Thursday News Roundup

Lobbying

Alabama: “Campaign booster for Alabama Gov. Bentley was lobbyist for Corizon, prison health care contractor targeted in lawsuit” by Casey Toner in The Birmingham News.

Canada: “Joe Clark’s new job: Lobbying the federal government” by Glen McGregor in the National Post.

Campaign Finance

Florida: “David Rivera named co-conspirator as friend pleads guilty in campaign-finance case” by Marc Caputo, Jay Weaver and Patricia Mazzei in the Miami Herald.

Montana: “Out-of-state donors fund Daines’ Senate campaign” by The Associated Press in the Independent Record.

Vermont: “Vermont Public Money Gives Progressive Fundraising Edge” by Dave Gram (Associated Press) in Valley News.

Ethics

New York: “N.Y. poll: Government corruption a problem” by Jonathan Topaz in Politico.

Rhode Island: “Ethics Commission to probe lawmaker’s beach bid” by The Associated Press in The Washington Times.

Elections

“Top 5 Races to Watch in the Mid-Atlantic” by Nathan L. Gonzales in Roll Call.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Los Angeles Undertakes Massive Website Relaunch with Drupal” by Jason Shueh in Government Tech.

Redistricting

Florida: “Florida’s New Redistricting Plan: Round Two” by Linda Killian in The Wall Street Journal.

Lobbying

“Spending on lobbying is actually falling. Or is it?” by Alexander Becker in The Washington Post.

“Researchers Try To Quantify The Value Of Lobbying” by Michael Ide in Value Walk.

Campaign Finance

“DCCC outraises NRCC by $3.5M in July” by Alexandra Jaffe in The Hill.

Arizona: “Scottsdale campaign-finance violation likely, city says” by Beth Duckett in The Republic.

California: “California lawmakers pass 3 campaign reform bills” by The Associated Press in the News & Observer.

Missouri: “Missouri Democratic group to pay $10K ethics fine” by The Associated Press in the News & Observer.

Ethics

“House Ethics panel probing Rep. Petri” by Mario Trujillo in The Hill.

“The Grimes family discount” by Manu Raju in Politico.

Florida: “Update: Group blasts city for challenging ethics initiative” by Jeff Burlew in the Tallahassee Democrat.

Oklahoma: “Ethics Commission Seeks Input Regarding Financial Disclosure Availability” on KGOU.

Washington: “Washington Legislative Ethics Panel To Consider Free-Meals Rule” by Austin Jenkins on KPLU.

Elections

“Revised Election Schedule Submitted in Florida Map Case” by Bridget Bowman in Roll Call.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Local Governments Open Data with Performance Dashboard” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.

“Report Ranks Top Open Data States” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.

Lobbying

“AGRP lauds lobbying reversal — Can big $$ save Ex-Im?” by Byron Tau and Adam Sneed in Politico.

“There are 65 former lobbyists currently working in the Obama administration” by Philip Bump in The Washington Post.

Florida: “Firms lobbying Florida Legislature collected millions in payments during second quarter” by Jim Saunders in The Florida Times-Union.

Missouri: “When It Comes To Gifts, Lobbyists Don’t Discriminate By Party” by Chris McDaniel in St. Louis Public Radio.

“At lobbying unit of Drinker Biddle & Reath, testing out a new consulting model” by Catherine Ho in The Washington Post.

Campaign Finance

“Nancy Pelosi brings pols, donors to wine country” by Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan in Politico.

Arizona: “Officials: Arizona Free Enterprise Club violated election law” by The Associated Press in KTAR.

Colorado: “Citizens United movie spawns campaign finance lawsuit” in The Kansas City Star.

Florida: “Big industry behind PAC spending” by Heather Wysocki in the News-Press.

Virginia: “Big money, sharp elbows in special senate election” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.

Wisconsin: “Scott Walker: Campaign finance reform crusader?” by Jessie Opoien in The Capital Times.

Ethics

“Bill would limit members of Congress in hiring family” by Corey Mitchell in the Star Tribune.

