March 8, 2012 •
Today’s Campaign Finance and Lobbying News Summary
Today we have stories about the FEC, the latest news on the investigation surrounding the D.C. mayor’s 2010 campaign, Super PACs, Super Tuesday, and more:
Campaign Finance
“FEC told to tread carefully with post-Citizens United rule” by Rachel Leven in The Hill.
“FEC moves on outdated rules” by Robin Bravender in Politico.
“DC mayor defends himself amid probe into campaign finance irregularities” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.
Super PACs
“Super PACs Outspent Candidates in Run-Up to Tuesday” by Brody Mullins and Alicia Mundy in The Wall Street Journal.
“Super PACs Could Drive Total 2012 Election Spending to $9.8B” by Cotton Delo in Ad Age.
Lobbying
“Son of legendary lobbyist starts own firm” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Redistricting
“Between the Lines: The Last Two Redistricting Holdouts” by Shira Toeplitz, Abby Livingston, and Joshua Miller in Roll Call.
March 7, 2012 •
How Is the Lobbying Oversight in Your State?
A new report offers ratings.
The State Integrity Investigation, a project by the Center for Public Integrity and other partners, is giving each state a grade in various areas of accountability and transparency. “Keep Government Honest” is their motto.
Lobbying is one of the categories they are measuring. The report considers a state’s definition of lobbying, its registration and reporting requirements, disclosure by lobbyist employers and principals, its citizen access to data, and the monitoring of lobbying requirements. The grades they are giving are “weak,” “fair,” or “strong”.
What is the corruption risk data for your state? It is easy to check by using this interactive map. (Some states’ grades are still being compiled.)
Take a look at “Michigan ‘weak’ in lobbying oversight,” where Peter Luke of Bridge Magazine discusses the mixed grades in Michigan’s report card.
March 7, 2012 •
Lobbying Spending in the News
Spending on lobbying is up in California, Michigan, and New Jersey according to these articles:
California: “Teachers union leads in record year of lobbying lawmakers” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.
Michigan: “Report: As Michigan economy floundered, spending by Michigan lobbyists soared 86%” in the Detroit Free Press.
New Jersey: “N.J. lobbyist spending hits new high at $73M; teachers union tops list again” by Matt Friedman in the Star-Ledger.
New Jersey: “N.J. Teachers Union Spent Record $11.3 Million on Ads Criticizing Christie” by Terrence Dopp in Bloomberg.
March 6, 2012 •
Campaign Finance Fines and a Raid
In the news: A $30,000 fine for former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the feds raided the home and office of a person who did communication work for the 2010 campaign of District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray:
California: “Former Gov. Schwarzenegger faces fines for campaign violations” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.
District of Columbia: “Raids target home and office of Gray campaign figure” by Mike DeBonis and Nikita Stewart in The Washington Post.
Photo of the Vince Gray for Mayor group courtesy of Jrrhet on Wikipedia.
March 6, 2012 •
Social Media and Super Tuesday!
Here is a look at Super Tuesday through the lens of Facebook and Twitter:
“Can social media predict election outcomes?” by Jon Swartz in USA Today.
“Twitter and The Countdown To Super Tuesday” by Shea Bennett on All Twitter.
“Romney to Win Republican Nomination, Facebook Says” by Kate Knibbs in Mobiledia.
“Facebook users not talking about Rick Santorum (infographic)” by Emil Protalinski on ZDNet.
“Will Romney’s Facebook fans help win Super Tuesday?” by Athima Chansanchai on MSNBC’s Digital Life.
“Santorum’s Facebook Fans Silent Before Super Tuesday” by Jennifer Moire on All Facebook.
March 6, 2012 •
Lobbying News Today
Vice President Biden, Jack Abramoff, and other latest lobbying news from around the country:
Federal: “Biden hires former lobbyist” by T.W. Farnam in The Washington Post.
Federal: “Abramoff says his corrupting influence reached into the media” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
California: “Record $287M paid to Calif. lobbyists in 2010” by The Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Georgia: “Yarbrough: Lawmakers just don’t see need for lobbying reform,” an opinion piece by Dick Yarbrough in the Athens Banner-Herald.
Michigan: “Lobbying in Capitol’s hallways is one business flourishing in Michigan” by Peter Luke in Michigan Live.
March 5, 2012 •
Super PAC Spending News Roundup
Today’s campaign finance news about Super PACs and their spending in the presidential and congressional races.
“Campaigns, Super PACs spend $7.6 million on Michigan primary ads” by Kathleen Gray in the Detroit Free Press.
“FEC’s bad rap getting worse” by Robin Bravender in Politico.
“Super PACS Target Congressional Races” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
“Super Tuesday ad spending nearly tops $10 million” by Beth Fouhy in The Associated Press.
“Super PACs Fuel a Race to the Bottom” by Albert R. Hunt in the New York Times.
“The Campaign Spendageddon That Already Happened” by Adam Sorensen in TIME.
March 2, 2012 •
Rebecca South Elected an Officer of WASRG
Rebecca South, Federal Compliance Associate at State and Federal Communications, has been elected Treasurer of the Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG).
The election took place at WASRG’s Annual Membership Meeting & Luncheon on February 9. Congratulations, Rebecca!
According to their site, “The Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG) is one of the nation’s largest organizations dedicated exclusively to serving state government relations professionals. Since the mid-1970s, WASRG has been providing its corporate, trade association and public sector members with a unique and valuable opportunity to interact with their peers, key state officials and public policy experts.”
Rebecca South, based in Washington, D.C., has extensive background in federal government compliance. She served 15 years as Government Relations Administrator for a national lobbying firm where she directed internal political compliance programs to ensure adherence to local, state, and federal laws regarding lobbying, ethics, and campaign finance. She also has substantive experience in the creation, management, and rules governing political action committees.
Rebecca began her career as a staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in the early 1990s, and also served as a Program Director with an association management firm. She is an active member of Women in Government Relations, Toastmasters International, Public Affairs Council, and American League of Lobbyists.
March 2, 2012 •
Highlighted Site of the Week – This Week in History
The Office of the Clerk’s “Historical Highlights” site
For this week’s Highlighted Site, we turn to the Historical Highlights page of the United States House of Representatives’ Office of the Clerk. What I saw there rattled my ideas about electronic voting. When would you guess the first proposal was offered for electronic voting in Congress? I was way off. Take a look!
On this date in 1848, a Baltimore inventor named Francis Smith petitioned the U.S. House to adopt his “voting register,” a legislative telegraph to count the members’ votes. Smith sent a proposal and a prototype for the House to consider. Two other inventors did the same that year.
According to the site, “Despite repeated calls for modernizing the voting process, the House would not implement electronic voting until 1973.”
Other fascinating facts for this week: 
February 28, 1860 – Representative Victor Berger of Wisconsin, the first Socialist Member of Congress
February 29, 1932 – Speaker John Nance Garner of Texas Receives a 400-Pound Gavel from his Constituents
March 1, 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s final address to a Joint Session
Enjoy and have a terrific weekend!
Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress.
February 29, 2012 •
Redistricting News from the States
Here is a roundup of articles from around the country:
Arizona: “Arizona redrawn legislative maps sent to Justice” by Mary Jo Pitzl in the Arizona Republic.
Florida: “Redistricting is creating rifts in the state’s non-partisan high court” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Missouri: “Same Missouri Senate seat filed for in east and west” by David Lieb (Associated Press) in the Missourian.
New Mexico: “Legal fight may be nearing an end over map for state House districts in this year’s elections” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “New congressional district lines expected in NY” by The Associated Press in the Long Island Business News.
New York: “State’s Congressional District Line Proposals Due Today” by NY1 News.
Ohio: “Bipartisan state lawmakers offer reform for map-drawing process in redistricting” by Aaron Marshall in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Texas: “Texas political maps issued by federal court” by Alex Isenstadt in Politico.
Wyoming: “Wyoming Senate advances legislative redistricting bill” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
February 29, 2012 •
Government Tech and Social Media News
Take a look at today’s government technology news: A list of the top government social media projects, social media and the GOP primary, an IT ethics violation that is rocking both the state of New York and the city of Baltimore, and New York City votes on open government legislation.
Social Media News
“Top 14 Government Social Media Initiatives” by J. Nicholas Hoover in Information Week.
“How Social Media Is Keeping the GOP Primary Going” by Micah Sifry in TechPresident.
IT News
“New York Officials Promise Reforms After Scathing IT Audit” by Matt Williams in Governing.
“Baltimore’s top IT official resigns after alleged ethical violations emerge in N.Y.” by Gus Sentementes in The Baltimore Sun.
Open Data
“In New York, Landmark Open Data Legislation Will Soon Be Up for a Vote” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
February 28, 2012 •
Elizabeth Bartz Supports Sen. Sherrod Brown
Joins Ohio Business Leaders in Letter of Support
Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, joined other business leaders from Ohio in a public statement of support for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
According to a press release:
Business leaders from across Ohio announced their support of Senator Sherrod Brown today in a statement citing his strong record of fighting for Ohio jobs and businesses. The announcement highlights Sen. Brown’s efforts to fight China’s illegal currency manipulation and cut down on outsourcing, both of which costs Ohio jobs.
The public statement opens with the following:
“As business leaders in Ohio we know that Senator Sherrod Brown is a champion for Ohio’s business community and is fighting everyday for Ohio jobs and businesses. We urge Ohioans across the state not to believe third-party attack ads that say otherwise. Sherrod Brown has consistently demonstrated that Ohio jobs are his top priority and his commitment to strengthening Ohio employers will not waver. When it comes to Ohio’s business community, Senator Sherrod Brown is ready and willing to help.“
To read the full text and see the other supporters in the statement, you can find the press release at this link.
February 28, 2012 •
Up-to-the-Minute Campaign Finance Report Data from The NYTimes
The Times Developer Network is now updating FEC report data every 15 minutes.
The Times Developer Network is now offering data from reports received by the Federal Election Commission through its Campaign Finance API (application programming interface). What was once a set of reports updated weekly, or in some cases daily, is now updated every 15 minutes.
You can find campaign finance information for the presidential and congressional candidates, PACs and super PACs, electronic filings by date and type, independent expenditures, and electioneering communications.
For the full story, be sure to read “Campaign Finance Data in Real Time” by Derek Willis in The New York Times.
You’ll be interested to also see “Campaign finance updates in real time? There’s an API for that” by Meranda Watling in 10,000 Words.
February 24, 2012 •
Arizona Lobbying Disclosure Bill Passes
Without the ALEC disclosure measure
The Arizona House of Representatives passed House Bill 2642, which will require more disclosure for local governments who lobby the state lawmakers. Two amendments were not added to the bill – one requiring American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) disclosure and another that would remove the one year “revolving door” waiting period for lawmakers to become lobbyists.
To find out more about the details of the new lobbying law (and what did not pass with it), be sure to read:
“Insider: Lobbyist bill passes without extras” by Mary Jo Pitzl in The Arizona Republic.
“Lawmakers OK more disclosure on lobbying” by Howard Fischer in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Photo of the Arizona House of Representatives Chamber by Willem van Bergen on Wikipedia.
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.
