The Federal Election Commission (FEC) published its price index adjustments for expenditure limitations and the federal lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold.

The lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold has increased for 2023 from $20,200 to $21,800.

This threshold amount is adjusted annually.

Federal law requires authorized committees of federal candidates, leadership political action committees (PACs), and political party committees to disclose contributions bundled by lobbyists and lobbyists’ PACs.

Sometime before July 2, 2023, a by-election will be announced for the seat in the House of Commons representing Calgary Heritage in the province of Alberta.

On January 3, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Calgary Heritage (Alberta) became vacant following the resignation of Bob Benzen. Benzen officially resigned from his seat in the House of Commons on December 31, 2022, in order to return to private life, according to CTV news.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between January 14 and July 2, 2023, and will signal the start of the by-election period. According to Elections Canada, the earliest date the by-election can be held is February 20, 2023.

Campaign contribution limits have increased in the province of Ontario, Canada for 2023.

In a calendar year, a person individually may contribute $3,350 to each party, to each constituency association and nominations contestants of a party, and to each leadership contestant of a party.

Additionally, in a campaign period, a person may contribute $3,350 to each candidate of a party, and to each independent non-party candidate.

The total contribution made with respect to a single fundraising event by a contributor may not exceed $3,350 multiplied by the indexation factor.

The previous contribution limits from 2022 were $3,350.

Campaign contribution limits increased in British Columbia for 2023 to $1,401.40 for contributions to registered political parties, including their candidates, nomination contestants and registered constituency associations.

Additionally, individuals can also contribute up to $1,401.40 to independent candidates and leadership contestants, if a leadership contest is called in 2023. The previous limits from 2022 were $1,309.09.

Also increased to $400 is the limit of a fee paid to attend a leadership convention or other convention of a political party without counting toward the $1,401.40 contribution limit.

These contribution amounts are adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

Elections Canada has published the federal contribution limits for the 2023 calendar year.

In 2023, individuals may contribute up to $1,700 to independent candidates, leadership candidates, registered parties, and to, in total, all of the registered associations, nomination contestants and candidates of each registered party.

The limits also apply to any unpaid balance of loans made during a contribution period and the amount of any loan guarantees made during a contribution period. The limits increase annually by $25 on January 1.

The Federal Election Commission has announced its civil monetary penalty amounts, adjusted for inflation, for 2023.

The potential fines for civil violations of federal campaign finance laws have increased to range from $7,028 to $82,188, from the previous range of $6,523 to $76,280.

The amounts are calculated through a statutory formula applying the most recent “cost-of-living adjustment multiplier,” issued by the Office of Management and Budget, to the current amounts. The amended civil monetary penalties took effect as of December 29, 2022, the publication date in the Federal Register.

For 2023, the minimum wage required to be paid by US Federal Contractors under Executive Order 14026 increases to $16.20 an hour.

Beginning January 30, 2022, all federal agencies were required to incorporate a $15 minimum wage in new contract solicitations pursuant to an executive order signed by President Joseph R. Biden on April 27, 2021.

The order requires federal contractors to pay a minimum wage for employees working on or in connection with a federal government contract.

Tipped employees performing work on or in connection with contracts covered by Executive Order 14026 must be paid a minimum cash wage of $13.75 per hour.

Contractors and subcontractors must certify they meet this condition requiring the minimum wage. This certification is a condition of payment to the contractors from the government. The order does not apply to grants; contracts, contract-like instruments, or certain specific type of agreements with Indian Tribes.

For 2023, tipped workers received 85% of the wage rate in effect for non-tipped employees, rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. Beginning January 1, 2024, and for each subsequent year, tipped workers must receive 100% of the wage received by non-tipped workers, eliminating the difference between the type of workers. Adjustments must be considered by employers of tipped workers who do not receive a sufficient additional amount on account of tips to equal to the minimum wage of non-tipped workers.

If a state or municipality has a higher minimum wage, the Executive Order does not excuse noncompliance with the laws requiring the higher wage.

On January 16, 2023, Jean-François Blanchet will become Quebec’s new Chief Electoral Officer and Chair of the Commission de la représentation électorale. Quebec’s National Assembly appointed Blanchet on December 9.

He will replace Pierre Reid, who has served in both of those roles since 2015. Reid, who served one seven-year term, had wanted to be reappointed, but was not chosen again for the positions.

