April 10, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on campaign finance, ethics, and more!
Campaign Finance
“DOJ, IRS tight-lipped on campaign finance probes” by Tarini Parti and Byron Tau in Politico.
Arizona: “Ariz. proposal would flood money into politics” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Ethics
Arkansas: “House approves proposed amendment on ethics, term limits, salaries” by John Lyon in the Arkansas News Bureau.
New York: “Cuomo Offers Plan to Fight Corruption After Arrests” by Thomas Kaplan in The New York Times.
New York: “Albany Riveted by Double Life of an Assemblyman and Informer” by Thomas Kaplan in The New York Times.
Virginia: “New documents raise more questions about financing of McDonnell’s daughter’s wedding” by Rosalind S. Helderman in The Washington Post.
Virginia: “McEachin calls for closing Virginia gift loophole” by Laura Vozella in The Washington Post.
Elections
Illinois: “Ex-Ill. lawmaker elected to succeed Jackson Jr.” by The Associated Press in the Quad City Times.
From the State Legislatures
Missouri: “Term limit change suggested for Missouri lawmakers” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Washington: “The next question: Special session?” by Lucas Wiseman in The Columbian.
April 9, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Lobby Reports Expected To Show $750+ Million in First Quarter Lobbying” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.
Indiana: “9-year-old lobbyist weighs in on school safety” by Maureen Hayden in the Tribune-Star News.
Kentucky: “Lawmakers treated to lavish parties in Frankfort” by The Associated Press in Kentucky New Era.
Missouri: “Loophole hides trail of lobbyists’ largesse” by Jason Hancock in the Kansas City Star.
Campaign Finance
“James Bopp Jr. among 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” news release in the Tribune-Star News.
Florida: “Lights grow dim for campaign finance, ethics bills” by The Associated Press in WPEC News.
Maryland: “Maryland lawmakers approve campaign finance reform bill” by The Associated Press in the Washington Post.
New Jersey: “Group raising money for NJ races contests political donation limits” by Herb Jackson in the Bergen Record.
New Jersey: “Contributions from government contractors to New Jersey pols dropped to $7.5 million in 2012” by Anthony Campisi in the Bergen Record.
New York: “Eye on NY Spotlight: Bill Samuels on campaign finance reform and latest Albany scandals” by Robert Harding in the Auburn Citizen.
Texas: “Austin rep proposes restrictions for leftover campaign cash” by Tim Eaton in the Austin American-Statesman.
West Virginia: “House and Senate differ on campaign financing” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.
Ethics
Colorado: “Scott Gessler’s discretionary spending not unique, investigator says” by Joey Bunch in the Denver Post.
Florida: “Lawmakers eye ‘blind trust’ in ethics reform bill” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
New York: “Criticism of Cuomo Grows as the Problems in Albany Endure” by Danny Hakim in The New York Times.
New York: “Cuomo addresses ethics package” by Casey Seiler in the Albany Times Union.
Pennsylvania: “Bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state senators to introduce ethics bills” by Kate Giammarise in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Utah: “No Ethics Complaints Against Utah Legislators in Two Years” by Bob Bernick on UtahPolicy.com.
Elections
“Which Governors Are Most Vulnerable in 2014?” by Micah Cohen in the New York Times’ Five Thirty Eight blog.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Majority of Senate Standing Committees Still Aren’t Tweeting” by Joseph Marks in NextGov.
“New Tactics in Fight Against Corruption Include Crowdsourcing, Mobile Games and SMS” by Jessica McKenzie in TechPresident.
April 8, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“K Street Files: Former Obama Health Care Guru Heads to K Street” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Rules of the Game: Lame-Duck FEC Invites Scofflaws” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
“Top GOP House aide goes to K Street” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
California: “Charities are engaged in California political fights” by Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee.
Campaign Finance
Arkansas: “Ark. lawmakers OK proposal to put campaign finance constitutional amendment on the ballot” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New Jersey: “Donors behind millions in N.J. political contributions kept secret, analysis finds” by Christopher Baxter in the Star-Ledger.
Ethics
“Why Washington is corrupt” by Lawrence Lessig on CNN News.
Arizona: “Panel on constitutional amendments endorses ethics proposal” by John Lyon in Arkansas News.
New York: “Lhota, at City Hall, Proposes Ways to Curb Corruption” by David M. Halbfinger in The New York Times.
Texas: “Texas ethics watchdog hardly ever barks” by Rick Casey in the Express-News.
Virginia: “Cuccinelli denies conflict of interest claims” by Julian Walker in The Virginian-Pilot.
Open Government
“Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin won’t budge on executive privilege claim concerning emails” by Zeke Campfield in The Oklahoman.
Social Media
“For pols, Tumblr is trending” by Kevin Cirilli in Politico.
April 3, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on campaign finance, ethics, and more!
Campaign Finance
“As Obama begins fundraising swing, campaign finance watchdogs growl” by David Nakamura in the Washington Post.
Maryland: “Campaign finance reform advances in Senate” by Michael Dresser in the Baltimore Sun.
New York: “Campaign finance reform gains momentum” by Dan Levy in WNYT News.
New York: “Campaign reform advocates say NY scandals show need to change Albany culture” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
Ethics
Florida: “Palm Beach County ethics board targeted for state audit” by Jennifer Sorentrue in the Palm Beach Post.
New York: “Lawmakers in New York Tied to Bribery Plot in Mayor Race” by Michael Wilson and William K. Rashbaum in the New York Times.
New York: “Rogues gallery of corruption cases” by Rick Karlin in the Albany Times Union.
From the State Legislatures
Alaska: “Kawasaki draws rebuke for conduct on House floor” by The Associated Press in the Juneau Empire.
Nebraska: “Late nights planned for state lawmakers” by The Associated Press in the Lincoln Journal Star.
Oregon: “Many bills in Oregon Legislature won’t see the light of day” by Laura Fosmire in the Statesman Journal.
April 2, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Street Talk: The Curious Cases of Vanishing Lobbyists” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
California: “Special interests spent $277 million lobbying in 2012 at state Capitol” by Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times. (via the Political Activity Law blog.)
New Mexico: “Former New Mexico state senator, ex-lobbyist Odis Echols dies at 82” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
North Carolina: “NC Court of Appeals sends case against former lobbyist back to trial court” by Anne Blythe in the News & Observer.
Campaign Finance
Los Angeles, California: “Our porous campaign laws” op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times.
New York: “Groups Seek State Campaign Finance Reform” on WNYF News.
Ethics
Connecticut: “Bills to address the costs of blight and conflicts of interest” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Iowa: “Session may adjourn with ethics charges unresolved” by William Petroski in the Des Moines Register.
Texas: “Senate panel OKs tweaks to ethics panel; critics say major reforms ignored again” by Mike Ward in the Austin American-Statesman.
From the State Legislatures
New Jersey: “150 candidates file peititons to seek legislative nominations” by Anthony Campisi in the Bergen Record.
“Expulsions of State Legislators are Rare” in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Elections
“Presidential Election Commission: It’s Official” by Wendy Underhill and Karen Shanton in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Government Teach and Social Media
“The Present, and Future, of Social Media in Government” by Mark Micheli in Government Executive.
April 1, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
Florida: “Florida lawmakers weigh bill to tweak lobbyist gift ban” by Jim Saunders in the Miami Herald.
Georgia: “New lobbyist law leaves possible loopholes” by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Chris Joyner and James Salzer in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kentucky: “Ethics Commission reports $4.2M spent on lobbying in Frankfort in January, February” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “Lobbying spending in N.Y. dropped to $205M in 2012” by Jon Campbell in the Democrat and Chronicle.
New York: “Pro-Cuomo Group Repeats as Top Spender on Lobbying” by Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times.
Oregon: “State, colleges lobbying costs top $1M” by Raju Chebium in the Statesman Journal.
Campaign Finance
Connecticut: “Boosting public financing for campaigns is off the table” by Mark Pazniokas in the Connecticut Mirror.
Nebraska: “Measure repeals Neb. campaign finance law but seeks to put campaign spending reports online” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “New Ads to Press Albany on Campaign Financing” by Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times.
Vermont: “Campaign finance reform bill in jeopardy” in the Rutland Herald.
West Virginia: “W.Va. House seeks anti-Citizens United amendment” by The Associated Press in WTRF.com.
Ethics
“Larry Craig Loses Major Battle in Fight Against FEC” by Steven T. Dennis in Roll Call.
“STOCK Act Endangers National Security, Report Says” by Niels Lesniewski in Roll Call.
North Dakota: “Gov. Dalrymple’s energy stocks, contributions raise questions” by Amy Dalrymple in InForum.
Ohio: “Jimmy Dimora files federal appeal claiming innocence” by James F. McCarty in the Plain Dealer.
From the State Legislatures
Georgia: “Ga. lawmakers take flurry of votes on final day” by The Associated Press in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Redistricting
Texas: “Texas redistricting fight resumes” by Tim Eaton in the Austin American-Statesman.
Open Government
“Which States Aced the Spending Transparency Test?” in Government Technology.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Internal Website HouseNet Gets a Makeover” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.
“NASA Becomes The Most-Followed Government Twitter Account, Nominated For Second Shorty Award” by Benny Luo in NewMediaRockstars.com.
Hawaii: “Bill would require state to post more information online” by The Associated Press in the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
March 28, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Internet Association bolsters lobbying force” by Jennifer Martinez in The Hill.
Colorado: “Colorado gun lobbyist says he did nothing to warrant an ethics charge” by Lynn Bartels in the Denver Post.
Georgia: “Deal reported on lobbyist gift reform” by Greg Bluestein and Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Campaign Finance
“OFA Campaign Finance Reform Push Explained In Call To Supporters” by Paul Blumenthal in the Huffington Post.
Arizona: “Clean Elections’ funding could be returned to ballot” by Sean Peick in the Arizona Republic.
Illinois: “Bernard Schoenburg: Gaps remain in campaign finance reporting rules” – opinion piece by Bernard Schoenburg in the State Journal-Register.
Corporate Political Advocacy
“Poll: Public wary of corporate politics” by Byron Tau in Politico.
Open Government
“New law requires 72 hours of notice for public meetings” by The Associated Press in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
From the State Legislatures
Virginia: “Lacey Putney, longest-serving Va. lawmaker, to retire” by The Associated Press in the Times Dispatch.
March 27, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“K St. winners and losers in budget votes” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Under Contract” in The Hill.
“K Street Files: SEIU Launches Immigration Ads” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
Georgia: “Drama over ethics reform builds toward session’s finale” by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Nevada: “State Senate votes for more lobbyist transparency” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Campaign Finance
New York: “OFA joins New York campaign finance reform fight” by Maggie Haberman in Politico.
West Virginia: “Campaign financing bill advances” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.
Ethics
Maryland: “Dixon to give talk, consider return to politics” by Jena Marbella in the Baltimore Sun.
From the State Legislatures
“Committee recommends Brooks be expelled from Legislature” by Anjeanette Damon in the Las Vegas Sun.
Political Advertising
“Think Your Advocacy Group is Not Subject to FEC Rules? Think Again.” in Political Law Briefing via Eric Brown’s Political Activity Law Blog.
Open Government
“New Transparency Grades Issued for States” by Mike Maciag in Government Technology.
Arkansas: “Arkansas gets ‘C’ in spending transparency report” in Arkansas News.
Tennessee: “Rep. Glen Casada withdraws bill on open meetings law” by The Associated Press in The Tennessean.
West Virginia: “W.Va.’s spending transparency grade falls” by Eric Eyre in the Charleston Gazette.
Redistricting
Florida: “Legislators ask court to shield them from having to testify over maps” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
March 26, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
Georgia: “House makes ethics changes; Deal urges action” by Greg Bluestein, Aaron Gould Sheinin and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Ex-lawmakers go to lobbying-related jobs” by Fredreka Schouten in USA Today.
“Facebook’s Zuckerberg to launch lobby group with Washington consultants” by Jennifer Martinez in The Hill.
Campaign Finance
Florida: “Friend of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan evades prison time for illegal fundraising” by Susan Taylor Martin in the Tampa Bay Times.
Montana: “Bill to overhaul campaign finance law passes” by Charles S. Johnson in the Billings Gazette.
Ethics
“Michele Bachmann under investigation for campaign finance violations” by John Bresnahan and Byron Tau in Politico.
Connecticut: “Today’s lesson: Politicians dislike being called corrupt” by Mark Pazniokas in the Connecticut Mirror.
Texas: “Donations to Judicial Campaigns Spur Ethics Worries” by Maurice Chammah in the Texas Tribune.
Elections
Alabama: “Election runoffs targeted; legislation would allow candidates to win nominations with just 35 percent to win in a primary vote” by Brian Lyman in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Maine: “Bill would bar secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer from running for office” by Christopher Cousins in the Bangor Daily News.
From the State Legislatures
Idaho: “House targets Friday adjournment – barring mishaps” by The Associated Press in the Idaho State Journal.
South Dakota: “SD Legislature ends annual legislative session” in the Rapid City Journal.
Utah: “Utah Legislature passed record number of bills” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Government Tech
“San Francisco Tells New York: Our Data Is Bigger Than Your Data” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
March 25, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
Georgia: “Lobbying reform: what’s gone down, what’s up next” by Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying money flows in state store debate” by Steve Esack and Scott Kraus in the Morning Call.
Washington: “Washington Teachers’ Union Top Lobbying Spender In Olympia So Far” by Austin Jenkins in Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Campaign Finance
“Rules of the Game: Hispanic Caucus Leverages Latino Power” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
California: “Former ethics chief would ban fundraising while California lawmakers work” by Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee.
Florida: “House approves no limits on campaign contributions” by Mary Ellen Klas and Michael Van Sickler in the Miami Herald.
Florida: “Campaign finance bill allows higher limits, mandates quicker reporting” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.
Montana: “Coalition ‘blasts’ campaign finance bill” in the Independent Record.
Ethics
New Jersey: “Sexually explicit e-mails sent by Assemblyman Joe Cryan to lobbyist are revealed, report says” in the Star-Ledger.
From the State Legislatures
Georgia: “Georgia lawmakers have 3 days left” by Walter C. Jones in the Augusta Chronicle.
Kentucky: “Dizzying pace for Ky. legislators in next 2 days” by The Associated Press in the Bowling Green Daily News.
Mississippi: “Miss. state Rep. Jessica Upshaw found dead” by The Associated Press in the Hattiesburg American.
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers to return from midsession break” by Chris Blank (Associated Press) in the Columbia Missourian.
Montana: “Montana Senate backs amendment to limit legislators to 16 years in office” by The Associated Press in the Missoulian.
Nevada: “Nevada Legislature sees quiet session so far” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review Journal.
New York: “No new budget bills; final voting pushed to Thursday” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Capitol Confidential.
Open Government
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers don’t follow open records rules, auditor says” by Elizabeth Crisp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Tennessee: “Casada says open meetings bill can be fixed” by Lucas L. Johnson II (Associated Press) in The Tennessean.
Procurement
Kentucky: “Well-paid Kentucky lawmaker Dennis Horlander a toothless watchdog” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
March 21, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Lobbying Without a Trace” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Under Contract” in The Hill.
“K Street firms working US-EU trade talks from both sides of the Atlantic” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Casino Jack’s New Game” by Mariah Blake in The Atlantic.
Florida: “House revises its ethics bill, allows for revolving door lobbying of exec branch” by Mary Ellen Klas in The Miami Herald.
Georgia: “Senate to present $100 lobbyist cap” by Ray Henry (Associated Press) in the Marietta Daily Journal.
