• Find out which state ethics commissions offer ethics training and what they are like in Natalie O’Donnell Wood’s brief, “Making the Most of Your Ethical Training” in the latest edition of LEGISBRIEF.

• NCSL is hosting this webinar: Putting Election Laws to the Test on Monday, February 13 at 2:00 PM ET.

Their site describes the session in this way: “This webinar will discuss the various election reforms being debated in legislatures, including whether to require citizens to show ID to register or to vote, whether to allow online and Election Day registrations, and how best to modernize aging voting machines.”

The National First Ladies’ Library website is a treasure of information about the fascinating lives of the wives of our nation’s presidents. The website is the online presence for a museum that resides in two buildings in Canton, Ohio: the former City National Bank Building and the Ida Saxton McKinley Historic Home.

According to the site: “As the first and only facility of its kind, the National First Ladies’ Library serves as a unique national resource for patrons from school children to serious scholars.  As a national archive devoted to educating people about the contributions of First Ladies and other notable women in history, the Library’s holdings fill an informational void that has long frustrated academicians and armchair history buffs alike.”

The National First Ladies’ Library website offers online videos, their library catalog, and all kinds of educational material for teachers and students.

If you wish to find fun trivia, you will love the Fascinating Facts page. Here are a few of the firsts that you’ll find: Martha Washington was the first to be given the title “lady” by the press. John Quincy Adams’ wife, Louisa, was the only first lady born in a foreign country (England). John Tyler’s first wife was a stroke victim and the first president’s wife to die in the White House. William Howard Taft’s wife was the first first lady to own and drive a car, and Warren G. Harding’s wife was first first lady to vote and fly in an airplane!

If it is pictures you want, try the Huffington Post’s “First Ladies in College” photo slideshow. How about this for a teaser: “Do you know where ‘Lou’ Hoover went to college? Curious to see Lucretia Garfield in her younger years? What are the names of Grace Coolidge’s two pet raccoons? Did Julia Grant have permanently crossed eyes? Look no further than HuffPost College’s ‘First Ladies In College’ slideshow!”

Have a great weekend everyone!

Photo of the First Ladies National Historic Site courtesy of Kralizec! on Wikipedia.

“Report: Some Super PAC Money Is Untraceable” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“Who’s Financing the ‘Super PACs’” from the New York Times.

Take a look at the editorial “Will ‘super PACs’ ruin politics?” from the Los Angeles Times.

“Big donors return to the RNC” by T.W. Farnam in the Washington Post.

“Obama’s PAC decision highlights inaction on FEC” by Susan Crabtree in the Washington Times.

“Deerfield Beach ‘PAC Man’ faces 2,052 counts of breaking election laws” by Jon Burstein in the Orlando Sentinel.

Connecticut

“GOP makes long-shot pitch for new congressional map” by Mark Pazniokas on CTMirror.org

“Court hears pleas on Ct. redistricting plan” by Ken Dixon on the Connecticut Post.

Florida

“House passes Florida redistricting maps in party line vote” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Tampa Bay Times.

Kansas

“Panel endorses Kansas House redistricting plan” by John Milburn (Associated Press) in the Kansas City Star.

Kentucky

“Judge weighs constitutionality of redistricting” by The Associated Press.

“Judge hopes to rule on redistricting dispute by Tuesday” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.

North Carolina

“Lawsuits challenging GOP-drawn boundaries can move forward” by The Associated Press in the Winston-Salem Journal.

Texas

“Rejected compromise in Texas redistricting case leaves state’s primary date in limbo” by The Associated Press in the Washington Post.

Wisconsin

“Lawmakers were made to pledge secrecy over redistricting” by Patrick Marley, Daniel Bice and Jason Stein in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Indiana’s former Secretary of State Charlie White, who was convicted of six felonies and consequently lost his job, is pointing the finger at others. White is now saying Gov. Mitch Daniels and U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) are also guilty of voter fraud because they voted from Indiana addresses while residing elsewhere.

For the full story read “White isn’t going quietly” by Dan Carden in the Times of Northwest Indiana.

Georgia Senator Josh McKoon has introduced Senate Bill 391, which could put limits on gifts lobbyists give to lawmakers in the state, as wells as other requirements.

For the full story read “With House bill stalled, senator targets lobbyist gifts” by Kristina Torres in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Photo of the Georgia State Capitol Building by AUtiger on Wikipedia.

Alabama: “Alabama lawmakers return for 2012 regular session” by Bob Johnson (Associated Press) in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Arizona: “Monday is deadline to introduce bills in AZ House” by The Associated Press in the Arizon Capitol Times.

California: “Initiative would make Legislature part time, slash its pay” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

“California Legislators Turn in Keys to their Cars” by Karl Kurtz on NCSL’s blog The Thicket.

Oklahoma: “Okla. State Legislature Begins 2012 Session” by Homa Quazilbash on KTUL.com

Oregon: “Oregon Politics: Legislative session starts with big concepts and some lawmakers under scrutiny” by Jeff Mapes in The Oregonian

Virginia: “Va. legislators accepted $246,000 in gifts last year” by Anita Kumar in the Washington Post.

Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, is attending today’s NCSL Foundation Bi-Annual Luncheon.

NCSL Executive Director Bill Pound will be talking about top issues this legislative session.

For full news coverage, read:

“W.Va. lawmakers navigate lobby ban, social media” by The Associated Press in the Washington Examiner.

“W.Va. lawmakers seek buffer from e-lobbying but not blockade with public in social media age” by Lawrence Messina (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Photo of the West Virginia State Capitol Building by Analogue Kid on Wikipedia.

Abramoff will be working with United Republic’s Republic Report, a blog that started just this month.

According to Abramoff’s first blog post from February 3: “Hi, everyone. I’m new to blogging, so this is an exciting experiment for me.

I’ll be posting more serious pieces next week. But, for now, I just want to say how honored I am to join Nick Penniman, Josh Silver, and the gang at United Republic in the vital effort to effect real reform in Washington.

It is a privilege for me to add my insights and experience to their strong and sagacious team and I look forward to working with them to reveal to our nation the way Washington really works.”

For news coverage read: “Jack Abramoff has unlikely second act as watchdog” by Melanie Mason in the Chicago Tribune.

Thank you to News You Can Use Editor Jim Sedor for pointing me in the direction of this news piece.

The American League of Lobbyists opposes the part of the recently-passed STOCK Act that requires political intelligence operatives to register under LDA requirements. They say it would impede their reform efforts to close loopholes.

For news coverage, read: “Lobbyist League Opposes STOCK Act Language on Political Intelligence Operatives” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

Lobbying

“A record year for lobbying industry” by Michael Shaw in the Sacramento Business Journal.

“Lobbying Money Hits New Record” by Jenny O’Mara on KBPS.org.

Campaign finance

“Michigan Democrats are taking 1st shot at corporate funding with proposed ethics, campaign finance reform” by Rob South in Michigan Live.

Gov 2.0 and Social Media

“Consumers Turn to Social Media for Presidential Campaign Info” in yesterday’s eMarketer.

“New York City Readies for a Website Overhaul” by Sarah Rich in Government Technology.

Redistricting

Iowa – “5 Iowa legislators resign following redistricting” by The Associated Press in the Muscatine Journal.

Massachusetts – “In redistricting’s wake, Rep. Paul Adams opts to run for state Senate” by Matt Murphy in the Boston Herald.

Ohio – “Only 3 of 16 districts competitive in new map” by William Hershey in the Dayton Daily News.

Pennsylvania – “Targeted lawmakers stuck in ‘political limbo’” by Rachel Weaver in today’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Today’s Highlighted Site of the Week is YouTube’s Politics Channel.

There are the polls and there are the projections, but with the YouTube politics Channel, you can find out which campaign videos are creating the most buzz on the internet.

Are you curious which presidential candidates are receiving the most video views and channel subscriptions on YouTube? According to the site, the current tally of video views is as follows: Mitt Romney is king-of-the-hill with 500,330 views, followed by Newt Gingrich at 402, 467, and President Obama is in third place with 389,634 views.

You can view the statistics for today, for the past week, the past month, or for all time. Have fun with this great tool.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Our Highlighted Site of the Week is the Federal Election Commission’s 2012 Campaign Finance Maps page. You can play with interactive maps of the states for information about the 2012 Presidential Candidates, or the House and Senate elections.

With just a mouse-over you can view the amount of contributions by state, and with just a bit more work you can search the amount received by each candidate, and the amount given by a donor’s name.

For the presidential races, you can drill down in each state for data down to the zip code level. For the candidates in the congressional elections, you can view the campaign finance information by the congressional district of each state.