Pledging in return for campaign contributions would violate the Legislative Ethics Act
The Alaska Legislative Ethics Committee has issued an advisory opinion allowing incumbent legislators to sign pre-election pledges during re-election campaigns.
So long as the pledge is in exchange only for an endorsement or a promise of an endorsement it does not violate the Legislative Ethics Act. However, the committee also determined the signing of pre-election pledges in a quid pro quo exchange for a campaign contribution or a promise of a campaign contribution would violate the act.
Special interest groups often request candidates to take positions on certain topics by signing a pledge.
July 12, 2012 •
Thursday News Roundup
Jack Abramoff gets a radio show and more lobbying and campaign finance news.
Lobbying
“Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who spent years in prison, gets radio show for Clear Channel” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.
Campaign Finance
“Senate Dems offer new version of DISCLOSE Act to fight Citizens United ruling” by Pete Kasperowicz in The Hill.
“Democrats push for campaign finance disclosure, again” by Tomer Ovadia in Politico.
“FEC Gridlock No Help to Obama Campaign” by Justin Worland in Roll Call.
Connecticut: “Feds indict Braddock, claim conspiracy began last year” by Mark Pazniokas in the CT Mirror.
District of Columbia: “Mayor Vincent C. Gray knew of campaign finance violations in January, sources say” by Mike DeBonis and Nikita Stewart in The Washington Post.
Montana: “Mont. ballot initiative advocates ban on corporate money in elections” by Jessica M. Karmasek in LegalNewsline.
July 12, 2012 •
Vermont Campaign Finance Database Two Years Away
Secretary of State hopes to have a searchable database ready for the 2014 elections
It will be two more years before Vermont’s campaign finance reports are available in a searchable database, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Currently, Vermont offers scanned copies of campaign finance reports online, but there is no easy way to search for donor names or contribution totals, and handwriting on the forms may be difficult to read. The secretary of state hoped that such a database would be available for the 2014 elections, but is unable to give a precise timetable or detailed costs.
Common Cause Vermont recently compiled its own searchable database for the 2010 state elections.
July 11, 2012 •
Ottawa to Create Lobbyist Registry
and more news in our Wednesday lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics roundup!
Lobbying
Ottawa, Ontario: “Council endorses lobby registry, integrity commissioner” by Errol McGihon in the Ottowa Sun.
The Hill’s “Lobbying World” staff report.
Campaign Finance
Alaska: “Assembly to weigh resolution on campaign finance” by The Associated Press in the Juneau Empire.
District of Columbia: “Vast ‘shadow campaign’ said to have aided Gray in 2010” by Mike DeBonis and Nikita Stewart in The Washington Post.
New York: “Cuomo turns to campaign finance” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times Union.
Pennsylvania: “SEPTA found to violate federal lobbying rules” by Mark Fazlollah in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
West Virginia: “W.Va. group wants contribution limit blocked” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
Ethics
“Panel Seated in Ethics Inquiry Into Nevada Lawmaker” by Eric Lipton in The New York Times.
July 10, 2012 •
Today’s Government Relations Recommended Reading
Don’t miss the latest campaign finance, ethics, and procurement news in our Tuesday Roundup:
Campaign Finance
“Political Spending by Unions Far Exceeds Direct Donations” by Tom McGinty AND Brody Mullins in The Wall Street Journal.
“Campaigns to Compete for Ads During Olympic Games” by Nathan L. Gonzales in Roll Call.
Alaska: “Committee weighs in on ethics of pre-election pledges” by Becky Bohrer (Associated Press) in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
District of Columbia: “Jeanne Clarke Harris is charged in ongoing investigation of Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s campaign” by Mike DeBonis and Nikita Stewart in the Washington Post
District of Columbia: “D.C. activists deliver 30,000 signatures for ballot initiative to ban corporate contributions” by Nikita Stewart and Tim Craig in the Washington Post.
Idaho: “Idaho Democrats use state seal for campaign email” by John Miller (Associated Press) in the Idaho Statesman.
Ethics
“Ethics panel clears Buchanan on charge of misleading Congress” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
Procurement
Arkansas: “New Arkansas Site Reveals State Salaries” in Government Technology. “The contracts page offers details on contracts or individual purchase orders for more than $25,000. Construction contracts with a value of greater than $20,000 are also listed.”
July 9, 2012 •
Illinois Governor Approves New Campaign Finance Laws
Law to effect immediately
On Friday, July 6, 2012, Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 3722 into law, rewriting the state campaign contribution limits. Under this new law, if a natural person or an independent expenditure committee makes independent expenditures in support of, or in opposition to, the campaign of a candidate or incumbent in an amount over $250,000 for statewide office, or $100,000 for all other elective offices, then the contribution limits are waived for all candidates for that specific office. For example, if an independent expenditure committee spends more than $250,000 for commercials against candidate A, who is running for governor, then the contribution limits do not apply for any of the gubernatorial candidates.
The new law also establishes registration and reporting requirements for independent expenditure committees. The law goes into effect immediately, which means these rules apply for the state house and senate seats which are up for election in November.
July 9, 2012 •
Monday Campaign Finance News Roundup
Start your week with the latest in campaign finance articles:
“Rules of the Game: Debate Over Corporate Spending Spans Parallel Universes” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
“Exclusive: Campaign donations by text? Not so fast, wireless carriers say” by Alina Selyukh (Reuters) in the Chicago Tribune.
“ESPN scores with political ads” by Tim Mak in Politico.
“Ethics Panel Weighs Whether to Continue Shelley Berkley Case” by Amanda Becker in Roll Call.
Arizona: “72 run under Arizona’s Clean Elections system” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Illinois: “Quinn OKs change in campaign finance law” by Chris Wetterich in the State Journal-Register.
New York: “More questions than answers in lawmakers’ financial disclosure forms” by James Odato in the Albany Times Union.
Oregon: “Donors finance Oregon’s initiatives” by Peter Wong in the Statesman Journal.
July 6, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – July 6, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Assets Offshore Raise Romney Wealth Questions
Do Election Laws Encourage Attack Ads in Campaigns?
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona
Ex-Arizona Lawmaker Files $10 Million Claim against Phoenix
Colorado
Gessler Hit with Another Campaign Finance Lawsuit – But This One He May Actually Like
Delaware
Delaware Business to Pay $500,000 in Campaign Probe
Florida
New Ethics Policy Toughens Rules for Lobbying Orange School Leaders
Illinois
Wrigley Renovation Plans Stalled by Political Flap
Maryland
Sports Tickets Banned as Gifts for Baltimore County Elected Officials
Michigan
Cap on Michigan Campaign Donations Survives Challenge
Missouri
Missouri Election Season Arrives without Ethics Law
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Ethics Commission Considers Blackout Period for Filing Complaints
South Carolina
South Carolina Governor Cleared in Ethics Inquiry
Tennessee
Tim Burchett Subpoenas News Sentinel for Visitor Records, Surveillance Videos
Utah
Ruling Blocks Utah Ethics Initiative from Ballot
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.
July 5, 2012 •
Thursday Campaign Finance and Ethics News Roundup
Take a look at these latest campaign finance and government ethics articles:
“Can the Democrats Catch Up in the Super-PAC Game?” by Robert Draper in The New York Times.
“Lawmakers scrambling to nullify Citizens United” by Chris Camire in the Sentinel & Enterprise.
“Countrywide Offered Discounted Loans to Members, Report Says” by Jonathan Strong in Roll Call.
Arizona: “Indicted lawmaker uses campaign cash for legal expenses” by Gary Grado in the Arizona Capitol Times.
California: “Cudahy mayor resigns amid corruption probe” by Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times.
Connecticut: “Twardy finds no evidence Donovan knew of illegal campaign contributions” by Keith M. Phaneuf and Jacqueline Rabe Thomas in the CT Mirror.
Colorado: “Gessler hit with another campaign finance lawsuit – but this one he may actually like” by Sarah Burnett in the Denver Post.
Delaware: “Del. business to pay $500k in campaign probe” by Randall Chase (Associated Press) in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Kansas: “FEC fines Kan. GOP for finance violation” by The Associated Press in KFDA News.
Michigan: “Michigan campaign donation limit survives challenge” by The Associated Press in the Lansing State Journal.
Missouri: “Former Governor wants probation on campaign finance violation” by Mike Lear in Missourinet.
Missouri: “Missouri election season arrives without ethics law” by Elizabeth Crisp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
New Jersey: “Two N.J. politicians are fined for filing campaign finance reports late” by Matt Friedman in the Star-Ledger.
July 2, 2012 •
Monday Campaign Finance and Lobbying News Roundup
Don’t miss today’s articles:
Campaign Finance
“Political Perceptions: Email Fundraising, Too Forward?” by Peter Nicholas in The Wall Street Journal.
“The 2012 Congressional race and super PAC intermingling” by Stephen Wright in the Examiner.
Maryland: Editorial “Cleaning up Maryland politics” in The Washington Post.
Michigan: “Michigan Campaign Finance Network questions fundraising by lame-duck lawmakers” by The Associated Press in Crain’s Detroit Business.
Lobbying
“Bill Miller to head lobbying for Business Roundtable” by Mike Allen in Politico.
“Mining bill drew lobbyists’ attention” by Steve Mistler in the Portland Press Herald.
“Investment in lobbying not surefire in Maine” by Steve Mistler in the Kennebec Journal.
“Who is ALEC?” on CBS News.
“Former IRS Official Demands Investigation of ALEC” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
“Ethics Inquiry Exonerates Governor In Lobbying” by Robbie Brown in The New York Times.
Rhode Island: “Former Lawmakers Cash in Playing Revolving Door Game” by Dan McGowan in GoLocalProv.com.
July 2, 2012 •
OCPF Hearing Scheduled for July 25
Proposed Regulations
The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance is holding a public hearing on July 25. The hearing will address implementation of new and changing regulations dealing with issues such as electronic filing, transference of funds between political committees, and procedures for informational guidance requests from the office.
The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. at One Ashburton Place, Room 411, Boston. The proposed regulations can be found here.
June 29, 2012 •
Last Minute Campaign Finance Headlines before the Weekend
Let’s wrap up the work week with this campaign finance news roundup:
“Va. appeals court affirms campaign finance law” by Larry O’Dell in CBS News.
“Former DeLay aide pleads guilty in campaign finance case” by Laylan Copelin the Austin Statesman.
“Conservative Super Pacs turn to social media and internet to expand reach” by Ed Pilkington and Amanda Michel in the Guardian.
“Funny-named political committees are proliferating” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.
June 29, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – June 29, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
After Winning Right to Spend, Political Groups Fight for Secrecy
Court Upholds Ban on Corporate Political Contributions
GOP Lawsuit Challenges Campaign Contribution Caps
From the States and Municipalities:
California: Cudahy Arrests Add Salt to L.A. County Area’s Civic Wounds
Connecticut: Malloy, Legislature Make Last Stab at Campaign Reform
Florida: Tom Lee Wants Back in the Senate, to the Chagrin of Some Lobbyists
Illinois: U of I Professor Relents, Will Take Ethics Training Developed by ‘Unwise Rulers to Annoy Us’
Montana: Supreme Court Reaffirms Citizens United, Tosses Montana Corporate Spending Ban
Nebraska: Special Interests Spent $14 Million to Influence State Government
New York: Supreme Court Declines to Hear NY Campaign Finance Case
South Carolina: State Ethics Law Has Disclosure Gaps
Vermont: Federal Judge Dismisses Vermont Campaign Finance Challenge
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.
June 27, 2012 •
Wednesday Campaign Finance, Lobbying, and Ethics News Summary
Keep up with the latest articles:
Campaign Finance
“Campaign money case could propel more deregulation” by Jack Gillum on CBS News.
“Inquiry Looks Into a Shield for Donors in Elections” by Nicholas Confessore in The New York Times.
“Social Fundraising Platform Rally Grows With A New Round of $7.9 Million” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
“Will Ct. now see gusher of campaign bucks?” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Lobbying
“K Street Files: Lobbyists Prep for SCOTUS Ruling” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Lobbying World” in The Hill.
“The lion’s aide on K Street” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Hawaii professional employer organizations to form lobbying group” by Lynn Nakagawa in the Pacific Business News.
Government Ethics
“Outsider Privy to Ethics Case” by Amanda Becker in Roll Call.
Georgia: “Candidates late, confused on filing requirements” by Crystal Tatum in the Newton Citizen.
From the State Legislatures
“Cook, Rove, Zandi Address Legislators at June 2012 Leaders Meeting” by Alex Fitzsimmons on NCSL’s The Thicket.
Illinois: “Illinois lawmakers consider expulsion of Rep. Derrick Smith” by The Associated Press in the State Journal-Register.
Oklahoma: “Oklahoma elections: Most incumbent House members win contests” by Michael McNutt in The Oklahoman.
Open Government
“R.I. open-government advocates hail improvement to public-records law” by Karen Lee Ziner in the Providence Journal.
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.
