Campaign Finance

Oregon: Oregon Lawmakers Face Dueling Plans for Campaign Finance Reform by Connor Radnovitch for Salem Statesman Journal

Ethics

California: L.A. Deputy Mayor Raised Money from Developers with Major Projects in Downtown, Records Show by David Zahniser and Emily Alpert Reyes for Los Angeles Times

Florida: Report Details Ethics Allegations Against Andrew Gillum by Dara Kam (Associated Press) for Orlando Sentinel

Maryland: Audit: Former MTA manager appears to have steered contracts to firm that employed relatives by Katherine Shaver for Washington Post

Virginia: Northam Meets with Senior Staff and Considers Options, Including Resignation by Gregory Schneider, Laura Vozzella, and Jenna Portnoy for Washington Post

Lobbying

Missouri: Barred from Lobbying for Six Months, Ex-Missouri Rep Returns Anyway to Sway Lawmakers by Hunter Woodall for Kansas City Star

North Dakota: Legislative Lobbyists Feel Their Purpose Is Misunderstood by Diane Newberry (North Dakota Newspaper Association) for Inforum.com

Campaign Finance

New York: “Ex-AG Used Campaign Cash for Legal Bills” by Michael Sisak (Associated Press) for Albany Times Union

Ethics

National: “Democrats’ Money-in-Politics Reform Package Draws Praise – and Strong Objections” by Raymond Arke for Center for Responsive Politics

National: “Steven Mnuchin Draws Claims of Conflict of Interest in Decision on Russian Oligarch” by Kenneth Vogel (New York Times) for MSN

Illinois: “Ald. Daniel Solis, Who Wore Wire for FBI, Paid Himself Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Campaign Fund” by Hal Dardick, Jason Meisner, and David Heinzman for Chicago Tribune

Indiana: “Lawmaker Who Employs Minors at Ski Resort Shelves Plan to Scrap Child Labor Laws” by Kaitlin Lange for Indianapolis Star

Pennsylvania: “Indictment of ‘Johnny Doc’, Councilman Bobby Henon Heaps Scrutiny on Philly’s Soda Tax” by Chris Brennan and Andrew Seidman for Philadelphia Inquirer

Lobbying

National: “K Street Women Seek Closer Ties to Female Lawmakers” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

National: “Dem Bill Would Block Former Intel Chiefs from Lobbying for Foreign Governments” by Olivia Beavers for The Hill

Maryland: “Lobbyists Vent Frustrations About Assembly Website” by Diane Rey for MarylandReporter.com

Montana: “Bill to Create Lobbyist Code of Conduct, Require Anti-Harassment Training Opposed by Lobbyists” by Holly Michels for Helena Independent Record

Campaign Finance

New Mexico: “Campaign Finance Overhaul Clears Hurdle” by Dan McKay for Albuquerque Journal

Elections

Kentucky: “A Onetime Rising Democratic Star Faces Questions About Voter Privacy” by Daniel Desrochers (Lexington Herald-Leader) and Jessica Huseman for ProPublica

Ethics

Arizona: “GOP Maneuver Halts Effort to Oust Arizona Rep. David Stringer” by Howard Fischer (Capitol News Services) for Arizona Daily Star

Illinois: “FBI Secretly Recorded Mike Madigan at His Law Office Pitching Firm’s Services” by John Seidel, Tina Sfondeles, and Fran Spielman for Chicago Sun-Times

Legislative Issues

National: “All Red or All Blue, State Legislatures Run to Partisan Sides” by Timothy Williams (New York Times) for MSN

Lobbying

National: “Lawmakers Push Crackdown on Foreign Lobbyists” by Alex Gangitano for The Hill

Michigan: “Bill Targets Lawmakers’ Lobbyist Switchover” by Jonathan Oosting for Detroit News

Texas: “In the Texas House, They’re Seen as Lobbyists. In the Senate, They Sit at the Press Table.” by Emma Platoff for Texas Tribune

Campaign Finance

Europe: “Nick Clegg Uses Debut as Facebook Lobbyist to Win Over EU” by Natalia Drozdiak for Bloomberg

Maryland: “Bill Would Loosen Md. Campaign Donations” by Rachel Chason (Washington Post) for Laredo Morning Times

Utah: “Who Funds Utah Legislators’ Campaigns? Special Interests Provide 82% of Money, While Voters in Lawmakers’ Own Districts Gave Only 6%.” by Lee Davidson for Salt Lake Tribune

Ethics

Indiana: “Indiana Lawmaker Who Employs Hundreds of Minors Pushes to Scrap State Child Labor Laws” by Kaitlin Lange for Indianapolis Star

Maine: “Maine Bills Target Money in Politics, Lobbyist Influence” by Marina Villeneuve (Associated Press) for Fosters Daily Democrat

Lobbying

Oklahoma: “Groups on Right, Left Oppose Proposed Grassroots Lobbying Rules” by Paul Monies for Oklahoma Watch

South Dakota: “Lobbyist Can Return House Floor After Judge Issues Restraining Order” by Chris Huber for Rapid City Journal

Washington: “Ousted Lawmaker Registers as Lobbyist” by Rachel LaCorte (Associated Press) for Peninsula Daily News

Campaign Finance

Missouri: “St. Louis County’s Campaign Contribution Limit Is in Effect. Probably. Maybe. Who Knows.” by Jeremy Kohler for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Oregon: “Oregon Supreme Court Could Beat Gov. Brown to Campaign Finance Change” by Dirk Vanderhart for Oregon Public Broadcasting

Elections

National: “Longtime Trump Adviser Roger Stone Indicted by Special Counsel in Russia Investigation” by Devlin Barrett, Rosalind Helderman, John Wagner, and Manuel Roig-Franzia (Washington Post) for Seattle Times

Ethics

California: “State Controller Betty Yee Disputes Claim That City of Industry Audit Was ‘Politically Motivated’” by Melody Gutierrez and Adam Elmahrek for Los Angeles Times

Florida: “Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel Resigns After Halloween Blackface Photos Emerge” by Jeffrey Schweers for Tallahassee Democrat

Florida: “Andrew Gillum’s Ethics Case Continues after Florida Commission Finds Cause” by Elizabeth Koh for Tampa Bay Times

Indiana: “Indiana Lawmakers Must Now Aide by Sexual Harassment Policy. Expert Calls It ‘Very 1980s.’” by Kaitlin Lange for Indianapolis Star

Tennessee: “Lee Signs 3 Executive Orders on Ethics, Transparency” by Kimberlee Kruesi and Jonathan Mattise for apnews.com

Ethics

National: “K Street Boosts Earnings Heading into Trump’s Third Year” by Alex Gangitano for The Hill

Pennsylvania: “Ex-PennDOT Exec Gets House Arrest for Soliciting and Accepting Bribes” by Sarah Cassi for lehighvalleylive.com

Utah: “Former Utah League of Cities and Towns Chief Charged with 7 Felonies for Theft, Misuse of Funds” by Lee Davidson for Salt Lake Tribune

Lobbying

National: “Indicted Russian Firm Cries Foul Over Skadden Arps Settlement” by Tim Ryan for Courthouse News Service

Canada: “Senate Lobbying Up 12 Percent in 2018, Sens. Grant Mitchell, Terry Mercer Lobbied Most” by Samantha Wright Allen for Hill Times

California: “Former California Lawmaker Registers as a Lobbyist After #MeToo Investigation” by Sophia Bollag for Sacramento Bee

Connecticut: “$97 Million of Influence: Lobbyists are fixtures at the Capitol, pushing their message amid rules on gifts, perks, receptions” by Josh Kovner for Hartford Courant

Florida: “Lawsuit Seeks to Nullify Beckham Stadium Resolution” by Brian Bandell for South Florida Business Journal

South Carolina: “After Ethics Snafu, SC Lawmakers Move to Change How They Accept Gifts from Public” by Avery Wilks for The State

South Dakota: “Lobbyist Files Suit Against South Dakota House Speaker” by Jonathan Ellis for Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Redistricting

Virginia: “Federal Judges Choose Va. Redistricting Map Favorable to Democrats; Six GOP House Districts Would Get Bluer” by Gregory Schneider for Washington Post

Campaign Finance

National: “Mueller Wants to Know About 2016 Trump Campaign’s Ties to NRA” by Sara Murray for CNN

Colorado: “Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold Takes Aim at ‘Massive Secret Political Spending’” by Alex Burness for Colorado Independent

New York: “With De Blasio in Debt, City Council Considers Bill to Allow ‘Legal Defense Trusts’” by Andrew Millman for Gotham Gazette

Elections

National: “Lawmakers Eye Changes to Ballot Measures – Passed and Future” by Alan Greenblatt for Governing

National: “Giuliani Now Says His Moscow Plan Remarks Were ‘Hypothetical’” by Seung Min Kim (Washington Post) for San Jose Mercury News

North Carolina: “North Carolina Judge Declines to Certify 9th District Congressional Race as Fraud Investigation Continues” by Amy Gardner for Washington Post

Legislative Issues

New Mexico: “New Session, New Faces in Roundhouse” by Dan McKay for Albuquerque Journal

Lobbying

Illinois: “Former Ald. Will Burns Fined $5,000 in Ethics Settlement” by Fran Spielman for Chicago Sun-Times

Campaign Finance

National: GOP Reaches Landmark Agreement to Juice Small-Dollar Fundraising by Alex Isenstadt for Politico

District of Columbia: D.C. ‘Pay-to-Play’ Ban Closer to Becoming Law after Mayor Declines Veto by Peter Jamison for Washington Post

Illinois: Contractor Challenges Illinois Campaign Finance Law by Lorraine Bailey for Courthouse News

Ethics

National: BuzzFeed’s Stumble Is Highest-Profile Misstep at a Time When Press Is Under Greatest Scrutiny by Paul Farhi (Washington Post) for Danbury News Times

Arkansas: Arkansas Ethics Commission Pushed to ‘Breaking Point’ After Receiving Record Citizen Complaints, Director Says by Michael Wickline for Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Vermont: Ethics Commission Wants Investigatory Authority by Mark Johnson for VTDigger.org

Lobbying

Arizona: Bill Aims to Reduce the Amount Lobbyists Must Report Spending on Lawmakers by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy for Arizona Mirror

New York: Upheaval in State Legislature Creates Opportunities for Lobbyists by David Lombardo for Albany Times Union

Campaign Finance

California: “With FBI Probe Looming, L.A. City Council Members Revive Plan to Limit Developer Donations” by Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser for Los Angeles Times

New Jersey: “NJ Lawmakers Look to Close ‘Dark Money’ Disclosure Loopholes as Top Democrats Face Flak” by Nicholas Pugliese for Bergen Record

Ethics

National: “President Trump Directed His Attorney Michael Cohen to Lie to Congress About the Moscow Tower Project” by Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier for BuzzFeed News

National: “GOP Rep. Jason Smith Apologizes for Telling Democrats to ‘Go Back to Puerto Rico’” by Jennifer Scholtes, Caitlin Emma, and Sarah Ferris for Politico

National: “Former VA Secretary Violated Ethics Rules by Allowing Employee to Drive His Wife Around” by Donovan Slack for USA Today

North Carolina: “Judge: GOP can’t block liberal group’s Twitter comments” by Todd Richmond (Associated Press) for Charlotte Observer

Lobbying

National: “Law Firm to Pay $4.6 Million in Case Tied to Manafort and Ukraine” by Kenneth Vogel and Mathew Goldstein for New York Times

South Dakota: “Kerfuffle from Article on Lobbyist’s Access to House Floor” by the Staff for KELO.com

Campaign Finance

South Carolina: “Former Myrtle Beach Chamber Chairman Admits to Ethics Violations, Fined Thousands” by David Weissman for Myrtle Beach Sun News

Elections

National: “New Court Filing Indicates Prosecutors Have Extensive Details on Manafort Actions Not Yet Made Public” by Spencer Hsu (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

National: “Judge Orders Trump Administration to Remove 2020 Census Citizenship Question” by Hansi Lo Wang for National Public Radio

National: “T-Mobile Executives Stayed at Trump Hotel Often While Seeking Approval on Megadeal” by Jonathan O’Connell and David Fahrenthold (Washington Post) for Seattle Times

National: “House Conflict-of-Interest Rules Still Not Up to Snuff, Ethics Experts Lament” by Griffin Connolly for Roll Call

Georgia: “Ga. Senate Makes It Harder, Riskier to File Ethics, Harassment Complaints” by Johnny Kauffman for WABE

Vermont: “A White Nationalist’s Harassment Helped Force a Black Female Lawmaker to Resign. He Won’t Face Charges.” by Meagan Flynn (Washington Post) for MSN

Lobbying

Kentucky: “How Much Is Spent Lobbying Kentucky’s Executive Branch? This Bill Demands an Answer.” by Jack Brammer for Lexington Herald-Leader

Campaign Finance

National: “New Members, Meet the ‘Slush Fund’” by Stephanie Aikin for Roll Call

National: “At Trump’s Inauguration, $10,000 for Makeup and Lots of Room Service” by Maggie Haberman, Sharon LaFraniere, and Benn Protess (New York Times) for MSN

Montana: “U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Take Up Montana Campaign Finance Case” by Holly Michels for Helena Independent Record

New York: “Legislature Passes Sweeping Electoral Reforms” by Rachel Silberstein for Albany Times Union

Ohio: “Columbus Council Appoints Shayla Favor, Approves Campaign Finance Reforms” by Gabe Rosenberg for WOSU

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Ethics Commission Bans Leadership PACs” by Nolan Clay for The Oklahoman

Ethics

National: “Steve King Stripped of Committee Seats – with More Punishment Coming” by Heather Caygle, Sarah Ferris, and John Bresnahan for Politico

Colorado: “Colorado Ethics Commission Narrows Complaint Against John Hickenlooper” by Nic Garcia for Denver Post

Oregon: “Oregon Senate President’s Longtime Aide Resigns Over Harassment Allegations” by Hillary Borrud for Portland Oregonian

Campaign Finance

California: “Downtown L.A. Development Is a Focus of FBI Corruption Probe” by Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser for Los Angeles Times

Oklahoma: “Stitt Inauguration Donors May Not Be Revealed Until Summer” by Trevor Brown for Oklahoma Watch

Ethics

National: “Trump Has Concealed Details of His Face-to-Face Encounters with Putin from Senior Officials in Administration” by Greg Miller (Washington Post) for Chicago Tribune

National: “F.B.I. Opened Inquiry into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia” by Adam Goldman, Michael Schmidt, and Nicholas Fandos (New York Times) for MSN

Arkansas: “Former Arkansas Senator Charged with Conspiracy in Bribery Scheme” by Andrew DeMillo (Associated Press) for Hot Springs Sentinel

Illinois: “Mayor Rahm Emanuel Unveils Ethics Plan Following Ald. Edward Burke’s Criminal Charge” by John Byrne for Chicago Tribune

New Mexico: “Former Governor Will Relinquish Squash Blossom Necklace” by Thom Cole for Santa Fe New Mexican

Lobbying

National: “Ex-Lawmakers ‘Scrambling and Looking’ for Lobbying Gigs” by Theodoric Meyer for Politico

Campaign Finance

Washington: “Split Court: Local initiatives subject to disclosure rule” by Gene Johnson (Associated Press) for KOMO

Ethics

National:”Prosecutors Examining Ukrainians Who Flocked to Trump Inaugural” by Kenneth Vogel, Scott Shane, Mark Mazzetti, and Iuliia Mendel (New York Times) for MSN

National: “Tom Udall to Introduce Senate Campaign Finance, Voting Rights and Ethics Reform Bill” by Richard Blumenthal for Huffington Post

National: “Michael Cohen Agrees to Testify to Congress About Work for Trump” by Maggie Haberman and Nicholas Fandos (New York Times) for MSN

Colorado: “Judge: State ethics panel has no jurisdiction over many Colorado cities” by Marianne Goodland for Colorado Politics

Kentucky: “He Bribed Andy Beshear’s Top Deputy. Now He’s Headed to Prison for Nearly 3 Years.” by Bill Estep for Lexington Herald-Leader

South Carolina: “SC Ethics Advocate Creates Ethics Dilemma by Gifting Corruption Book to Lawmakers” by Avery Wilkes for The State

Legislative Issues

Texas: “Texas Republicans Rally Behind Muslim Official as Some Try to Oust Him Over Religion” by Adeel Hassan (New York Times) for MSN

Campaign Finance

Oklahoma: “Stitt Unveils Plan to Address Potential Business Conflicts” by Paul Monies for Oklahoma Watch

Elections

National: “Paul Manafort Shared 2016 Polling Data with Russian Employee, According to Court Filing” by Rachel Weiner and Spencer Hsu (Washington Post) for San Jose Mercury News

Ethics

National: “Court: EPA must release Wheeler’s emails, documents” by Dino Grandoni (Washington Post) for San Jose Mercury News

New Jersey: “Katie Brennan Sues New Jersey, Murphy Campaign and Al Alvarez in Alleged Sexual Assault” by Dustin Racioppi for Bergen Record

Lobbying

National: “Former Lawmakers, Staff Quickly Set Up on K Street” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

Florida: “Some City Workers Can Accept Gifts, Ethics Commission Says” by Lisa Solomon for South Florida Sun Sentinel

Michigan: “Whitmer Choice Raises Questions About State’s Conflicts of Interest Laws” by Paul Egan for Detroit Free Press

Vermont: “Health Care Industry Injects Big Spending in Statehouse Lobbying” by Kit Norton and Felippe Rodrigues for VTDigger.org