May 1, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“Report: Obama To Pick Cable and Wireless Industry Lobbyist To Chair FCC” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
“Bottom Line” in The Hill.
California: “Lobbying intensifies on immigration reform” by Elizabeth Aguilera in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Delaware: “Common Cause of Delaware cites lobbying concerns in study” by Craig Anderson in the Delaware State News.
Michigan: “Nell Kuhnmuench ‘probably the best lobbyist in Lansing’” by Kristen M. Daum in Greater Lansing Woman.
Campaign Finance
“Springtime for disclosure” by Jonathan Backer in The Hill.
“113th Congress Freshmen Take $6.5 Million in PAC Money During First Three Months” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
“‘Too Much Money in Politics’” by Kimberly A. Strassel in the Wall Street Journal.
Montana: “Montana legislative leaders to interview 5 for political practices commissioner” by Charles S. Johnson in the Missoulian.
Ethics
North Carolina: “New members of NC elections board set to meet” by Michael Biesecker (Associated Press) in the Jacksonville Daily News.
Pennsylvania: “Pa. lawmakers, other public officials disclose gifts, travel, other freebies in annual filing” by Mark Scolforo (Associated Press) in The Republic.
Texas: “Disclosure Bills Get Little Love From Top Leaders” by Emily Ramshaw in the Texas Tribune.
From the State Legislatures
NCSL Members Mobile App on the NCSL website.
Nevada: “Nevada Legislature lagging in number of approved bills” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Redistricting
Arizona: “Brewer OKs extra redistricting commission funds” by The Associated Press in Arizona Capitol Times.
Kentucky: “Beshear hopes to call special session to deal with legislative redistricting” by Jack Brammer and Beth Musgrave in the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Government Tech and Social Media
“NYC BigApps Refines the Civic Hackathon” by Sam Roudman in TechPresident.
April 30, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Ethics Group CREW Bails on Lobbying Efforts” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
Arizona: “Action lacking despite opportunities to improve Arizona’s lobbyist reporting system” by Evan Wyloge and Hank Stephenson in the Arizona Capitol Times.
Florida: “NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbies lawmakers in Tallahassee to back Dolphins stadium renovation bill” by Toluse Olorunnipa and Charles Rabin in the Miami Herald.
Michigan: “State Rep. Andy Schor intros bills to adjust term limits, restrict post-office lobbying by lawmakers” by Angela Wittrock in Michigan Live.
Utah:”Loopholes allow lobbyist spending to vanish from reports by Lee Davidson” in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Campaign Finance
“Why don’t Americans care more about campaign finance reform?” by Juliet Eilperin and Scott Clement in the Washington Post.
“Bipartisan Campaign Finance Bill Aims to ‘Follow the Money’” by Chris Vest in Associations Now.
Maine: “Senate backs resolutions supporting campaign finance, immigration reforms” by Matthew Stone in the Bangor Daily News.
Ethics
“Latest ethics proposal rejected by AG” by John Lyon in the Arkansas News.
New York: “NY ethics board proposes changes to gifts, disclosure requirements by some lobbying groups” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
South Carolina: “Fate of ethics bill to be determined Tuesday in S.C. legislature” by Kirk Brown in the Anderson Independent Mail.
Procurement
“7 Ideas for the Future of Local Government” by Steve Ressler in Government Technology.
April 29, 2013 •
New York City Campaign Finance Board Scores Victory in Court Case
Sure winners provision upheld
The New York City Campaign Finance Board scored a decisive court victory when a court ruled in favor of the city’s campaign finance laws. United States District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain upheld the city’s provisions limiting the amount of public funds available to candidates who do not face meaningful competition.
This provision, dubbed the “sure winners” provisions by the Campaign Finance Board, was under attack in Ognibene v. Parkes, a suit filed in 2008. In a non-competitive race, the city is allowed to withhold public funds from a candidate. The candidate may appeal that decision, claiming they face a significant opposition based on a set of objective criteria.
Examples of the criteria used include the opponent’s endorsements and the media coverage of the opponent. The court did say that the city could not use the opponent’s financial activity as criteria for the appeals process, but overall it was a clear victory for the Campaign Finance Board.
Amy Loprest, executive director of the Campaign Finance Board, said “This victory allows the CFB to hold on to an important tool for maintaining public confidence in the city’s campaign finance program.”
Neither party has any intentions of appealing the District Court’s ruling, effectively ending the suit after nearly five years.
Photo of Manhattan courtesy of AngMoKio on Wikipedia.
April 29, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“Social media emerge as players in state capitols” by Brad Cooper in the Kansas City Star.
Hawaii: “Has Hawaii Given Up On Lobbying Congress?” by Kery Murakami in Honolulu Civil Beat.
Campaign Finance
California: “Interactive graphic lets voters follow the money in mayor’s race” by David Zahniser, Maloy Moore and Anthony Pesce in the Los Angeles Times.
California: “California declines to update campaign data online” by Jusy Lin (Associated Press) in the Redding Record Searchlight.
New York: “Public campaign finance debate heats up in Albany” by Jon Campbell in the Journal News.
Ethics
“Tuesday Discussion on the FEC-The Day The Terms of All Commissioners Will Have Expired” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
South Carolina: “Bid to reform state ethics draws fire” by Tim Smith in the Greenville News.
South Dakota: “South Dakota lawmakers don’t see conflict of interest problems in the Legislature” by David Montgomery in the Argus Leader.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Open Source Tech is Driving Big Changes in Government” by Joseph Marks and Mark Micheli in Nextgov.
“San Francisco Hires New Chief Information Officer” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
April 29, 2013 •
MA OCPF Hearing Set for Campaign Finance Regulation Proposals
May 8
The Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance (OCPF) is holding a public hearing on May 8 concerning proposed updates to regulations regarding campaign finance disclosure.
The hearing will address revised provisions to the existing code and a new regulatory section “concerning the identification of funding sources for tax exempt and other organizations that raise funds to make contributions or independent expenditures”.
Additional OCPF proposals include addressing the use of a candidate’s legal defense fund, clarifying subvendor reporting requirements, and amending provisions concerning credit and debit card contributions. The draft regulations are available here.
April 26, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – April 26, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
K Street’s Bounce Proves Elusive
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama – Barron, Former Aide Indicted
Arkansas – Arkansas House Sends Ethics, Petition Rules to Voters
California – ‘Hacking’ Open Financial Disclosure Data
California – Many Private Interests Were Brown’s Fellow Travelers in China
Florida – Legislators Finish Rewrite of Ethics, Campaign Bill
Illinois – Emanuel Campaign Taking Donations from Hotel Developers with Projects in Works
Iowa – Affidavit Says Bachmann Approved Hidden Payments to Iowa Senator
New Jersey – Campaign Finance Overhaul by N.J. Senate Democrats Would Also Reform Pay-to-Play
North Carolina – Sweepstakes Donor’s Checks to NC Politicians Scrutinized
Texas – Campaign Accounts Help Texas Legislators Pay Staffers
Vermont – Former Lt. Gov. Dubie, RGA Agree to Settle Election Lawsuit with State
Washington – Donate to Sick Lawmakers? Limits Apply to Some Gifts
State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 80 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.
News You Can Use is a news service provided at no charge only to clients of our online Executive Source Guides, or ALERTS™ consulting clients.
April 25, 2013 •
FEC Issues Advisory Finding DOMA Limits Same-Sex Couple Contributions from Individual Accounts
AO 2013-02
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) issued a unanimous Advisory Opinion concluding same-sex couples married under state law are precluded from making joint federal political contributions from an individual bank account.
A same-sex couple married under Massachusetts law sought to make a political contribution to Dan Winslow, a candidate for the United States Senate.
The contribution check included instructions to attribute the contribution separately and equally between both individuals, even though the check was drawn from one of the individual’s bank account.
11 C.F.R. 110.1(i) provides spouses a legal exception to the prohibition on making a contribution in the name of another person. However, the term “spouse” is not defined in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 or the Commission’s regulations.
The Commission relied the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) interpretation of spouse referring “only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife”.
In AO 2013-02, the FEC concluded DOMA prohibits applying the exception under 11 C.F.R. 110.1(i). The Commission distinguished a contribution made from a joint account, rather than an individual account, in a footnote to the opinion, noting, “Same-sex couples (whether married under state law or not) may as joint account holders make contributions in a manner similar to that afforded spouses under 11 C.F.R. 110.1(i).”
The Commission concluded its analysis and conclusions “may be affected by subsequent developments in the law including, but not limited to, statutes, regulations, advisory opinions, and case law”.
April 25, 2013 •
Florida Legislature Passes Campaign Finance Bill
Increased disclosures and contribution limits
The Florida House and Senate reached a compromise on contribution limits, passing a comprehensive campaign finance bill.
The major changes in the bill include:
- Elimination of committees of continuous existence;
- Requiring weekly reporting by political committees and electioneering communications organizations beginning with the 60th day prior to a primary election and continuing until the 4th day before a general election, and daily reporting beginning with the 10th day before a general election;
- Increasing campaign contribution limits from $500 to $3,000 for a candidate for statewide office or retention as a justice of the state supreme court, and from $500 to $1,000 for a candidate for legislative office, retention as a judge of a district court of appeal, or circuit judge; and
- Elimination of limits on contributions to political committees.
The original bill increased all contribution limits from $500 to $10,000. At the beginning of debate on the bill, House Speaker Will Weatherford tweeted, “today is meet me halfway day.”
While critics argue the bill doesn’t go far enough and too many loopholes remain, Senator Jack Latvala, chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, said the goal is transparency. He contends money in politics isn’t going anywhere, so the best the legislature can do is require disclosure.
The bill now awaits action by Governor Rick Scott.
April 25, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“The Shadow Lobbyist” opinion piece by Tom Edsall in The New York Times.
Georgia: “New ethics law’s Jan. 1 start creates uncertainty for lobbyists, legislators” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
North Carolina: “NC elections board supports investigation on sweepstakes cash” by Michael Biesecker and Mitch Weiss (Associated Press) in the News & Observer.
Campaign Finance
“Donor Gets Jail Time for Illegal Contributions” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.
“Does Stephen Colbert’s Endorsement of His Sister Violate Election Laws?” by Megan Wiegand in Slate.
Florida: “Common Cause: campaign finance ‘reform’ bill is a ‘farce’” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Florida: “Legislators send campaign finance and ethics bills to governor” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Ethics
“’Hacking’ Open Financial Disclosure Data” by Scott Detrow in KQED Public Media.
Alabama: “Former state senator Lowell Barron indicted on campaign finance, ethics charges” by Kim Chandler in Alabama Live.
Colorado: “San Francisco Considers Ethics Reforms” by Ryan Parker in the Denver Post.
Illinois: “State Sen. Trotter pleads guilty to misdemeanor” by Jason Meisner in the Chicago Tribune.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Get Ready for Mobile Only” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
Redistricting
Alaska: “Redistricting Board asks Supreme Court to clarify ruling” by Richard Mauer in the Anchorage Daily News.
April 25, 2013 •
San Francisco Considers Ethics Reforms
Legislation would expand lobbying and squeeze exceptions
City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu have introduced legislation to better regulate lobbying and campaign finance within the city. The ordinance would amend the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code to expand the definition of lobbyist and require lobbyists to complete training online.
The lobbying exemption for contractors and their attorneys would be limited to in-house officers and employees. Outside consultants communicating with public officials regarding contract bidding and negotiating would be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of lobbying.
The ordinance would also require the Ethics Commission to publish a guide for campaign contributors regarding contribution regulations and reporting requirements.
The board may begin discussion of the legislation at the next meeting in May.
April 24, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“Lobbying World” in The Hill.
“Graham’s campaign collects bundle from lobbyists” by Michael Beckel in the Huffington Post (via The Center for Public Integrity).
Nevada: “Nevada advances lobbying cooling-off-period bills” by Matt Woolbright (Associated Press) in the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Campaign Finance
“Follow The Money Bill Proposed For More Transparency in Campaign Financing” in CQ Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
“S.E.C. Gets Plea: Force Companies to Disclose Donations” by Nicholas Confessore in The New York Times.
Florida: “Senate finishes campaign finance bill, first piece of ethics compromise” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
New York: “Skelos opposes Cuomo on abortion, campaign finance” by Yancey Roy in Newsday.
New York: “Bad Legal Arguments Can’t Stop Reform” by Lawrence Norden in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.
South Carolina: “SC Senate advances a piece of ethics reform” by The Associated Press in WJCL News.
Ethics
California: “SF May Make Major Update to City Ethics Policies” by Nina Thorsen in KQED Public Media.
Connecticut: “Foley wants to revive ‘good government’ bill” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
New York: “Parole Granted for Political Consultant in a Corruption Case” by Jesse McKinley in The New York Times.
April 24, 2013 •
Bi-Partisan Campaign Finance Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate
The Follow the Money Act of 2013
Leaders of corporations, unions, and other organizations responsible for independent political advertisements may have to be identified if a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate yesterday passes.
Senate Bill 791 was introduced jointly by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The bi-partisan bill, called The Follow the Money Act of 2013, requires entities, regardless of tax status, to identity the funders of any political activity in which the entity engages.
An organization involved in political activity not regulated under the Federal Election Campaign Act will also be subject to a separate set of Internal Revenue Service penalties, including the possible loss of its federal tax exemption.
The Federal Election Commission will be required to replace quarterly reporting with a more frequent reporting schedule and will be required to disclose the information to the general public upon receipt.
Senator Wyden’s press release can be found here.
Video courtesy of Sen. Wyden’s YouTube channel.
April 23, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“K Street’s bounce proves elusive” by Kevin Bogardus and Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.
“Chamber of Commerce Still Keeping Lobbyists Busy” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.
“Religious Groups Throw Lobbying Cash at Immigration Reform” by Elizabeth Flock in U.S. News & World Report.
Montreal, Quebec: “City asked to investigate undeclared lobbying” by Monique Beaudin in the Montreal Gazette.
Pennsylvania: “Mensch: Improve Campaign Finance, Lobbyist Reporting” in the Lehigh Valley Patch.
Campaign Finance
New York: “Reform does work, New York” editorial piece by Denise Merrill, the Connecticut secretary of the state and Miles Rapoport, president of Demos and former Connecticut secretary of the state in the Albany Times Union.
Ethics
District of Columbia: “D.C. wraps audit of Gray campaign, doesn’t release findings” by Alan Blinder in the Washington Examiner.
New York: “NY governor replaces head of troubled ethics board with lawyer who represented Bernard Madoff” by The Associated Press in the Washington Post.
Procurement
Ohio: “Franklin County, Ohio, Builds Transparent Procurement System From Scratch” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Federal Web Visitors are Coming Via Mobile” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
April 22, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“Former Sen. Bob Kerrey joins government affairs firm” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.
“NRA spends record money on lobbying this year” by Dave Levinthal in The Center for Public Integrity.
Florida: “Sound Off: Most email group members think lobbyist limits a good idea” in the Florida Times Union.
Georgia: “Analysis: Lobbyists say the game is changing” by Walter C. Jones in the Savannah Morning News.
Texas: “Agenda Texas: The Twitter Lobby” by Ben Philpott in the Texas Tribune.
Washington: “Lobbying tab $12.9 million — and counting” by Brad Shannon in the News Tribune.
Campaign Finance
California: “Common Cause: Californians should vote for Congress to overturn Citizens United” by Derek Cressman in San Jose Mercury News.
Illinois: “Overturning ‘Citizen’s United’ Decision” by Claudia Johnson in the Alton Daily News.
New Jersey: “N.J. Senate Democrats to introduce major overhaul of campaign finance laws” by Christopher Baxter in the Star-Ledger.
New York: “Reform proposed for state Board of Elections” by Karen Dewitt on WBFO NPR.
New York: “Campaign Finance Reformers To Target Senate In New Ads” by Ken Lovett in the New York Daily News.
Pennsylvania: “Pa. Senate backs stricter rules on reporting campaign funds” by Mary Wilson in Newsworks.
Vermont: “Windham County senator blasts campaign-finance reform bill” by Mike Faher in the Brattleboro Reformer.
Ethics
Connecticut: “Man pleads guilty in campaign finance scheme” by The Associated Press in the Boston Globe.
Kentucky: “Richie Farmer indicted by federal grand jury” on WKYT News.
Minnesota: “Ex-aide to Bachmann prepares to give evidence on alleged payments” by Brett Neely in MPR News.
Tennessee: “Knox County Commission set to reconfigure ethics panel” by Mike Donila in the Knoxville News Sentinel.
From the State Legislatures
Featured speakers at the NCSL Legislative Summit, August 12-15 in Atlanta, GA.
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.
