New Mexico’s porous conflict-of-interest rules.

Ohio: Payday Lenders Say Ex-Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger Threatened Them, Delayed Bill
Cleveland Plain Dealer – Jackie Borchardt | Published: 5/24/2018

Former Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger used strong-arm tactics to defeat a bill to regulate the payday loan industry, including threatening loan companies that were trying to work on a compromise with reform advocates, according to two payday loan executives and their lobbyists. The bill was introduced in March 2017 but languished in a House committee for over a year before advancing without a single change. Rosenberger resigned in April amid reports the FBI was asking questions about a trip he took to London in August, where he was accompanied by lobbyists for the short-term lending industry.

Pennsylvania: Judge Hits Ex-Pa. House Speaker John Perzel with New $1M Restitution Order on Corruption Convictions
PennLive.com – Matt Miller | Published: 5/30/2018

A year after the state Supreme Court tossed it out, a Dauphin County judge found an alternate way to reinstate a $1 million restitution order on former Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel. Citing the loss to the state, President Judge Richard Lewis slapped the restitution back on Perzel as he resentenced him on his 2011 corruption convictions. Perzel was among several lawmakers who pleaded guilty or were convicted of diverting taxpayer funds to convert the House Republican Caucus’ information technology department into a high-tech campaign machine to benefit GOP candidates. The high court ruled Lewis’s 2012 restitution order was invalid because the state cannot be considered a victim for the purposes of restitution. Lewis imposed the new $1 million restitution figure under the state Pension Forfeiture Act.

Wisconsin: Wisconsin Lawmakers Got $164,000 in Travel and Perks Last Year from Outside Groups
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Keegan Kyle and Patrick Marley | Published: 5/29/2018

A review shows fifty Wisconsin lawmakers last year had their meals, lodging, airfare, and other travel costs covered by outside groups, or they received payments for speaking or other services. The total amount was $164,000, with four legislators each receiving more than $10,000. Travel for lawmakers has drawn attention after former Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger resigned amid an FBI investigation into his trips. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos joined Rosenberger on some of those trips. Wisconsin law allows legislators to receive free travel if it is for official business or educational purposes. Lawmakers from both parties have long taken advantage of that opportunity.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach resigned from Senate District 13, ending the controversy of her simultaneously holding both offices.

Gov. Mark Dayton has called a special for November 6, 2018. The special primary election, if necessary, will be held on August 14, 2018.

Photo of Lt. Gov. Fischbach by David Oakes on Wikimedia Commons.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton resigned this week to run for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Arizona has a resign to run law, forcing Stanton to leave his position to campaign for a different office.

Thelda Williams, a council member representing Phoenix’s District One, will serve as the interim mayor until June 11 when the Phoenix City Council will appoint a mayor pro tempore who will serve until a special election is held. The special election will likely take place on November 6, 2018 along with the state’s regularly scheduled elections.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has announced his resignation amid potential impeachment proceedings. Greitens was indicted in February on a felony invasion of privacy charge stemming from an affair; he was charged with another felony in April related to the improper use of a nonprofit donor list to raise money for his 2016 political campaign. After he refused to step down, the Missouri Legislature convened a special session this month to consider possible impeachment proceedings.

Though he admitted to the affair, Greitens has consistently denied any criminal misconduct. His resignation is effective Friday, June 1.

Cryptocurrency contributions, campaign disclosure changes, and tax breaks for small business all in this weeks quick News You Can Use Video Digest.

Legislation affecting lobbying was introduced this week in both the Senate and House.

Senate Bill 2896 would require lobbyists to disclose any conviction for bribery, extortion, embezzlement, illegal kickbacks, tax evasion, fraud, conflicts of interest, making false statements, perjury, or money laundering.

A rather ambitious House bill aimed at restoring trust in Congress would impose a lifetime ban on lobbying for members.

House Bill 5946 would also prohibit members of Congress from being paid if Congress has not approved a budget on a timely basis; eliminate automatic pay adjustments; prohibit first-class airline accommodations; and prohibit House consideration of measures lacking demonstrable bipartisan support.