Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“ʹSoft lobbyingʹ war between sugar, corn syrup shows new tactics in Washington influence” by Tom Hamburger in The Washington Post.

Wisconsin: “$32 Million Spent Lobbying State Legislators in 2013” by Bill Lueders in Urban Milwaukee.

Campaign Finance

Kentucky: “House Speaker Greg Stumbo Files Campaign Finance Legislation” in SurfKY.com.

Massachusetts: “Campaign-finance watchdog wants more disclosures” by the State House News Service in the Sentinel & Enterprise.

Minnesota: “Minnesota campaign finance regulators reinforce firewall” by Brian Bakst (Associated Press) in the Pioneer Press.

Vermont: “VTDigger launches Campaign Finance Database” by Alexei Rubenstein in WCAX TV News.

Ethics

Mississippi: “Mississippi Ethics Commission could be assigned to resolve disputes over public records” by The Associated Press in the Daily Journal.

New Jersey: “ELEC approves Christie campaign request to use funds to pay for subpoena response” by Dustin Racioppi in MyCentralJersey.com.

Virginia: “House passes its ethics reform bill” by Markus Schmidt in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Elections

Arkansas: “Proposal to avoid special election for lieutenant governor advances” by John Lyon and Rob Moritz in Arkansas News.

Colorado: “Colorado elections update nearly complete” by The Associated Press in the Pueblo Chieftain.

Tennessee: “Bill to lower standards for third-party candidates moves to Senate” by Max Smith in The Tennessean.

Congress

“Election mode hits the Capitol” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

From the State Legislatures

Colorado: “In 2015, nearly half of Colorado lawmakers will be in new offices” by Lynn Batels in The Denver Post.

Lobbying

“K Street’s holdouts are partisan, proud” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

California: “Lobbying firm fined $133K for gifts to lawmakers” by Fenit Nirappil (Associated Press) in the San Jose Mercury News.

Florida: “Senate considers lobbying rules for tax districts” by Steve Bousquet in the Miami Herald.

Indiana: “Watchdog group raises concerns over missing lobbyist info” by Kara Kenney on RTV6 ABC News.

Utah: “Bill would shed light on ‘dark consulting’ by Utah lobbyists” by Antone Clark in the Standard-Examiner.

Campaign Finance

“Campaign finance groups want ʹdark moneyʹ rules to stay” by Bernie Becker in The Hill.

“How Candidates Share Without Coordinating With Outside Groups” by Nathan L. Gonzales in Roll Call.

Arizona: “Bill Targets ʹDark Moneyʹ In Campaign Finance” by Dennis Lambert on KJZZ.org.

California: “Donor who broke campaign finance law in 2010 faces $45,000 penalty” by David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times.

Florida: “Florida could be more transparent on campaign finance, study shows” in the Sunshine State News.

Minnesota: “Minn. campaign regulators assess wall of coordination between Minn. candidates, outside groups” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Vermont: “Lawmakers will try to fix campaign finance law” by The Associated Press in the Burlington Free Press.

Ethics

California: “California Senate panel to come up with new ethics, campaign laws” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

South Carolina: “Haley appoints 8 ethics commissioners” by Adam Beam in the Rock Hill Herald.

Virginia: “Ethics, mental health bills advance in Virginia General Assembly” by Rachel Weiner in The Washington Post.

From the State Legislatures

Virginia: “Va. legislators push flurry of bills at session’s halfway point” by Laura Vozzella, Rachel Weiner and Michael Laris in The Washington Post.

Lobbying

“Coffee shop known for hosting White House meetings with lobbyists closing” by Kevin Liptak in CNN’s Political Ticker.

“Top Dollars Go To Health Care Lobbying” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

“New job for long-time Wall Street lobbyist” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

California: “Sacramento lobbying firm fined for lavish fundraisers with lawmakers” by Laurel Rosenhall and David Siders in the Sacramento Bee.

Illinois: “At 90, lobbyist still busy in Springfield” by Charcour Koop (Associated Press) in The Pantagraph.

Louisiana: “Director named for business lobbying group” by The Associated Press in the Miami Herald.

Nebraska: “Mailings raise question: What crosses lobbying line?” by Paul Hammel in The Norfolk Daily News.

New Mexico: “HB 82 would put lobbyist role on hold” in the Albuquerque Journal News.

Wyoming: “Wyoming politics have their own brand of influence peddling” by Kyle Roerink in the Star Tribune.

Campaign Finance

“Major Democratic donors press Congress for campaign finance reform” in United Press International.

“Look who’s benefiting from Citizens United: Unions wrote more big checks than corporations in 2013” by Jacob Fenton (Sunlight Foundation) in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Tip Sheets on Money in 2014 Hot Senate and House Races” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Arizona:  “AG Horne’s campaign finance case heads to trial” by Bob Christie in the Arizona Daily Star.

District of Columbia: “Ex-DC lawmaker who already pleaded guilty faces new campaign violations as part of new plea” by Eric Tucker (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Florida: “Fixes Proposed for Campaign Finance Website” by Mary Ellen Klas in The Ledger.

Nevada:  “Law’s vague wording on expenses leaves room for interpretation in how campaign money is spent” by Andrew Doughman in the Las Vegas Sun.

“Vt. lawmakers to try to fix campaign finance bill, but some may push for bigger changes” by The Associated Press in The Tribune.

Ethics

“U.S. Rep. Tom Petri buys stock in company lobbying for bill in his committee” by Donovan Slack in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune.

California: “Lawmakers warned, lobbyist faces fines over unreported fundraising” by Patrick McGreevy and Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times.

Florida: “Ethics Commission balks at more state-suggested changes” by Andy Reid in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Georgia: “For Deal, ties to ethics commission problems run deep” by Aaron Gould Sheinin and Shannon McCaffrey in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

South Carolina: “Ethics reform moves slowly in S.C. Legislature” by Jeremy Borden in The Post and Courier.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Are Governors Talking Tech? GovTech’s Take on 2014 State of the State Addresses” in Government Technology.

“Ready to Launch, A New Platform to Ask Elected Officials Anything” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.

“Key considerations for using social media in government” by Seleha Riaz in Digital by Default.

Pennsylvania: “Pa. lawmakers’ social media site usage raises ethical questions” by Jan Murphy in The Patriot-News.

State and Federal Communications is excited to be attending the 2014 National Grassroots Conference this week. Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of the company, and a team of four of the staff, have headed to Miami Beach to participate in the program.

We  believe in the great value of this gathering and so we are proud to be the sponsor of the Conference Wi-Fi.

You can follow the conversations from the conference on Twitter @PACouncil #GRC14.

Lobbying

“Obama should praise lobbyists more, lobbyists say” by Zachary Roth in MSNBC.

“Lobbying falls for third year in a row” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Arizona: “Senator tries again to ban tickets from lobbyists” by Hank Stephenson and Ben Giles in the Arizona Capitol Times.

Campaign Finance

“Campaign finance: Parties gear up for 2014” by Byron Tau in Politico.

“Convention wipeout coming?” by Molly K. Hooper in The Hill.

Arkansas: “Report: Ark. Lt. Gov. cited ‘carelessness’ in campaign, office spending to ethics staff” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Arkansas: “Panel favors allowing fundraising for federal office during session” by John Lyon in the Arkansas News.

Ethics

New Jersey: “Lawyer with ties to Christie named to top spot on state Ethics Commission” by The Associated Press in the Press of Atlantic City.

Elections

Arkansas: “Beebe supports proposal to avoid special election for lieutenant governor” by John Lyon in the Arkansas News.

Government Tech and Social Media

“How the 2014 State of the Union Took Over Social Media” by Billy Mitchell in In the Capital.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) rejected a request made by several activist groups to grant an exemption from the donor disclosure requirement provided by New York law. Under the ethics law, a registered lobbyist, under certain circumstances, must report the names of each source of funding over $5,000 from a single source used to fund the lobbying activity reported and the amounts received from each identified source.

Under the same law, the JCOPE can grant an exemption to the donor disclosure requirement if that disclosure would put contributors at risk. The party requesting the exemption must demonstrate that the disclosure of their donors would cause harm, threats, harassment, or reprisals.

The JCOPE denied the exemption requested by Family Planning Advocates, the New York Women’s Equality Coalition, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and the New York Civil Liberties Union. The groups can appeal the decision to an independent judicial hearing officer within 15 days of the JCOPE’s written ruling, which has not yet been completed.

At the same meeting, the commission also limited one exemption that it had already granted to NARAL Pro-Choice NY by scheduling the donor disclosure exemption to expire with the group’s next filing.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“K Street wants less bashing of lobbyists” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Lobbyist trades K Street for MLB” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

New York: “Ethics panel: Some groups can keep donors secret” by Michael Gormley in Newsday.

Campaign Finance

California: “San Bernardino County to revise its campaign finance reform ordinance” by Joe Nelson in the Daily Bulletin.

California: “Lobbyist accused in campaign finance scandal has bond approved, could be released” by Steve Fiorina in ABC 10 San Diego News.

Connecticut: “Legislators Again Look To Lobbyists For Money” by Jon Lender in The Hartford Courant.

Ethics

California: “State Sen. Roderick Wright found guilty of perjury, voter fraud” by Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times.

Virginia: “Attorneys for former Va. governor McDonnell and his wife seek clarification of court order” by Matt Zapotosky in The Washington Post.

From the State Legislatures

“Alabama House goes home, Senate convenes” by Brian Lyman in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Ohio: “First-term Ohio House lawmakers finding their way” by Will Drabold in The Columbus Dispatch.

Due to inclement weather, Governor Bentley has re-scheduled the special general election for House District 104 in Mobile and the special primary run-off elections for House District 31 covering Elmore and Coosa counties and House District 53 in Birmingham, all scheduled to take place Tuesday, January 28, 2014.

The elections will now be held on February 4, 2014.

Lobbying

“K Street getting a big boost” by Kevin Bogardus and Erik Wasson in The Hill.

“Business eyes debt limit without fear” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Alabama: “Birmingham powerbrokers spending less on lobbying” by Anna McFall in the Birmingham Business Journal.

Arizona: “Arizona Lobbyist Gets Community Service, Probation” by Brian Skoloff (Associated Press) on ABC News.

Missouri: “Lawmakers question Normandy School District’s hiring of lobbyists” by Elisa Crouch in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Campaign Finance

“Places with the Highest Rates of Political Giving” by Sreekar Jasthee in Nerd Wallet.

California: “Dumanis won’t return more donations” by Trent Seibert and Joel Hoffmann in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Texas: “Small donations add up for Texas politicians” by Anna M. Tinsley in the Star-Telegram.

Ethics

Alaska: “Fairbanks Mayor Eberhart attorney says APOC treating candidates differently” by Sam Friedman in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

California: “Ethics panel briefed by independent counsel on Sen. Ronald S. Calderon” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

California: “Mayoral Candidates Met with Man Charged in Campaign Finance Scandal” by Candice Nguyen and Wendy Fry in NBC 7 San Diego News.

Georgia: “Staffing situation worsens at GA ethics commission” by Christina A. Cassidy (Associated Press) in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Rhode Island: “RI House Speaker Fox fined $1,500 for violating ethics filing rules” by Tom Mooney in the Providence Journal.

Lobbying

“Lobbyist Spending Scaled Back 12 Percent In 2013” by Eric Brown in International Business Times.

“Lobbyists Take a Financial Hit With Do-Nothing Congress” by Eric Pianin in the Financial Times.

“Lobby firms sweep up new clients” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“The revolving door between Congress and K Street is moving faster than ever” by Chris Cilizza in The Washington Post.

Canada: “Strahl quits as federal spy watchdog, calls lobbying allegations ‘spurious’” by Jim Bronskill in the Global Post.

Kansas: “Washington Senate Bill Prohibits Political Contributions While Legislature is Out of Session” by Ben Unglesbee in the Lawrence Journal-World.

Minnesota: “New coalition lobbying for more transportation dollars” by Mike Rose in Finance & Commerce.

Campaign Finance

California: “Lobbyist Accused in Campaign Finance Scandal to Appear in Court” by Candice Nguyen and R. Stickney in NBC 7 San Diego News.

California: “Roundtable: Campaign Finance Scandal, PACs In Mayor’s Race, Draining Lake Morena” by Pat Finn and Alison St John on KPBS Public Broadcasting.

Colorado: “10th Circuit Overturns Disparate Contribution Limits in Colorado Campaign Law” by Matt Arnold in the Examiner.

Missouri: “Missouri wide open on political throttle; campaign finance, lobbying reforms build momentum in Jefferson City” by Eli Yokley in The Joplin Globe.

Montana: “Commissioner calls to remove state rep from office for campaign violations; files more complaints” by Mike Dennison in the Billings Gazette.

Nevada: “Secretary of state candidates urge tougher laws addressing gifts to officials” by Andrew Doughman in the Las Vegas Sun.

New York: “Dinesh D’Souza indicted on charges of violating election law” by Sarah Pulliam Bailey in The Washington Post.

New York: “Look up who is giving money to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign war chest and how he is spending it” by Steve Billmeyer in The Post-Standard.

Utah: “Utah lawmakers rake in cash before Legislature begins” by Robert Gehrke in The Salt Lake Tribune.

Ethics

“It Only Seems That Political Corruption Is Rampant” by Michael Wines in The New York Times.

Alabama: “Courtland woman appointed to state ethics commission” on WAAY TV News.

Florida: “Fresen’s case before Ethics Commission” in the Florida Current.

Kentucky: “Senate bill would give subpoena power to county gov’t” on WHAS 11 News.

Massachusetts: “State House Ethics Committee given power to take witnesses into custody, laying groundwork for possible expulsion of Rep. Carlos Henriquez” by Matt Murphy in MassLive.com.

New York: “Good-government group calls JCOPE a ʹblack boxʹ” by Jimmy Vielkind in Capital New York.

Virginia: “McDonnells plead not guilty to corruption charges” by Jim Nolan and Olympia Meola in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

From the State Legislatures

California: “Number of women dropping in California Legislature” by Don Thompson in the Orange County Register.

Iowa: “Does Iowa have too few lawyers in Legislature?” by Jason Noble in the Des Moines Register.

Michigan: “Committee to ʹrestore Michigan’s part-time Legislatureʹ submits proposed ballot language” by Jonathan Oosting in Michigan Live.

Missouri: “Mo. lawmakers to begin floor debate this week” by The Associated Press in the News Tribune.

Ohio: “State constitution panel has ʹhobbling startʹ” by Jim Siegel in the Columbus Dispatch.

Redistricting

Arizona: “GOP effort to void Independent Redistricting Commission continues” by Howard Fischer in the Arizona Daily Star.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Agencies ‘open the door’ to innovative uses of social media” by Shefali Kapadia in Federal News Radio.

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Lobbying

“Whose former staffers make the most as lobbyists? Lott, Frist, Hoyer top the list” by Lee Drutman and Alexander Furnas in the Sunlight Foundation Blog.

“Most Top Communication Groups Increase Lobbying” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Alabama: “Alabama Legislature to take on two big issues on Thursday” by Max Reiss in WBRC News.

Connecticut: “Connecticut’s Big Spenders in Lobbying” by Joseph De Avila in The Wall Street Journal.

Campaign Finance

“Hillary Clinton foes file FEC complaint” by Byron Tau and Katie Glueck in Politico.

California: “Lobbyist charged in financing scheme” by Kristina Davis in The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Washington: “Senate Republicans want to alter makeup of state campaign finance regulator” by Brad Shannon in The Olympian.

Ethics

Louisville, Kentucky: “Senate panel votes to allow subpoena power for Louisville ethics commission” by Sebastian Kitchen in The Courier-Journal.

Virginia: “Experts: McDonnell’s corruption trial will test line between political favors, official action” by Carol D. Leonnig and Rosalind S. Helderman in The Washington Post.

Virginia: “Virginia Delegates Start Work on Ethics Legislation” on WVIR NBC News.

Redistricting

Illinois: “Group pushes for redistricting reform” by T.J. Fowler in The Southern Illinoisan.

Indiana: “House sends redistricting bill to Senate” by Erika Brock in The Reporter-Times.

Lobbying

“Nightmare on K St. — the 2013 sequel” by Kevin Bogardus and Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“K Street mines for gold in Silicon Valley” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“National Assn. of Realtorsʹ Lobbying Jumps 53%” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Iowa: “Public sector spending on lobbying Iowa state government up” by B.A. Morelli in The Gazette.

Campaign Finance

California: “2 Charged for Illegal Campaign Contributions in San Diego Mayor’s Race” by Candice Nguyen in NBC 7 San Diego News.

Maine: “‘Clean electionsʹ advocates push for 2015 referendum” by David Carkhuff in the Portland Daily Sun.

New Mexico: “Courts limit reach of NM campaign finance law” by Thomas J. Cole in the Albuquerque Journal.

New York: “Cuomo takes a first step toward campaign finance reform” by Jessica Alaimo in Capital New York.

Texas: “Texas ʹDark Moneyʹ debate rekindled” by David Rauf in the Houston Chronicle.

Ethics

Florida: “Local lawmaker’s bill could ease ethics-reporting requirements” by Andy Reid in the Sun Sentinel.

Virginia: “McDonnell, wife charged with corruption” by Rebecca Shabad and Cameron Joseph in The Hill.

Redistricting

Ohio: “Can Ohio erase partisan pencils?” by Chrissie Thompson in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Open Government

West Virginia: “Ethics Commission works to rectify meeting violation” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.

Lobbying

“Some Corporations and Associations Cut Lobbying Expenditures” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

“Top-Ranked Chamber of Commerce Increases Lobbying In 4th Quarter” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

“K Street pays top dollar for revolving door talent” by Lee Drutman and Alexander Furnas in the Sunlight Foundation Blog.

Campaign Finance

“The Consequences of ‘Citizens United’” by Ian Vandewalker in The Brennan Center for Justice Blog.

Maine: “Campaign watchdogs: Private groups will spend 80 percent more on Maine elections in 2014” by Mario Moretto in the Bangor Daily News.

New Mexico: “Report: PAC spending doubles after Citizens United” by Steve Terrell in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Ethics

Washington: “Senate bill would shift control of Public Disclosure Commission to top legislators” by John Stark in The Bellingham Herald.

Lobbying

“Obama lobbying ban faces setback in court” by Andy Sullivan (Reuters) in the Chicago Tribune.

“Federal court orders rehearing on lobbying ban” by Byron Tau in Politico Influence.

“Congress and Lobbyists Are Going Downhill” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Missouri: “Missouriʹs secretary of state proposes his own lobbyist restriction plan” by Phil Brooks in the South County Mail.

West Virginia: “Statehouse beat: Lobbyist spending for 2013” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.

Campaign Finance

California: “Two groups that used secret political donations haven’t paid penalties” by Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times.

Louisiana: “Ethics board limits Vitter fundraising” by Marha Shuler in The Advocate.

Massachusetts: “Candidates cough up campaign costs” by Erin Smith in the Boston Herald.

New York: “Cuomo’s Budget Is Said to Include Ethics and Campaign Finance Reforms” by Thomas Kaplan in The New York Times.

New York: “205 campaign finance reports not posted because of errors” by Jessica Alaimo in Capital New York.

Rhode Island: “RI Board of Elections fines NRA for campaign law violation” by Philip Marcelo in the Providence Journal.

Utah: “Utah Senator Calling For Campaign Finance Reform” by Christine L. McCarthy in KUTV News.

Ethics

California: “Senate ethics chief calls allegations against Sen. Calderon troubling” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

Kentucky: “Legislative Research Commission pay to join larger ethics push” by Kevin Wheatley in The State Journal.

Massachusetts: “Mass. panel OKs new conflict of interest rule” by The Associated Press in The Boston Globe.

Virginia: “Gilbert introduces ethics reform bill” by Joe Beck in The Northern Virginia Daily.

Congress

“Welcome Back, Congress” from Roll Call.

From the State Legislatures

“Introducing ʹGetting Thereʹ: NCSL’s new mobility newsletter” by NCSL.

Government Tech and Social Media

Kansas: “Bill would put legislative committee meetings a mouse click away” by Scott Rothschild in the Lawrence Journal-World.