The Idaho legislative session has come to an end after being extended into the month of April.

Notable legislation passed and signed by Gov. Brad Little includes two campaign finance bills.

House Bill 664 issues guidelines for the use of synthetic media in electioneering communications and requires certain disclosures and disclaimers within such communications.

Senate Bill 1251 amends the definition of political committee by removing language exempting federal PACs from being considered a political committee.

This does affect lobbying reporting.

A lobbyist activity report will now be due on May 15 for the expenditures made during the month of April.

A voter-backed measure, known as Ballot Measure 2, was recently upheld when the Ninth Circuit affirmed a federal judge’s denial of a preliminary injunction blocking it.

The measure requires immediate disclosure of contributions aggregating to more than $2,000 per year.

The decision stems from a previous injunction that was filed back in 2022, by political donors against enforcement of the measure, claiming the initiative’s burdensome disclosure rules would lead to retaliation against them for their political activity.

Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia held the district correctly concluded the plaintiffs argument of first amendment issues was likely to fail and affirmed the lower courts decision.

The legislative session came to an end late in the evening on March 8 after days of debate over the budget.

A unified budget bill was passed and provides funding for nursing homes, preschool for developmentally disabled children, and home services for senior centers.

The legislature adjourned sine die on March 7.

Lawmakers passed a campaign finance reform bill which creates state campaign contribution limits and authorizes local governments to establish lower limits for local elections.

House Bill 4024 also requires the disclosure of certain information on political advertising and requires specific persons to report the original sources of funds used to pay candidate campaign independent expenditures.

The contribution limits will become operative on January 1, 2027 and the enhanced campaign contribution and independent expenditure reporting requirements will become operative on January 1, 2028.

If signed by the governor, the bill is effective June 6.

The Legislature quietly adjourned sine die on March 7 after passing a procurement and campaign finance bill.

House Bill 1471 modifies the state procurement procedures and revises definitions concerning competitive, sole source, convenience, and emergency goods and services contracts.

Senate Bill 5857 reorganizes the campaign disclosure and contributions statutes through technical amendments involving campaign disclosure and contributions at the state and local levels.

These bills will now be sent to the governor for his signature.

Voters approved a ballot measure making changes to the city ethics law.

Proposition D imposes more restrictive prohibitions on gifts to public officials and requires additional ethics training for public officials.

Certain definitions such as bribery are amended to become more restrictive in order to prohibit public officials from accepting items of value aimed at influencing governmental decision making.

The effective date will be 10 days after the date the official vote count is declared by the Board of Supervisors.

State business and labor groups have been working on legislation to limit campaign contributions in state races.

Oregon is one of just five states with no limits on political contributions.

These negotiations come as a proposal, known as Initiative Petition 9, has a chance of qualifying for the November ballot.

The petition would impose additional campaign finance disclosures and strict contribution limits for individuals, political parties, and interest groups.

San Jose City Council voted to pass a memorandum to bar multinational corporations from spending money to influence elections.

Corporations would be prohibited from spending money in elections if they are foreign-influenced.

This would be defined as 1 percent or more ownership by a single foreign investor or five percent or more ownership by multiple foreign investors.

The passage of this memorandum will go to a final reading at a city council meeting in January where it is expected to pass unanimously.

The Public Disclosure Commission recently voted to adjust the lobbying reporting thresholds due to inflation.

This was decided after a public hearing was held and is a continuation of a broader effort to update the thresholds through the state’s political disclosure rules.

Updates include an increased threshold for itemizing expenditures on entertainment and food or beverage for public officials from $50 to $100.

Another update raises the limit for lobbyist and lobbyist employer reporting of a last-minute contribution from $1,000 to $1,500.

The thresholds will be in effect for the January reporting period due in February.

The December reporting period due in January will fall under previous thresholds. The new reporting thresholds take effect on January 8, 2024.

What are your areas of expertise?

I manage a portfolio of states, counties, and municipalities primarily located on the West Coast. Part of my experience relies on monitoring relevant legislative, regulatory, and rule-making activity and using independent judgement and discretion to determine how to incorporate the information. I also work with our clients to ensure they are aware of and adhering to any and all rules and regulations concerning lobbying, gifts to public officials, political contributions, and procurement. Client-specific research is another important task I perform routinely in order to provide the best information possible.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been a Manager of Research Services with State and Federal Communications, Inc. for just under two years.

How do you help our clients?

In addition to answering specific question from clients, I also assist in preparing, reviewing, and filing the lobbyist registrations and lobbyist activity reports.

Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by the head of the state’s enforcement agency challenging the constitutionality of a recent campaign finance overhaul.

The lawsuit was initially filed by former Executive Director Jeff Brindle of the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), seeking to block sections of the Elections Transparency Act.

This included a provision allowing Gov. Phil Murphy to directly appoint the four members of ELEC without the advice and consent of the Senate within a temporary 90-day period.

A provision reducing the amount of time the commission has to investigate campaign finance violations was also challenged.

Lougy determined the legislation was focused on several valid purposes that pertained directly to its subject matter.

The case was dismissed with prejudice and therefore unable to be filed again.

The Commissioner of Political Practices published increases to the campaign contribution limits for the 2024-2025 election cycle.

Individuals and PACs are able to contribute $1,120 per election to a candidate for governor and lieutenant governor; $790 per election to a candidate for statewide office; and $450 per election to a candidate for other public offices.

The previous limits were $1,000, $700, and $400.

Campaign limits have also increased for political party committees.

The new limits are applicable as of December 9, 2023.

The City Council recently passed an ordinance codifying lobbyist registration fees and fee penalties.

The registration fee is $500 with a late filing fee of $10 per day for registrations and reports and a fee cap of $1,000.

The ordinance also implements a partial or complete waiver of registration fees for a local governmental lobbyist who, along with other criteria, is a salaried employee of an organization or association that is a 501(c)(3).

The ordinance also establishes a lobbyist training requirement and lobbyists must complete an online training session offered by the Public Ethics Commission with 60 days of initial registration.

Quarterly reports will now be due no later than the last day of the month following the end of each calendar quarter.

This ordinance is effective immediately.

City Council members voted unanimously to pass a policy requiring the members to post their calendar online.

The postings will list any meetings that occur with lobbyists, developers, union representatives, and residents.

This policy comes following an FBI statement concluding Anaheim City Hall appears to be heavily influenced by Disneyland resort interests and their lobbyists.

The new policy will begin January 2024.