Minnesota: “Minnesota lobbying reports show big spending by business groups” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger in the Star Tribune.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying frenzied as Pa. House vote nears on privatizing alcohol sales” by Angela Couloumbis in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Toronto, Ontario: “Ban on after-hours lobbyist schmoozing gets a cold shoulder from Toronto city hall” by Paul Moloney and Robyn Doolittle in the Toronto Star.
Campaign Finance
“Campaign Finance: Raise Spending Limits, Increase Transparency” by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic.
Ethics
Georgia: “Delay on ethics bill” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New York: “NYS Senate GOP Looking To Cut Ethics Commission Funding” by Ken Lovette in the New York Daily News.
Legislative Issues
Rhode Island: “R.I. legislature begins live streaming floor sessions, hearings” by Katherine Gregg in the Providence Journal.
March 20, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
Georgia: “Ga. Senate expected to unveil lobbying rules” by The Associated Press in WSAV TV.
Indiana: “Purdue moving to trim its federal lobbying costs” by The Associated Press in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Ethics
Arizona: “Campaign-finance case against Horne recommended for dismissal” by Lindsey Collom and Craig Harris in the Arizona Republic.
Georgia: “Ethics reform at critical juncture” Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New Jersey: “N.J. Politics Roundup: House committee investigates Andrews over spending” by Brent Johnson in the Star-Ledger.
Rhode Island: “R.I. ethics panel mulls statute of limitations on complaint filings” by Karen Lee Ziner in the Providence Journal.
Elections
Ohio: “Ohio House panel OKs elections bill” by Michelle Everhart in the Columbus Dispatch.
Procurement
Iowa: “Iowa businesses would get preference on state contracts under bill approved by Iowa Senate” by William Petroski in the Des Moines Register.
From the State Legislatures
“State Legislative Leaders Gather in Washington” by Jon Kuhl in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Term Limits
Texas: “Senate votes to let voters decide on term limits for statewide officeholders” by Mike Ward in the Austin American-Statesman.
March 19, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“K Street Files: FTI Consulting Snaps Up C2 Group” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
California: “California cities, counties find funds to hire Capitol lobbyists” by Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times.
Georgia: “Ga. senators to debate House plan to limit lobbyist spending; end-of-session drawing near” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “Artists Against Fracking May Not Be Registered As New York Lobbying Group, AP Reports” by Michael Gormley in the Huffington Post.
Campaign Finance
Connecticut: “The ‘Ernie Newton’ campaign finance ban moves forward” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Las Cruces, New Mexico: “Las Cruces council refines proposed campaign finance ordinance” by Steve Ramirez in the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Vermont: “Vermont Senate’s campaign finance bill: many find something to like” by Nancy Remsen in the Burlington Free Press.
Ethics
“Reps. Andrews, Young to be investigated by House Ethics panel” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
Florida: “Coalition calls for ethics improvements” by Bill Cotterell in the Florida Current.
Kentucky: “Richie Farmer could be fined $210,000 over 42 ethics violations” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
Rhode Island: “Common Cause web site counts days, hours since ethics vote quashed” by Katherine Gregg in the Providence Journal.
From the State Legislatures
“2012 Election Legislation: National Summary” on NCSL.org.
Social Media
New Mexico: “Social media plays a bigger role in leg session” by Julie Ann Grimm in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
March 18, 2013 •
Government Tech and Social Media Update
We’re keeping up with the latest developments in government technology and social media.
“Government to regulate Twitter ads” in the Washington Business Journal.
“How to Use Social Media in Government: A Response to Cory Booker” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
“Almost 70 Localities Join New York State Open Data Platform” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.
“Like a Dagger to Bloggers’ Hearts, Google Just Killed Google Reader” by Mark Lennihan in Nextgov.
“New GovLoop Report: Unlocking the Power of Government Analytics” by Pat Fiorenza on GovLoop.
“The Tech Arms Race Is On: Democratic National Committee Is Also Hiring” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
“Hadley Dynak: Why I Code for America” by Hadley Dynak on Code for America Blog.
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