This week the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, who was convicted on ethics charges in 2014.

The Court unanimously ruled the interpretation of bribery law was overly broad and making phone calls and setting up meetings did not constitute official action. McDonnell was accused of accepting more than $175,000 in gifts from a Virginia businessman wanting to do business with the commonwealth.

Some legal experts think this ruling will make it more difficult to prosecute corruption cases in the future, while others believe it fits with past rulings where courts required more than just the appearance of impropriety.

Photo of former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell by Gage Skidmore on Wikimedia Commons.

Sophia Avouris is a sophomore at Kent State University majoring in political science with a minor in public relations. She expects to graduate in the spring of 2019.  She enjoys playing quidditch.

Sophia has always been interested in political campaigns. Her first serious campaign was for Lou Gentile in 2010; he was running for a seat in the Ohio state House of Representatives. When he won, her passion for campaigning grew. It inspired her to go into political science and work in Washington, D.C. towards a career that would allow her to expand her political horizons and travel.

Sophia considers herself a quick learner, intelligent, and a good listener, which are all good traits to have in the political world. She believes humor and trustworthiness are important in any relationship, professional or personal. Because her family moves a lot, she thinks it is important to find stability in other social structures.

This summer, Sophia and her family are going camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. She plans on visiting a friend in Minnesota, and also eagerly anticipates seeing another friend who makes the best pizza in the world.

Out of all the technology and appliances that she uses, Sophia believes her laptop is the most essential. Her personal motto is: don’t forget to take a little time to laugh a little.

Clémence Besnard is a French exchange student who has been attending the University of Akron since January 2015. She is working on her master of science in international marketing at the ESC Rennes School of Business. Some of her hobbies include painting, other artistic pursuits, and swimming.

When she arrived in the United States, it was a difficult adjustment because it was the first time she had left her family for a long period of time and gone somewhere unfamiliar. She had to adapt to the American culture and to balance work and school. This opportunity to study abroad has proven itself to be a positive experience and it has made her more independent and confident in her ability to adjust. In her opinion, positivity, motivation, determination, open-mindedness, and trustworthiness are paramount to having a beneficial professional experience abroad.

In addition to her education, she would like go on a humanitarian mission to raise funds and provide education for all people, particularly those who are discriminated against. After she receives her master’s degree, she wants to find a job that would allow her to travel abroad.

Before she leaves America, Clémence wants to travel to various cities such as Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, DC, and to explore the West Coast.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” -Mahatma Gandhi

California’s Senate Bill 254 became law without the governor’s signature on June 9, 2016.

The measure will place a ballot question on the November 8, 2016 ballot asking voters whether California’s elected officials should use all of their constitutional authority, including proposing and ratifying one or more amendments to the United States Constitution, to overturn the Citizens United decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.

A previous version of this bill was approved by lawmakers in 2014, but was blocked by legal challenges until January 2016 when the Supreme Court of California upheld the Legislature’s power to use advisory ballot measures.

Brittany Anderson is a public relations major with a minor in marketing at Kent State University. She plans on graduating in December 2016.

Brittany has been through many obstacles that have defined her life and epitomize the person she is today. In 2011, when her mother passed away unexpectedly from surgery complications, finding motivation to finish high school was very difficult. She pushed through despite her lack of motivation and maintained the drive to continue and stay grounded for her family.

When she graduates, Brittany wants to work as an executive director of media relations who specializes in crisis communications. If she takes a different route in the public relations field, she would love to work as a commercialization manager in the food industry where she would develop project plans, design, and product performance. Brittany also wants to further her professional network and eventually move out of the state with her sister. She considers herself creative, driven, and motivated. She values positivity, loyalty, and patience. She strives to be fearless without being reckless.

This summer, she is taking classes at Kent State University and interning here at State and Federal Communications.

She enjoys a fast-paced environment that allows her to exhibit her skills under pressure and enjoys to blog about eyebrows in her spare time.

“Know your worth.” -Brittany Anderson

Wisconsin’s new Ethics Commission will begin its work on June 30. It is one of two commissions created to replace the Government Accountability Board (GAB).

Twenty-three people submitted applications to be the first commission administrator; the GAB released a list of their names and hometowns Thursday.

Applicants include Paul Dauphinais, head of the Alaska Public Offices Commission, and Bre Injeski, deputy director of New York City’s Conflict of Interest Board. The position is a four-year term subject to Senate confirmation.

A record five citizen’s initiatives are set to hit the November ballot.

If all five initiatives pass, ranked-choice voting would replace the current election system (IB 2), a tax surcharge would be imposed on certain households to increase funding for public schools (IB 3), minimum wage would be raised to $12 an hour by 2020, background checks would be required for private gun sales (IB 5), and marijuana use would be legal (IB 6).

Ranked-choice voting ensures the winning candidate, in a multi-candidate race, receives the majority vote because voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate does not receive 50 percent of first-choice votes, then the lowest scoring candidate is eliminated and votes are retabulated.

Despite the Legislature’s intention to kill the bill version of IB 2 in March, voters have the opportunity to pass the initiative this November, much like the passage of IB 1 in November 2015, which revamped campaign finance laws.

If successful, Maine would be the first state to institute ranked-choice voting.

Voters in six Ohio counties will decide today who will fill the congressional seat left vacant by former House Speaker John Boehner.

Republican Warren Davidson is facing off against Democrat Corey Foister and Green Party candidate Jim Condit Jr. The winner will complete Boehner’s term.

Low voter turnout is expected with no other races on the ballot.

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications’ digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly email updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

The number of municipalities and regional governments our research associates track continues to grow. We now cover almost 300 municipalities and local governments. This is part of a continuous effort to better serve the needs of our clients.

In that effort, we have added abridged jurisdictions to our website. These entries, condensed due to the limited number of relevant local laws, provide the core information our clients need for their government relations work.

The new jurisdiction is: Kauai County, Hawaii

Here is our June/July calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

June 6-9   2016 BIO International Convention, San Francisco, CA

June 13-15   US Chamber’s America’s Small Business Summit, Washington, DC

June 20-22   Public Affairs Council National Grassroots Conference, Alexandria, VA

June 23   Public Affairs Council Digital Media and Advocacy Summit, Alexandria, VA

June 24-27   U.S. Conference of Mayors 84th Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN

June 28   Walmart Manufacturing Summit,  Bentonville, Arkansas

July 14-17 National Governors Association Summer Meeting, Des Moines, IA

Q. When I talk to state officials, I’m always with my registered contract lobbyists. That means I’m exempt from registering, correct?

A. The kind of exemption you are referring to is commonly called an umbrella exception. In most instances, being with a registered lobbyist does not exempt an individual from having to register as a lobbyist.

California and Utah are two states with an umbrella exception, but there are limits to those exceptions. In Utah, an individual is not considered a lobbyist (and thus does not have to register) if he or she:

Interacts with a public official in that official’s capacity as a public official while accompanied by a registered lobbyist who is lobbying in relation to the subject of the interaction or while presenting at a legislative committee meeting at the same time the registered lobbyist is attending another legislative committee meeting; and

Does not make an expenditure for, or on behalf of, a public official in relation to the interaction or during the period of interaction.

California’s umbrella exception is the most well-known, but it was narrowed in March. Now, the umbrella exception will only apply if the individual:

Is an employee of a lobbyist employer;

Meets or speaks with a state official in the company of a registered lobbyist retained by the individual’s lobbyist employer; and

Participates as a subject matter expert regarding a legislative or administrative action at issue.

California’s exception was narrowed to prevent contract lobbyists from being able to utilize the exception and avoid registration and reporting requirements.

As you can see, there are very few umbrella exceptions allowing you to avoid registration. And even when a state has an umbrella exception, there are limits on who can take advantage of them. If you will be attempting to influence a state official, be sure to give us a call prior to your meeting to make sure lobbyist registration will not be required.

You can directly submit questions for this feature, and we will select those most appropriate and answer them here. Send your questions to: marketing@stateandfed.com.

(We are always available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or e-mail us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies to your questions are not legal advice. Instead, these replies represent our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

Here is our May/June calendar. If you are attending any of the coming events, please stop by and say hello!

May 10   Go Red for Women Luncheon, Akron, OH

May 18   WGR Spring Reception, Washington, DC

May 19   Akron Roundtable – Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Akron, OH

May 19   PAC PALS Spring Reception, Washington, DC

May 19-21   NCSL Executive Committee Spring Meeting, Minneapolis, MN

May 30   Memorial Day, Office Closed, Akron, OH

May 31 – June 2   PLI’s Corporate Compliance and Ethics Institute, New York City, NY

June 6-9   2016 BIO International Convention, San Francisco, CA

June 13-15   US Chamber’s America’s Small Business Summit, Washington, DC

June 20-22   Public Affairs Council National Grassroots Conference, Alexandria, VA

June 23   Public Affairs Council Digital Media and Advocacy Summit, Alexandria, VA

June 24-27   U.S. Conference of Mayors 84th Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN