Lobbying

“Europe at Risk of Corruption from Lobbying – Report” by Damian Grammaticas for BBC

“Lawmakers in No Rush to Disclose Wining and Dining” by Jay Root for Texas Tribune

Campaign Finance

“REBNY Members Gave a Tenth of all N.Y. Campaign Money” by Bill Mahoney for Capital New York

Ethics

“Postal Worker Lands Helicopter on U.S. Capitol Grounds to Make Special Mail Delivery” by Eric Katz for GovExec.com

“Kate Brown Takes Questions as Lawmakers Air Ethics Proposal” by Denis Theriault for Portland Oregonian

“Senate Urged to Restore Ethics Powers” by Jennifer Bogdon and Katherine Gregg for Providence Journal

“John Doe Reform Bill Stalls in Legislature” by M.D. Kittle for Watchdog.org

Elections

“In Perception Primary, It’s Folksy Hillary Clinton vs. Statesmen-Looking Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio” by Patrick Healy for New York Times

“Chelsea’s Invisible Hand” by Kenneth Vogel for Politico

Legislative Issues

“Tennessee House Votes Bible as Official State Book” by Dave Boucher for The Tennessean

“Lack of Virginia’s General Assembly Openness Is Criticized” by Dave Ress for The Daily Press

A federal judge in Illinois signed a consent decree Tuesday scheduling a special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, who resigned last month amid ethics investigations.

Judicial approval was necessary to set the election date because Illinois election law conflicts with federal voting law.

A primary election will be held July 7 and the general election will follow on Sept. 10.

Lobbying

“Pillow Talk Tests Ethics When K Street Marries Capitol Hill” by Eliza Newlin Carney for Roll Call

“Ex-Lawmakers Swing through the Revolving Door” by Fredreka Schouten for USA Today

Rhode Island: “Lawmaker McKiernan Allowed to Work with Lobbyists under R.I. Ethics Code, Commission Says” by Katherine Gregg for Providence Journal

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Gov. Doug Ducey Signs Elections-Related Measures” by Bob Christie (Associated Press) for Arizona Capitol Times

District of Columbia:”Treasurer of Former D.C. Council Campaign Is Sentenced to Prison” by Julie Zauzmer for Washington Post

Maine: “Bill Seeks to Tax PAC-to-PAC Transfers in Maine” by Scott Thistle for Maine Sun Journal

Maryland: “Senate Passes Disclosure Bill for Inauguration Donors” by The Associated Press for WMDT

Ethics

New York: “Fervent Preet Bharara Gets a Judicial Scolding” by Peter Henning for New York Times

Elections

“Hillary Clinton’s Goal: Keep Bill Clinton happy, involved” by Annie Karni for Politico

Legislative Issues

Utah: “Gay Rights, Religious Rights and a Compromise in an Unlikely Place: Utah” by Niraj Chokshi for Washington Post

Several states have introduced legislation changing their primary election dates to early March in preparation for the 2016 presidential election. Michigan has already enacted such legislation with the passage of Senate Bill 44 and Senate Bill 45. Both senate bills change the presidential primary election to the second Tuesday in March. The bills take effect in time for the 2016 presidential primary election. In Minnesota, Senate File 1205, currently in committee, proposes to change the presidential primary election to the last Tuesday in March. If passed, this bill will also take effect in time for the 2016 election. A pair of companion bills have been introduced in the Washington State Legislature. House Bill 2139 and Senate Bill 5978 each propose to change the date of the presidential primary election to the second Tuesday in March. Senate Bill 5978, introduced at the request of Secretary of State Kim Wyman, passed the Senate on March 3, 2015, and was referred to the House Committee on State Government where a hearing on the bill was held on March 12. In New Mexico, House Bill 346 proposes to change the state’s primary date to the third Tuesday in March.  If passed, this bill will take effect July 1, 2015, again in time for the 2016 presidential election.

In what is being dubbed the “SEC” presidential primary, many Southern states are also considering legislation to change their primary election dates. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp is leading an effort to do so, and urging his counterparts in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama to adopt similar measures. Kemp’s proposal is a regional primary election scheduled for the first Tuesday in March. In Mississippi, companion bills adopt Kemp’s proposal, amending the state’s primary election date to the first Tuesday in March. Senate Bill 2531 passed the Senate and reported favorably from the House Apportionment and Elections Committee; House Bill 933 passed the House and eventually died in the Senate.

Other states considering similar legislation include Oklahoma (Senate Bill 233), Idaho (Senate Bill 1066), Florida (House Bill 7035), and Vermont (Senate Bill 76).

Lobbying

“Suddenly, ‘Schumerland’ Is the Place to Be” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

Hawaii: “Tobacco-Free Coalition Cleared on Lobbying Charges” by Nancy Cook Lauer for West Hawaii Today

Texas: “Local Government, School Lobbying in Ethics Crosshairs” by Jay Root for Texas Tribune

Campaign Finance

“Wealthy Donors on Left Launch New Plan to Wrest Back Control in the States” by Matea Gold for Washington Post

Kentucky: “Former Kentucky Lawmaker Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance Violations” by John Cheves for Lexington Herald-Leader

Ethics

Georgia: “Common Cause Takes Advocacy Efforts to Georgia Voters” by Carlton Fletcher for Albany Herald

Missouri: “Though Petition Seeks His Ouster, Ferguson Mayor Says He Is Best Leader for City” by John Eligon for New York Times

Washington: “Residents Fight to Save Bothell Golf Course from Developers, Mayor” by Lynn Thompson for Seattle Times

Elections

“Marco Rubio Announces 2016 Presidential Bid” by Ashley Parker and Alan Rappeport for New York Times

“Hillary Clinton Starts to Detail Rationale for Run as Campaign Begins” by Amy Chozick for New York Times

Lobbying

Nevada: “Bill to Toughen Nevada Campaign Finance Rules Clears Senate” by Sandra Chereb for Las Vegas Review-Journal

New York: “Avella Proposes Lobbying Ban for Political Consultants” by Josefa Velasquez for Capital New York

Campaign Finance

“In Accepting Bitcoin, Rand Paul Raises Money and Questions” by Eric Lichtblau for New York Times

Ethics

New Mexico: “Equity Firm to Pay $3 Million to SIC to Avert Legal Fight” by Dan Boyd for Albuquerque Journal

Texas: “Senate Votes to Let Home-County Prosecutors, Not Austin, Handle Elected-Official Ethics Cases” by Will Weissert (Associated Press) for Greenfield Daily Reporter

Washington: “State Public Disclosure Commission Director Resigns” by Jim Brunner for Seattle Times

West Virginia: “Ethics Commission Grapples with Trinkets Ban” by Eric Eyre for Charleston Gazette

Elections

“The G.O.P. Presidential Field Looks Chaotic. It’s Not.” by Nate Cohn for New York Times

Lobbying

“K St. Firms on Edge about Hacking Threat” by Elise Viebeck for The Hill

“Lobbyist Spending Is Concentrated at the Top” by Ian Lind for Honolulu Civil Beat

“CSKT Accused of Unethical Lobbying” by Tristan Scott for Flathead Beacon

“Governor Signs Measure on Lobbyist Records” by Dan Boyd for Albuquerque Journal

Campaign Finance

“California Teachers Unions Face New Legal Challenge over Dues” by Emma Brown for Washington Post

“Legislative Committees Approve Bills to Close Campaign Finance Loopholes” by Katherine Gregg for Providence Journal

Ethics

“Raucous Akron City Council Meeting Rallies behind Councilman Bob Hoch” by John Harper (Northeast Ohio Media Group) for Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Kate Brown’s Ethics Reforms Begin March through Oregon Legislature” by Dennis Theriault for Portland Oregonian

“Activists Push to Restore Oversight of Legislators” by Jennifer Bogdon for Providence Journal

Elections

“Chicago Waiting to See if Runoff Truly Has Humbled Rahm Emanuel” by Monica Davey for New York Times

Chief Electoral Officer Glen Resler confirms writs were delivered today to administer elections across Alberta. Although Alberta has a fixed election set for spring 2016, Lt. Gov. Donald Ethell agreed to dissolve the Legislative Assembly at the premier’s request.

Candidate nominations for the 29th provincial general election begin today and end at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17. Polling day is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2015.

The 2011 Election Amendment Act requires elections to be held in the fourth calendar year after the preceding election. However, this law does not affect the powers of the lieutenant governor to dissolve the Legislature before the four years has expired.

Lobbying

“Comcast Recruits Its Beneficiaries to Lobby for Time Warner Deal” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

Florida: “Senate Push to Expand Lobbyist Registration to Special Districts like Broward Health” by Dan Christensen for FloridaBulldog.org

Florida: “Citizen Lobbyists Endure Bureaucracy at Florida’s Capitol as They Promote Their Causes” by Steve Bousquet (Tampa Bay Times) for Miami Herald

Oklahoma: “Stillwater Councilors Say Energy Lobbyists Gave Ultimatum on Drilling-Ordinance Vote” by Ziva Branstetter for Tulsa World

Virginia: “Norment Won’t Discuss Lobbyist Relationship” by Travis Fain for The Daily Press

Campaign Finance

“The Secret Lives of Hillary and Bill in the White House” by Kate Anderson-Brower for Politico

“This Conservative Group is Tired of Being Accused of Climate Denial – and Is Fighting Back” by Tom Hamburger, Joby Warrick, and Chris Mooney for Washington Post

Arizona: “Arizona Clean Elections Law Lives On” by The Associated Press for Arizona Republic

California: “California Lawmakers’ Campaign Debt Piled High in 2014” by Jim Miller for Sacramento Bee

California: “Former South Bay Supervisor George Shirakawa Avoids Jail Time” by Henry Lee for San Francisco Chronicle

New York: “Ethics Laws Take Aim at Club Dues” by Matthew Hamilton for Albany Times Union

Elections

“Rand Paul Says ‘I Am Running for President’” by Jeremy Peters and Alan Rappeport for New York Times

Lawmakers have passed a bill requiring a special election to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy. House Bill 1181 requires the governor to call a special election within 95 days of a Senate seat vacancy, unless the vacancy occurs within 95 days of the end of the Senate term, in which case the seat will be filled at the next regular election.

Democrats believe the bill is an attempt to discourage U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp from running for governor in 2016 since she would not be able to appoint her replacement.

The bill now goes to Gov. Jack Dalrymple for his signature.

Lobbying

“Last-minute lobbying threatens $200B Medicare package” by Sarah Ferris in The Hill.

Illinois: “Chicago Elections Chief Got Lobbying Contracts from Rahm Emanuel’s Administration” by Matthew Cunningham-Cook and David Sirota in International Business Times.

Campaign Finance

“Gary Hart: Billion-dollar Clinton campaign should ‘frighten’ Americans” by Johnathan Topaz in Politico.

“Rand Paul accepting bitcoins for 2016 bid” by Mario Trujillo in The Hill.

“To Get Ahead in Congress: Skip Governing, Raise Money” by Trevor Potter and Meredith McGehee in Politico.

Florida: “Florida’s fundraising explosion” by Anna Palmer and Marc Caputo in Politico.

Michigan: “Between PACs and standard contributions, state politicians reap loads of cash” by Brian Paynter in The Daily Telegram.

Ohio: “Some Cuyahoga County mayors accept campaign contributions from employees” by Bob Sandrick in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Rhode Island: “R.I. owed $2.2 million in fines for unfiled campaign finance reports” by Jennifer McDermott in the Providence Journal.

Ethics

Nevada: “Bill banning gifts from lobbyists moves forward” by Sandra Chereb in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Elections

Illinois: “Dates proposed for special elections to replace Aaron Schock” by The Associated Press in the Chicago Sun Times.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Booker, McCaskill Beg Higher-Ups for Updated Senate Tech” by Jack Moore in Nextgov.

Lobbying

“Trucking and Rail Industries Turn State Troopers into Unwitting Lobbyists” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

Florida: “In Sunshine State, Big Energy Blocks Solar Power” by Eric Barton for Florida Center for Investigative Reporting

Missouri: “Missouri House Passes Lobbyist Gift Cap, Cooling Off Period” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

New York “Cuomo Expands Lobbying Oversight to Localities” by Jimmy Vielkind for Capital New York

Tennessee: “Ethics Body Undecided on NRA Giving Lawmakers Free Tickets” by Dave Boucher for The Tennessean

Texas: “Questions about Aide to Texas Ag Commissioner Miller” by Eric Dexheimer (Austin American-Statesman) for Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Campaign Finance

“Campaign Finance Complaints Filed Against 4 Presidential Hopefuls” by Eric Lichtblau for New York Times

“Menendez Indictment Marks First Big Corruption Case Involving a Super PAC” by Matea Gold for Washington Post

Maine: “Lawmakers Consider Clean Election Changes after PAC Drama” by Scott Thistle (The Sun Journal) for Bangor Daily News

Vermont: “Court Hands RGA $40,000 in Fines for 2010 Campaign Finance Violations” by Morgan True for VTDigger.org

Ethics

“Tribe’s Infighting Offers Glimpse into Redskins Foundation’s Tactics” by John Woodrow Cox for Washington Post

“Watchdog for Federal Secrecy Has Yet to Bite” by Julian Hattem and Megan Wilson for The Hill

Arkansas: “Panel Backs Window for Gift Return” by Michael Wickline for Arkansas Online

Elections

“The Mobile Election: How smartphones will change the 2016 presidential race” by Dylan Byers for Politico

Lobbying

“Buying Government with Lobbying Money” by Mike Collins in Forbes

“Ed Whitfield’s Ties to Lobbyist Wife Subject of House Ethics Probe” by Hannah Hess in Roll Call

“Reid leaving network of lobbyists behind” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill

Minnesota: “Leap from legislator to lobbyist a short one in Minnesota” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Dan Bauman in the Pioneer Press

Minnesota: “Legislators to lobbyists: A database of their clients and cash” by Dan Bauman in the Pioneer Press

Campaign Finance

“How potential presidential candidates are raising campaign cash” by Reena Flores on CBS News

“Are women giving enough money to political campaigns?” by Stefanie Murray in The Tennessean

Colorado: “Campaign finance rules get overhaul” by Anthony A. Mestas in The Pueblo Chieftain

Montana: “House passes bill to toughen campaign finance laws” in The Montana Standard

Ohio: “Campaign finance fines rarely collected, often reduced” by Amanda Seitz in the Dayton Daily News

Utah: “Utah cities can adopt stricter campaign finance rules” by The Associated Press in KSL.com

Ethics

New York: “Deal Is Reached on New York State Budget; Ethics Measures Are Included” by Thomas Kaplan in The New York Times

Texas: “Analysis: Trying to Spark Ethics Reform, Without a Scandal” by Ross Ramsey in The Texas Tribune

Elections

“Why Some Lawmakers Want to Abolish the 17th Amendment” by Alan Greenblatt in Governing

Government Tech and Social Media

Utah: “In Utah, Participatory Democracy Powered by Loomio and NationBuilder” by Jessica McKenzie in TechPresident

Campaign Finance

“How to Decide When to Announce You’re Running for President” by Rebecca Kaplan and Jake Miller for CBS News

“Hillary Turns Down Invite to Secretive Donor Meeting” by Kenneth Vogel and Tarini Parti for Politico

“‘Dark Money’ Bill Fails in Voice Vote” by Lisa Hammersly and Claudia Lauer for Arkansas Online

Connecticut: “Five-Month Prison Sentence for Lisa Wilson-Foley” by Dave Collins (Associated Press) for CBS Connecticut

Virginia: “Deep Feud Splitting Virginia’s GOP Evident in Party’s Fundraising Woes” by Jenna Portnoy and Paul Schwartzman for Washington Post

Wisconsin”Wisconsin Lawmakers Hear Advice for Changing Complex Campaign Spending, Fundraising Law” by Scott Bauer (Associated Press) for Greenfield Daily Reporter

Wisconsin: “Secret $1.5 Million Donation from Wisconsin Billionaire Uncovered in Scott Walker Dark-Money Probe” by Michael Isikoff for Yahoo! Politics

Ethics

Indiana: “Another Loophole for Ex-INDOT Official?” by Ryan Sabalow and Tony Cook for Indianapolis Star

New Jersey: “Chris Christie Gets Corvette for NJ Radio News Director Who Interviews Him” by Christopher Zara and David Sirota for International Business Times

New York: “Cuomo Focuses on Ethics Reform, Not on Funding” by Jesse McKinley for New York Times

Washington: “Washington Auditor Says He’s Cooperating with Investigation” by Rachel La Corte (Associated Press) for Raleigh News & Observer

Elections

Wisconsin: “U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Take Up Challenge to Wisconsin Voter ID Law” by Jason Stein and Patrick Marley for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel