Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“How do people become lobbyists? Ask USA TODAY” by George Hager in USA Today.

“K Street’s Ogilvy adds firepower on taxes” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Arizona: “Lobbyist pleads guilty to misdemeanor” by The Associated Press in the Casa Grande Dispatch.

Campaign Finance

“Schock donor tied to campaign finance case” by Catherine Skiba in the Chicago Tribune.

“Super PAC Boom Marginalizes Women, Report Says” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“Super PAC, Outside Spending Chiefs Make Big Bucks” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

Delaware: “Veasey, task force to discuss campaign finance reform in Delaware” by Jonathan Starkey in The News Journal.

Mississippi: “Incomplete campaign-finance reports accepted in Mississippi” by Anita Lee in the Sun Herald.

New Mexico: “Poll: Big money in politics equals serious problem” by Thomas Cole in the Albuquerque Journal.

Utah: “House committee hears suggestions to change campaign finance law” by Billy Hesterman in the Daily Herald.

Vermont: “Vermont Senate to vote whether to ratify agreement on campaign finance bill” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Wisconsin: “Dark money: How Wisconsin’s most politically influential organizations avoid disclosing their donors” by Jack Craver in The Capital Times.

Ethics

Arizona: “State legislator floats ban on free tickets” by Howard Fischer in the Arizona Daily Sun.

Missouri: “Missouri secretary of state unveils proposal on campaign finance, ethics” by Jordan Shapiro (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Missouri: “Ethics in politics? Missouri legislators will try, again, to tighten laws” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

South Carolina: “Don’t pay ethics fine, don’t get on the ballot?” by Andrew Shain in The State.

From the State Legislatures

Colorado: “Colorado lawmakers mourn death of ʹ101st lawmakerʹ Clarence Miller” by Lynn Bartels in the Denver Post.

Delaware: “Legislators return to Dover with full slate” by Jonathan Starkey and Jon Offredo in  The News Journal.

Hawaii: “Legislature honors its past” by Sarah Zoellick in the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

Missouri: “Missouri House Democrats pick new leaders” by The Associated Press in The News Tribune.

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma lawmaker’s plan would effectively eliminate the state House” by Graham Lee Brewer in The Oklahoman.

South Carolina: “SC speaker: Legislative session will go on despite ethics ʹsmear campaignʹ” by Jamie Self in The State.

Tennessee: “TN lawmakers begin session with tribute to Lois DeBerry” by Chas Sisk in The Tennessean.

Tennessee: “Tennessee Legislature opens with revenue worries” by Andy Sher in the Times Free Press.

West Virginia: “Lawmakers meet again after delay from chemical spill” by Dave Boucher in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Open Government

Mississippi: “Ethics chief Tom Hood wants more authority over public records law” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

With the appointment of Mel Watt to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the 12th Congressional District seat in North Carolina is vacant. Governor Pat McCrory announced that he will not call a special election for that seat, but instead will wait until the regularly scheduled primary and general elections, on May 6, 2014 and November 4, 2014, respectively.

The governor’s decision has caused much controversy as many North Carolina citizens feel they will be unrepresented in Congress for an unreasonable amount of time. The 12th District encompasses an area from Charlotte through High Point to Greensboro, containing approximately 700,000 citizens.

The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP has threatened a lawsuit against the state if Governor McCrory does not change his mind. McCrory’s decision to leave the seat vacant until the regularly scheduled 2014 elections is partly due to the large expense a special election typically costs taxpayers. Despite the threat of a lawsuit, McCrory has given no indication of calling a special election.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“Lobbyists Ask, Then Write, ʹWhere The Jobs Areʹ” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Gillespie Senate run tests stigma of ʹlobbyistʹ label” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Why Campaign Finance Laws Make Things Worse” opinion piece by Jonathan Bernstein in Bloomberg News.

Louisiana: “Democratic Super PAC Funnels More Funds Into Louisiana” by Emily Cahn in Roll Call.

Missouri: “Missouri Democrats to outline campaign finance plan” in the Kansas City Star.

Nevada: “Political groups in Nevada continue stubborn fight against disclosing donors” by Andrew Doughman in the Las Vegas Sun.

New Hampshire: “Campaign finance reformers march through N.H.” by John Toole in the Eagle-Tribune.

Ethics

Georgia: “Grand jury scheduled to meet in Georgia ethics case” by The Associated Press in the Athens Herald-Banner.

South Carolina: “State grand jury to investigate ethics allegations against SC House Speaker Bobby Harrell” by Jamie Self in The State.