“Former DARPA Chief Broke Ethics Rules, Watchdog Finds” by Charles S. Clark in Government Executive.

“Media Matters founder joins watchdog CREW” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Arkansas: “Arkansas Ethics Commission to ask for more funding” by Johnathan Reaves on KASU.

Government Technology

“How the Cloud is Changing Everything for Government IT” by David Raths in Government Technology.

Lobbying

“Universities chase big defense dollars” by Austin Wright in Politico.

“Obama reversal shows difficulty of limiting lobbyists’ D.C. clout” by Mark Trumbull (Christian Science Monitor) in the Alaska Dispatch News.

Campaign Finance

“The Transparency Trap” by David Frum in The Atlantic.

“GOP looks to shake loose more Wall Street cash” by Patrick Temple-West in Politico.

“Sen. Mike Lee doing ‘due diligence’ on illegal donation claims” by Lisa Riley Roche in the Deseret News.

Maine: “Maine campaign finance law challenged as unfair to independents” by Dave Sherwood in Reuters.

Texas: “Bitcoin Plays A ‘Bit’ Part In Campaign Fundraising, But Could That Change?” by Shelley Kofler in KERA News.

Ethics

North Carolina: “Conflict of interest statements for NC officials now online” by Tyler Dukes in WRAL.

North Carolina: “McCrory misstated Duke Energy holdings, sold stock after coal-ash spill” by J. Andrew Curliss and Craig Jarvis in The News & Observer.

Political Advertising

“GOP makes no apologies for ads disguised as news sites” by Jessica Taylor in The Hill.

Redistricting

Florida: “Scott signs congressional redistricting bill” by Lloyd Dunkelburger in the Herald-Tribune.

Lobbying

“White House eases lobbyist ban” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Obama Administration Loosens Ban on Lobbyists in Government” by Julie Hirschfeld Davis in The New York Times.

“Lobbyists Are People, Too” by Jonanthan Bernstein in Bloomberg.

“Report: The NCAA has spent $240,000 on lobbying in 2014” by Terrence Payne in NBC Sports.

Campaign Finance

“Hollywood pumps cash to save Senate majority for Democrats” by Judy Kurtz in The Hill.

California: “CalPERS board member facing another FPPC fine” by Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee.

Maine: “Judge weighing Maine campaign contribution limits” by The Associated Press in the SeattlePI.com.

Ethics

California: “New indictment in San Diego campaign finance case adds gun, bribery charges” on KGTV ABC News.

Government Tech and Social Media

“How the Open Source Election Technology Foundation is Remaking the Voter Experience” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.

“White House U.S. Digital Service Aims to ‘Identify and Fix Problems’” by Jason Shueh in Government Technology.

Utah: “Utah Leading the Mobile-Friendly Government Movement” by Tod Newcombe in Governing.

Lobbying

“Corporate Lobby ALEC Aims at U.S. City Councils With New Group” by Tim Jones in Bloomberg.

“Netflix bulks up K St. help” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Big Checks Strengthen Super PACs” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

“Waiting for the next Watergate” by Byron Tau in Politico.

“Wall Street Campaign-Cash Restrictions Face Legal Attack” by Robert Schmidt in Bloomberg.

Arizona: “Groups spend nearly $2 million in Arizona primary” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Daily Sun.

Montana: “Montana candidates late with campaign finance reports” by The Associated Press in the Great Falls Tribune.

Pennsylvania: “Pa. lawmakers face crowded calendar when they return” by The Associated Press in Herald-Mail Media.

West Virginia: “‘Dark money’ finds its way to W.Va.” by Ben Fields in The Herald-Dispatch.

Wyoming: “Candidates, committees disclose info as campaign finance deadline looms” by Laura Hancock in the Casper Star-Tribune.

Ethics

Florida: “Florida Lawmakers’ Personal Wealth Keeps Growing” by Marianela Toledo in the Sunshine State News.

Rhode Island: “Ethics complaint filed against R.I. Rep. Palumbo over beach concession contracts” by Randal Edgar in the Providence Journal.

West Virginia: “Lawmakers can’t use voters lists when sending letters, Ethics Commission rules” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.

Lobbying

California: “Harvey Whittemore surrenders to federal prison camp” by Martha Bellisle in the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Wisconsin: “Lueders: Lobbyists spent $14.1 million in six months” by Bill Leuders in the Wausau Daily Herald.

Campaign Finance

“Strategists say impact of outside group spending is overrated” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

California: “Attorneys say Legislature acted within its authority to put Citizens United question on ballot” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

New Hampshire: “New Hampshire candidate cashes in on campaign finance reform” by Scott Malone in Reuters.

West Virginia: “W.Va. speaker canceled; pleaded guilty to charges” by The Associated Press in The Intelligencer.

Ethics

“The Value of Political Corruption” op-ed by Thomas B. Edsall in The New York Times.

“Can You Accept That Gift? Take Our Quiz” by Eric Katz in Government Executive.

Dallas, Texas: “Mayor Mike Rawlings wants city’s ethics commission to deal with legitimate complaints, not ‘frivolous’ ones” by Robert Wilonsky in The Dallas Morning News.

Redistricting

“4 End-Game Scenarios for the Florida Map Chaos” by Bridget Bowman in Roll Call.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“To pick staff, Scalise turns to lobbyist” by Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman in Politico.

“Support for lobbyists, Super PACs up, new poll finds” by Phil Ammann in St. Peters Blog.

Florida: “Feds sue Florida manufacturing agency over travel, lobbying expenses” by Paul Brinkmann in the Orlando Sentinel.

Missouri: “Lobbyist John Britton dies after a half-century as one of the most powerful figures in Missouri” by Michael D. Sorkin in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Virginia: “K St. connections dog Va. hopeful” by Cameron Joseph in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

Vermont: “Searchable campaign finance system goes live” by Terri Hallenbeck in the Burlington Free Press.

Ethics

Calfornia: “Former lobbyist, wife charged in embezzlement scheme” by David Zahniser Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times.

Tallahassee, Florida: “Ethics proposal gets enough signatures for ballot” by Jeff Burlew in the Tallahassee Democrat.

Oklahoma: “Democrats file ethics complaint against Fallin” in Tulsa World.

Redistricting

Florida: “CBC, DCCC clash over Fla. redistricting suit” by Alex Isenstadt in Politico.

Open Government

“Federal watchdogs complain of access woes” by Josh Gerstein in Politico.

Government Tech and Social Media

“The Public Sector Considers Mobile-First Approaches to Citizen Interactions” by Justine Brown in Government Technology.

Lobbying

“Groupon joins Web lobby group” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“GOP launches new big money effort” by Byron Tau in Politico.

“Super PACs’ spending isn’t always welcomed by candidates they support” by Karen Tumulty in The Washington Post.

Arizona: “‘Dark money’ influencing state elections” by Howard Fischer in the Verde Independent.

Iowa: “New PAC seeks to expose campaign finance law flaws” by James Lynch in the WCF Courier.

Kansas: “They bought what?! Top 5 ridiculous Kansas campaign cash purchases” by Travis Perry in Kansas Watchdog.

Montana: “Campaign finance ruling should come after election” by Matt Volz (Associated Press in The Sacramento Bee.

Ethics

New Jersey: “Christie’s ethics watchdogs fail to bark or bite” by Mark Lagerkvist in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

New Jersey: “PAC’s donation to Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson’s campaign raises pay-to-play concerns” by Jenna Pizzi in the Times of Trenton.

Elections

“Top 10 Most Vulnerable Senators” by Kyle Trygstad and Alexis Levinson in Roll Call.

Procurement

“Policing Private Contractors Is Challenge for States” by Jenni Bergal in Stateline.

Lobbying

“The lobbying industry is back! But don’t expect more action on Capitol Hill” by Philip Bump in The Washington Post.

“Ex-congressional staffers cashing in as D.C. lobbyists” by Kimberly Atkins in the Boston Herald.

California: “Top California lobbying firms bring in big dollars in 2014” by Laurel Rosenhall in The Sacramento Bee.

Florida: “Former Miami-Dade deputy mayor joins lobbying firm that represented David Beckham” by Patricia Mazzei in the Miami Herald.

Utah: “Utah lobbyists required to wear badges at Capitol” by Michelle Price in The Spectrum.

Campaign Finance

“Poll: Support for Campaign Finance Reform Strong in Key Senate Races” by Denver Nicks in TIME.

“The FEC Deadlocks (Again) on Dark Money” by Daniel I. Weiner in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.

“Harry Reid sets up vote on campaign finance reform” by Sean Lengell in the Washington Examiner.

“Exclusive: Powerhouse GOP group snared in money scheme” by Alexander Burns in Politico.

California: “Calif. appeals court says Citizens United measure should stay on ballot” by Christopher Cadelago in The Sacramento Bee.

California: “Probe Of Illegal Campaign Contributions To San Diego Politicians Taking Shape” by Amita Sharma in KPBS.

Iowa: “Campaign finance reformers test strategy in Iowa race” by James Q. Lynch in the Sioux City Journal.

Massachusetts: “House passes landmark campaign finance bill” in the Wicked Local Norfolk.

Massachusetts: “State campaign money: Use it or lose it” editorial in The Boston Globe.

Mississippi: “Miss. appeals federal judge’s block of small-group political spending laws; hearing Sept. 3” by Jack Elliott, Jr. (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Rhode Island: “Rhode Island Ethics Commission filings provide insights into finances of candidates for governor” by Jennifer Bogdan in the Providence Journal.

Wisconsin: “Another blow to campaign finance disclosure in Wisconsin?” by Jack Craver in The Capital Times.

Ethics

Indiana: “Officials say no state computer use for politics” by The Associated Press in The State.

Redistricting

Florida: “Florida Legislature to meet Thursday to pass new map” by Gary Fineout in the Florida Times-Union.

Congress

“Five things to know as Congress takes a five-week summer recess” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

“Reid: Senate will work weekends in September” by Ramsey Cox in The Hill.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Beyond @Congressedits, Capitol Hill Looks for Entry to Wikipedia” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.

“States Introducing Virtual Currency Regulations” by Brian Heaton in Government Technology.

Lobbying

“K Street’s power duo going global” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

Arkansas: “State senator to resign, start work as lobbyist for UA System” by John Lyon in the Arkansas News.

Missouri: “In Columbia, Missouri Rep. Wright presses for lobbyist reform” by Cameron Dodd in the Missourian.

Rhode Island: “38 Studios lobbying hearing delayed again” by The Associated Press in WPRI News.

Campaign Finance

“These 5 Lobbyists Gave the Biggest Campaign Donations on K Street This Year” by Tess VandenDolder in InTheCapital.

“Ed Markey lobbyist haul tops on Hill” by Kimberly Atkins in the Boston Herald.

“Why All the Political Money Might Not Mean Much” by Walter Shapiro in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.

Massachusetts: “Massachusetts lawmakers OK bill requiring timely disclosures by political action committees” by Steve LeBlanc (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Michigan: “Michigan House, Senate races marked by record fundraising, self-funded candidates” by Jonathan Oosting in Michigan Live.

Ethics

New York: “U.S. Attorney Warns Cuomo on Ethics Case” by Susanne Craig, Thomas Kaplan, and William K. Rashbaum in The New York Times.

Congress

“The Calm Before the Pre-Recess Storm” by Bridget Bowman and Colin Diersing in Roll Call.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“Business Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“New GOP whip hires retail lobbyist for leadership office” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Lobbyists quietly advise GOP on gay marriage shift” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“The super PAC to end super PACs leaps into New Hampshire and Iowa” by Brian Fung in The Washington Post.

Kentucky: “Kentucky State Rep. Ben Waide Indicted on Campaign Finance Violations” by Jonathan Meador on WKMS.

New York: “De Blasio defends lobbying group’s contributions from firms that do business with the city” by Erin Durkin in the New York Daily News.

Ethics

Florida: “Convicted lobbyist testifies about paying $3,000 bribe to suspended Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi” by Jay Weaver in the Miami Herald.

Illinois: “Ethics panel raps state fair directors for beer ticket freebies” by Dave McKinney in the Chicago Sun-Times.

New York: “Defiant, Cuomo Denies Interfering With Ethics Commission” by Thomas Kaplan and Susanne Craig in The New York Times.

State Legislatures

“Christie calls N.J. Legislature into special session Thursday to act on bail reform” by Matt Friedman in The Star-Ledger.

Government Tech and Social Media

“State and Local Govs Not Ready For Mobile, Survey Says” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.

“C-SPAN limiting access to its online channels” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Lobbying

“Bombshell: Ethics office alleges illegal lobbying” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Lobbying business in state of upheaval” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Wall Street spending $1.5M a day on lobbying, campaigns” by Benjamin Goad in The Hill.

“D.C. lobbying firms see revenue lift in first half of 2014” by Tucker Echols in Washington Business Journal.

“How Facebook Became One of the Biggest Power Players on K Street” by Tess VandenDolder in InTheCapital.

“U.S. lawmakers got cash from Alberta’s Keystone lobbyists” by Laurent Bastien Corbeil and Les Whittington in The Star.

Campaign Finance

“Outside Money Drives a Deluge of Political Ads” by Ashley Parker in The New York Times.

Alaska: “Marijuana legalization backers file campaign finance complaint against opposition group” by Laurel Andrews in the Alaska Dispatch News.

Arizona: “Scottsdale ruling: No campaign violation in mailers” by Beth Duckett in The Republic.

Maine: “Senate president’s PAC faces campaign finance fine” by The Associated Press in the Washington Times.

Massachusetts: “Officials appear to misuse Mass. campaign funds” by David Scharfenberg in The Boston Globe.

Nevada: “Former Nevada lobbyist fights order to report to federal prison amid campaign finance appeal” by The Associated Press in the Daily Journal.

West Virginia: “Election, ethics laws put agencies at odds” in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Ethics

Hawaii: “Disclosures won’t begin until 2015, ethics panel says” by The Associated Press in The Maui News.

Virginia: “Virginia Ex-Governor’s Defense to Rest on State Ethics” by Andrew Zajac and Peter Galuszka in Bloomberg.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Civic Tech and Engagement: Announcing a New Series on What Makes it ʹThickʹ” by Micah L. Sifry in TechPresident.

New York: “NYC Open Data Advocates Focus on Quality And Value Over Quantity” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“K Street market dims for Democrats” by Byron Tau in Politico.

“Ex-Rep. Howard Berman lobbying for Hollywood” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

“Former WH liaison to Congress joins law firm” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Chamber spending tops $40M as election nears” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Delaware: “Markell signs reform bill all say is a half-loaf” by Jonathan Starkey in The News Journal.

Ethics

Florida: “Ethics, election complaints now a campaign weapon” by Mike Vasilinda on WJXT News.

Hawaii: “One-Third of Hawaii Candidates Missed Financial Disclosure Deadline” by Chad Blair in the Honolulu Civil Beat.

New York: “NY ethics panel blacks out officials’ public service announcements to remove campaign edge” by The Associated Press in the Daily Journal.

New York: “Cuomo’s Office Hobbled State Ethics Inquiries” by Susanne Craig, William K. Rashbaum and Thomas Kaplan in The New York Times.

Pennsylvania: “Ethics agency probes lawmakers” by The Associated Press in The Indiana Gazette.

Elections

“Study: Record-low turnouts seen in some primaries” by The Associated Press in Politico.

Government Tech and Social Media

“When Is a Tweet an Ethics Violation? | A Question of Ethics” by C. Simon Davidson in Roll Call.

“Social Advocacy & Politics: Organize Your Colleagues First” by Alan Rosenblatt in Social Media Today.

“Did the White House Website Violate Its Own Privacy Rules?” by Brendan Sasso in Nextgov.

“House GOP makes digital push” by Daniel Samuelsohn in Politico.

Kentucky: “Kentucky Registry of Election Finance Launches Redesigned Website” press release in The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch.