In the first of two required votes, Washington D.C. City Council voted unanimously in favor of the Fair Elections Act of 2017. The legislation would create a voluntary public campaign finance program for local elections.

Under the program, qualified candidates would receive a base sum that varies by office, as well as a 5-to-1 match on small donations. If passed, the program would not be in place until 2020.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has previously stated she would not fund the program; however, City Council can allocate money to pay for the program, according to the bill’s author, D.C. Council member David Grosso.

Washington D.C. City Council is reviewing four bills that would impose new regulations and restrictions on political contributions.

Three bills under review would add various pay-to-play provisions. A fourth, which will be voted on by City Council on January 9, would institute public campaign financing for local elections.

The legislation, however, is not without its opponents.

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she would not fund a public financing program. The public finance program, if passed by the Council, would not be in place until 2020.

Council Member David Grosso said if Bowser does not choose to fund the bill in her budget, the council can allocate money for the program.

On Tuesday, January 10, the D.C. Council introduced several bills aimed at limiting big donors’ influence and increasing transparency in campaign fundraising. Citizens have accused Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, a Democrat, of participating in pay-to-play politics.

One of the bills introduced would block contractors from city business for two years following a political contribution to a candidate or political committee.

Bill 22-0038 would increase the number of lobbying reports by requiring monthly filings. Currently, reports are due twice a year.

Voters in the District of Columbia passed a measure in favor of petitioning Congress to become a state in the union. The newly approved measure seeks to have the District admitted to the Union as the State of New Columbia.

The measure also approves a constitution to be adopted by the Council, state boundaries, and the guarantee of an elected representative form of government.

The petition now goes to Congress, which has the power to permit or deny it.

On August 18,  District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser returned an unsigned bill to reform the District’s procurement processes signaling that it can become effective without her signature. On August 24, the legislation was sent to Congress for the 30-day congressional review period needed for enactment. The bill will make procedural changes and establish the Office of the Ombudsman for Contracting and Procurement.

As introduced, the bill had a pay-to-play provision that banned campaign contributors from bidding on contracts over $100,000 for a year after making a donation to a District candidate. The pay-to-play provision was defeated in a council vote and is not part of the final bill.

Today, a federal court ruled an unconnected committee should be allowed to use candidates’ names in the titles of their websites and social media pages while the case is being resolved.

In Pursuing America’s Greatness v. FEC, the United States Court of Appeals for The District of Columbia Circuit reversed the district court’s denial of a preliminary injunction and remanded the case for the district court to enter a preliminary injunction enjoining the Federal Election Commission (FEC) from enforcing the application of 11 C.F.R. § 102.14(a) against the plaintiff pending the outcome of the case.

Federal law requires a candidate’s committee to include the name of the candidate in the committee’s title and requires an unauthorized political committee to not use a candidate’s name in its title. The purpose of the law is to avoid confusion. Through regulation, the FEC has extended the naming prohibition to other committee activities, solicitations, and communications, including special project names for websites or social media pages.

The court found there is a substantial likelihood the regulation violates the First Amendment and the plaintiff will prevail in the lawsuit because the FEC has not shown the regulation is the least restrictive means of achieving the government’s interest.

The D.C. Council has preliminarily approved a bill that will bring more transparency and accountability to the government procurement process. Among other structural and procedural reforms, the measure establishes the Office of the Ombudsman for Contracting and Procurement.

The bill will need approval at a second reading before it is sent to the Mayor. A stricter reform measure that included a one year pay-to-play restriction failed to pass.

Attorney General Karl A. Racine proposed a new bill to close the current loophole allowing unlimited donations to political action committees (PACs) in non-election years. The bill also contains a pay-to-play provision creating a two-year period of ineligibility for “high value” city business for any company that contributes to a candidate or elected official.

The legislation comes after public concern raised last year when Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s PAC received unlimited contributions from businesses seeking contracts from her administration.

On December 1, 2015, the District Council proposed a bill eliminating the Office of Campaign Finance.

The bill creates a new office within the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability to enforce campaign finance law and to administer the publicly financed elections program.

The bill is currently in committee.

The provisions of a campaign finance reform bill passed by the Council of the District of Columbia take effect January 31, 2015. The special election set for April 28, 2015, will be the first test to the new restrictions found in Bill 20-0076.

However, according to the Office of Campaign Finance, all campaigns registering prior to the effective date of the law will not be subject to its provisions. The new law will only affect those campaigns registering on or after February 1, 2015.

Among the changes, Bill 20-0076 imposes a training requirement for committee treasurers and requires all campaign finance reports to be filed electronically. The new law also restricts contributions from affiliated entities, thereby closing the “LLC loophole”.

A special election has been scheduled for April 28, 2015, to fill vacant council seats in Wards 4 and 8. Several prospective candidates for the Ward 8 seat have already obtained nominating petitions, and several other candidates are expected to enter the race before the petition filing deadline on January 28, 2015.

The Ward 8 seat was held by long-time District politician Marion Barry, who recently passed away. The Ward 4 seat was held by Muriel Bowser, who is the mayor-elect.

Councilman Marion Barry passed away on Sunday, November 23, 2014, at the age of 78. Barry served four terms as mayor before becoming a councilman.

With his death leaving a vacancy on the council, the D.C. Board of Elections must schedule a special election between 70 and 174 days after the vacancy has been declared.

A special election to fill the vacancy is expected between early February and mid-May. The winner of the special election would serve the remainder of Barry’s term, which is approximately two years.

Photo of Marion Barry courtesy of dbking on Wikimedia Commons.

Washington, D.C. voters will elect their attorney general for the first time on November 4, 2014. Up until this year, the attorney general has been appointed by the mayor.

In 2010, voters approved a charter amendment authorizing the first election of the city’s attorney general and setting a primary election for April 2014. In late 2013, the council passed a law delaying the election from 2014 to 2018, fearing the city lacked the necessary preparation.

Paul Zukerberg, a candidate for attorney general, challenged the 2013 law in court. In June 2014, the Court of Appeals ruled an election must be held in 2014 unless it would not be practically possible for the D.C. Board of Elections to do so.

Following a directive by the Court of Appeals to set a date for the election, the D.C. Superior Court decided the election will be held on November 4, 2014, the same day as the mayoral election.

Washington, D.C. voters will have the chance to elect an attorney general in the upcoming months, thanks to a decision by the D.C. Court of Appeals. Currently, the attorney general is appointed by the mayor.

In 2010, voters approved a charter amendment authorizing the first election of the city’s attorney general and setting a primary election for April 2014. In late 2013, the council passed a law delaying the election from 2014 to 2018, fearing the city lacked the necessary preparation.

Paul Zukerberg, the only candidate for the city’s first attorney general race, challenged the 2013 law in court. On June 4, 2014, the Court of Appeals ruled an election must be held in 2014 unless it would not be practically possible for the D.C. Board of Elections to do so. The Court further noted the possibility of a 2015 election if a 2014 election is not possible.

Following a directive by the Court of Appeals to set a date for a special election in as few as 70 days, the D.C. Superior Court will now decide how soon the election must be held. Although the election is projected to be scheduled on November 4, 2014, the same day as the mayoral election, an election before November is also a possibility.

Photo of the John A. Wilson Building courtesy of Andrew Wiseman on Wikimedia Commons.