From the State Legislatures

South Carolina: “Legislature kicks off with old issues on agenda” by Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) in GoUpstate.com.

South Carolina: “Dueling rallies to greet returning S.C. legislators” by Adam Beam in The State.

South Dakota: “5 things to know about SD 2014 legislative session” by The Associated Press in the Capital Journal.

Washington: “Washington Legislature Convenes With Election Year Issues On Agenda” by Austin Jenkins in Northwest Public Radio.

Wisconsin: “Wisconsin Legislature begins session Tuesday: 5 things to know” by The Associated Press in the Post Crescent.

Government Tech and Social Media

“How Government Leaders Can Stay Out of Social Media Hell” by Mark Schlossberg in Governing.

Lobbying

“The State of K Street” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Bitcoin Woos Washington to Ensure Lawmakers Don’t Kill It” by Julie Bykowicz and Carter Dougherty in Bloomberg Politics.

New York City, NY: “New York City Imposes New Rules To Increase Registration of, and Reporting by, Lobbyists” by Laurence A. Levy in the National Law Review.

Campaign Finance

“Does Bitcoin Have a Future in Politics?” by Tom Moroney and Peter Robison in Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Facebook PAC Corrects Excessive Contributions to Senators” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Arkansas: “Darr says he won’t resign; legislative leaders say impeachment likely” in Arkansas News.

California: “Current, former lawmakers cited for alleged campaign violations” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

Minnesota: “More errors turn up in Minnesota political campaign finance data” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Glenn Howatt in the Star Tribune.

Minnesota: “Minn. campaign board finalizes Senate DFL case” by Brian Bakst (Associated Press) in The Kansas City Star.

Utah: “Flagged Bill: HB 235 – Campaign Contributions Amendments, Rep. Powell” by Curtis Haring in Utah Political Watch.

Vermont: “State Revising, Raising Campaign Finance Limits” by Taylor Dobbs in Vermont Public Radio.

Vermont: “VPIRG: Higher contribution limits weaken campaign finance bill” by Anne Galloway in VTDigger.org.

Ethics

Knoxville County, TN: “Ethics Committee chairwoman looking to expand role of panel” by Gerald Witt in the Knoxville News.

State Legislatures

Mississippi: “Lawmakers back in session” by Emily Wagster Pettus (Associated Press) in the Clarion Ledger.

Missouri: “Missouri Legislature to convene amid election-year pressures” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

New Hampshire: “N.H. Legislature to convene 2014 session today” by Norma Love (Associated Press) in the Concord Monitor.

Vermont: “Vermont Legislature jumps right in to start session” by Terri Hallenbeck and Nancy Remsen in the Burlington Free Press.

Virginia: “General Assembly returns to divided government” by Jim Nolan in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Redistricting

Montana: “New battle lines drawn for legislative races” by Tom Lutey in the Billings Gazette.

Government Tech and Social Media

Alaska: “Juneau developing social media policy” by The Associated Press in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Massachusetts: “Mass. big data centralized on a new website” by Callum Borchers in The Boston Globe.

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.

Here is our January – March calendar. If you are attending any of the coming events, please stop by and say hello!

January 2-5   Women In Government’s – 20th Annual State Director’s Conference, Phoenix, Arizona

January 12-17   Public Affairs Institute, Laguna Beach, California

January 22-24   The United States Conference of Mayors’ 82nd Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C.

January 30 – February 1   NCSL Executive Committee Meeting & NCSL Foundation Board Meeting, Austin, Texas

February 3-6   Public Affairs Council National Grassroots Conference, Miami Beach, Florida

March 3-6   Public Affairs Council National PAC Conference, Miami Beach, Florida

March 16-19   NASPO Marketing to State Governments, San Diego, California

I really can’t stay – Baby it’s cold outside
I’ve got to go away – Baby it’s cold outside
This evening has been – Been hoping that you’d drop in
So very nice – I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice

We all love the holidays with the lights, songs, and snow…But, it sure is cold out there. So this is a perfect time to plan your professional development for 2014, especially the Public Affairs Conference Grassroots and Political Action Committee conferences.

The Grassroots conference is in Miami Beach, February 3-6, and is full of programs.  This year there are four new tracks to help with your needs—Core, Creative Solutions, Communications, and Challenges. The list of sessions includes:

1. How Do I Raise My Profile with Michael Jacobson, U.S. Travel Association;

2. How Capitol Hill is Changing the Way the Way It Listens to Constituents with Faiz Shakir, Office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid;

3. Can Siri Advocate with Michael Panetta, Beekeeper Group;

4. The Fly-In: Back with a Vengeance with Caitlin Donohue, National Restaurant Association; and

5. My personal favorite, Ethics, Gift Rules and Legal Updates for an Election Year with Ken Gross, Skadden Arps.

The PAC conference is in South Beach, March 3-6, and also has four learning tracks—PAC Management, Communications Strategies, Fundraising Tools, and PAC Plus. The list of sessions includes:

1. Looking at 2014 and Beyond with Sara Fagen, DDC Advocacy;

2. Managing Political Contributions at the State Level with Dominick Ciaraldo, Comcast;

3. How Data is Transforming Elections and Politics with Sasha Issenberg, author of The Victory Lab; and

4. Again, my favorites, Legal Guidance for Corporate PACs with Ken Gross, Skadden Arps and Legal Guidance for Association PACS with Michael Toner, Wiley Rein LLP.

I know it can be difficult to convince supervisors that conferences in Florida are a good investment. But, these really are a good investment of funds and time. Check out www.pac.org for more information.

On behalf of the staff at State and Federal Communications, we wish you a very Happy New Year. We look forward to continuing to be your trusted advisers in 2014.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Lobbying

“The Life Of A Lobbyist In A Do-Nothing Congress” by Peter Overby on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

“K Street sizes up retiring lawmakers” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Patton Boggs, Locke Lord call off merger talks” by Catherine Ho in The Washington Post.

Campaign Finance

Maryland: “Gansler recused himself from state election ruling” by Erin Cox in The Baltimore Sun.

Ohio: “Campaign-finance effort fought” by Josh Jarman in the Columbus Dispatch.

Ethics

“Senate Passes Bill to Expand FEC Fines” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

South Carolina: “House Ethics to hear case over state plane use” by Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) in The Greenville News.

Washington: “Free Meal Complaint Against Lawmakers Dismissed, ‘Serious Concerns’ Remain” by Austin Jenkins in Northwest Public Radio.

Elections

Florida: “Florida elections opinion could make uncovering fraud more difficult” by Patricia Mazzei in the Miami Herald.

State Legislatures

“New Hampshire’s state legislature is nine times larger than Nebraska’s” by Niraj Chokshi in The Washington Post.

Michigan: “2013 in the Michigan Legislature: Some common ground, but more partisan wounds that need to heal” by Jonathan Oosting in Michigan Live.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Half of Md. lawmakers with Twitter accounts neglect to comply with disclosure rule” by John Wagner in The Washington Post.

Lobbying

“Top 10 lobbying victories of 2013” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Rhoden: Let’s ban lawmaker lobbying” by David Montgomery in the Argus Leader.

Massachusetts: “Feds indict ex-CFO of firm tied to disgraced lobbyist” by Eric Convey in the Boston Business Journal.

Campaign Finance

Alabama: “Committee looks for way to put teeth in Alabama campaign finance law” by Kim Chandler in The Birmingham News.

Alabama: “New fines for campaign finance violations can’t be enforced by secretary of state” by Kim Chandler in The Birmingham News.

Arkansas: “Ex-legislator admits filing inaccurate campaign finance reports” by John Lyon in Arkansas News.

Arkansas: “Ethics Commission hears report on possible mishandling of funds by Darr” by John Lyon in Arkansas News.

Illinois: “Campaign accounts fund luxuries for some lawmakers” by Kim Geiger in the Chicago Tribune.

New Mexico: “New Mexico campaign spending limits overturned” by Susan Montoya Bryan (Associated Press) in the Houston Chronicle.

Wisconsin: “Campaign finance bill eases restrictions on Wisconsin lobbyists and wealthy contributors” by Jack Craver in The Capital Times.

Ethics

Georgia: “Ethics agency could debate ceding control to outside group” by Greg Bluestein and Shannon McCaffrey in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Elections

California: “State Legislature To Consider Doing Away With Special Elections” by Claire Trageser in KPBS.

State Legislative Issues

Iowa: “Lawmakers gearing up for 2014 work” by Rod Boshart in the Quad-City Times.

Redistricting

Florida: “Legislators destroyed documents during redistricting” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Best of the Web & Digital Government Achievement Awards 2013 – Winners Announced” by Janet Grenslitt in Government Technology.

Lobbying

“The Lobbyists’ Lament” by Haley Barbour and Ed Rogers in Politico.

“K St. mints money from regs surge” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

California: “Santa Clara County supervisors move forward on strengthening lobbyist regulations” by Eric Kurhi in the San Jose Mercury News.

Pennsylvania: “Ethics panel clears Penn Foundation in lobbying probe” by Kristen Graham in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Arizona high court upholds higher campaign-contribution limits” by Mary Jo Pitzl in the Arizona Republic.

Colorado: “Court tightens campaign finance, budget showdown coming, more” by Edie Edelstein in the Colorado Springs Independent.

Massachusetts: “Outside spending on mayoral finalists hit $3.8m” by Wesley Lowerey in the Boston Globe.

South Carolina: “SC politics: Ethics panel weighs case against legislator” by Jamie Self in The State.

Ethics

“New FEC Chairman Chosen to Lead Agency During Election Year” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Massachusetts: “Attorneys testify on ethics conflict proposal” by C. Ryan Barber in the Cape Cod Times.

Massachusetts: “Ethics Commission held at Statehouse; Would exempt political candidates” by Christine Lee in WWLP News.

Congress

“3 reps won’t run again, shaking 2014” by Alex Isenstadt in Politico.

State Legislative Issues

California: “California’s Crucial 2014 Races” by Curtis Tate in Governing.

Illinois: “Quinn drops appeal of lawmaker paycheck lawsuit” by Monique Garcia in the Chicago Tribune.

Pennsylvania: “Pa. House takes historic step toward shrinking size of General Assembly” by Jan Murphy in The Patriot-News.

Government Tech and Social Media

Rhode Island: “R.I. government website removes news stories reprinted without permission” by Philip Marcelo in the Providence Journal.

Lobbying

“Lobbyists: ‘Misunderstood’ in poll” by Tal Kopan in Politico.

Campaign Finance

“There’s No Way to Follow the Money” by Lee Aitken in The Atlantic.

Arizona: “For all the campaign finance limit marbles” by The Yellow Sheet Report in the Arizona Capitol Times.

Minnesota: “Minn. campaign money regulator promises to fix problems leading to faulty finance data” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Ethics

“Report: Chinese hackers attacked crucial government election website” on CNN Politics.

“Ethics Committee Will Investigate Trey Radel” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

Florida: “Ethics commission offers advice on use of office” by Bill Cotterell in The Florida Current.

Legislative Issues

“Lackluster Final Score for Congress This Year: 8 to 22” by David Hawkings in Roll Call.

“Angry About Partisan Gridlock in Washington? Blame the States.” By Donald F. Kettl in Governing.

Louisiana: “Lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s congressional districts withdrawn” by The Associated Press in The Times-Picayune.

New Jersey: “State legislative panels scramble to advance hundreds of bills” by Michael Phillis and Leslie Brody in the Bergen Record.

Lobbying

“Poll: Lobbyists rank last on ethics” by Tal Kopan in Politico.

“Business to Boehner: Hit ’em hard” by Ken Bogardus in The Hill.

California: “Report: Special Interest Groups Paid Lobbyists Millions to Influence City Officials” by Alexander Nguyen in the Pacific Palisades Patch.

Campaign Finance

“Politicians move to rake in more campaign cash” by Fredreka Schouten in the Detroit Free Press.

“United Association’s Pipelines Move $651K in Political Funds” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Michigan: “Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signals ʹevolutionʹ on issue ads as campaign finance bill reaches desk” by  Jonathan Oosting in Michigan Live.

Michigan: “Campaign bills win final OK from Mich. Legislature” by Bob Brenzing in WZZM 13 News.

Mississippi: “Attorney General Jim Hood appealing federal judge’s ruling on Mississippi campaign finance law” by The Associated Press in The Mississippi Press.

Missouri: “Mo. legislature to look at campaign ethics laws” by Dan Verbeck on KBIA Mid-Missouri Public Radio.

Ethics

Alaska: “Rep. Bob Herron fined $5,000 for ethics violation” by Jim Paulin in the Bristol Bay Times.

Maine: “Maine campaign ethics panel expands scope of Lewiston casino campaign inquest” by Scott Thistle in the Bangor Daily News.

Ohio: “Concerns raised over Ohio disclosure exemptions” by The Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics is performing maintenance on its Lobbying Online Filing System beginning today.

The system will not be accessible starting Friday at 4 p.m. through Monday until 8:00 a.m.

Filers will be unable to log into the system and no electronic filings or amendments will be accepted while the system is down.

Also, the data contained in the system will not be accessible by the public during the shutdown.