An appointment to the Commission requires the agreement of two thirds of the members of Quebec’s National Assembly.

The Commission de la représentation électorale draws up the electoral map of Québec, municipalities, and English-language school boards. Blanchet is currently the Director of Electoral Operations and Assistant to the Chief Electoral Officer and has worked for Élections Québec since 1989.

On December 1, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) formally approved a Final Rule and Explanation and Justification revising its disclaimer requirements for certain public communications placed for a fee on the internet. The FEC stated it is adopting these updates to the regulatory rules “in light of technological advances since the Commission last revised its rules governing internet disclaimers in 2006, and to address questions from the public about the application of those rules to internet communications,” according to the memorandum submitted with the approved draft.

By amending 11 CFR  §110.11, the regulations will require that disclaimers appear on certain public communications made over the internet. Some communications will be permitted to include an “adapted disclaimer” when a full disclaimer cannot be provided or would occupy more than 25 percent of the communication due to space or character constraints. The final rule also revises the definition of “public communication.” The term now includes  “communications placed for a fee on another person’s website, digital device, application, or advertising platform.”

The FEC also approved another measure seeking comments on whether its definition of “public communication” or “internet public communications” should also include internet communications that are “promoted for a fee” on another person’s website, digital device, application, or advertising platform. The Supplemental Notice will be published in the Federal Register at a future date. The goal of these proposals is to apply the Federal Election Campaign Act’s disclaimer requirements to general public political advertising on the internet and to revise the definition of “public communication” to clarify how it applies to such advertising.

The FEC must now transmit the approved regulations to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate for a thirty-legislative-day review period.

On November 17, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) will consider updating regulations concerning disclaimers on public communications on the internet.

The 48-page draft to be considered relates to adopting final regulatory rules “in light of technological advances since the Commission last revised its rules governing internet disclaimers in 2006, and to address questions from the public about the application of those rules to internet communications,” according to the memorandum submitted for the upcoming FEC meeting.

The goal of these proposals is to apply the Federal Election Campaign Act’s disclaimer requirements to general public political advertising on the internet and to revise the definition of “public communication” to clarify how it applies to such advertising.

Today, a new pay-to-play law takes effect in the District of Columbia. Originally, the law was to go into effect on November 4, 2020, but was delayed due to the District choosing not to fund the implementation of the law until its 2022 budget.

Now, any business entity, or a principal of a business entity, seeking or holding a contract or multiple contracts with the district government is prohibited from making political contributions with an aggregate value of $250,000 or more to certain government officials. A principal of a business entity includes senior officers of that business entity, such as president, executive director, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer. Government officials prohibited from receiving contributions from contractors can include, depending on the type of contract sought, the mayor and mayoral candidates, the attorney general and candidates for the position of attorney general, and councilmembers and councilmember candidates.

When seeking an exemption or abatement of a tax, contractors may have to disclose the estimated aggregate value of the exemption or abatement, if it is $250,000 or more, with a list of the contributions made.

A contractor violating pay-to-play restrictions may be considered to have breached the terms of any existing contract with the district. At the discretion of the contracting authority, any existing contract of the contractor may be terminated. The contractor may also be disqualified from eligibility for future District contracts, including the extension or modification of any existing contract, for a period of four calendar years after the date of determination that a violation has occurred.

Eleanor Holmes Norton won reelection as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the District of Columbia.

As a delegate, Norton’s seat in the House permits her the right of debate and all other privileges of U.S. representatives except for the ability to vote with the body.

Norton, a Democrat, will now serve a sixteenth consecutive term in office.

Oye Ooltewah won reelection as the District of Columbia’s Shadow Representative.

Unlike the District’s non-voting Delegate to the House, the Shadow Representative is not able to vote in both floor votes and committee votes and is not recognized as an actual member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Along with Owolewa’s goal to achieve statehood for the District, the underlying goal of all shadow representatives, he has expressed an objective of ending federal taxes for the District until it achieves full political representation.

Ooltewah was first elected to the seat in 2020.

On November 8, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser handily won reelection.

Bower beat challengers Republican Stacia R. Hall, Libertarian Dennis Sobin, and Independent Rodney “Red” Grant.

First elected as mayor in 2014, Browser, a Democrat, will now serve a third consecutive term in office.