May 6, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“Why Lobbying Is Now Increasingly In The Shadows” by Peter Overby on NPR.org.
“Quarterly Lobbying Reports Show Yet Another Decline” by Russ Choma in OpenSecrets.org.
Kansas: “74% of lobbyist spending on Kansas lawmakers unaccounted for” by Dion Lefler and Brent Wistrom in the Kansas City Star.
New Mexico: “Lawmakers raise concerns about Carruthers’ lobbyist past” by The Associated Press in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Campaign Finance
“States’ Seek to Limit Undisclosed Political Donations” by Matea Gold, Chris Megerian and Mark Z. Barabak in Governing.
Montana: “Montana governor vetoes campaign finance, water commission bills” by The Associated Press in the Missoulian.
New York: “Senate GOP Hearings Will Examine NYC’s Public Campaign Financing System” by Karen DeWitt on WNYC.
New York: “Bill Would Bar Political Consultants From Also Lobbying” by Ken Lovett in the New York Daily News.
North Carolina: “Poll shows NC voters want to retain campaign finance law for statewide judges” in the News & Observer.
Ethics
Pennsylvania: “Baker’s bill adds much-needed transparency” by Robert Swift in the Citizens’ Voice.
South Carolina: “SC Senate Ethics Committee adds altering documents to ethics allegations against Sen. Ford” by Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) in The Republic.
South Carolina: “SC ethics reform proposal will see ‘substantial’ changes in Senate” by Jamie Self in The State.
Virginia: “Va. cabinet member discloses taking gifts” by The Associated Press in the Virginian-Pilot.
Redistricting
North Carolina: “Dome: Study finds – surprise! – redistricting benefits majority party” by Craig Jarvis in the News & Observer.
May 2, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
California: “California lobbying firms make $40.1M in first quarter” by Kathy Robertson in the Sacramento Business Journal.
Illinois: “Evaluating Municipal Lobbying Data: Chicago” by Alisha Green in the Sunlight Foundation blog.
Campaign Finance
“Billionaire’s son pushes for campaign-finance overhaul” by Brian Tumulty in USA Today.
Arizona: “Horne campaign finance case puts contribution limits at risk” by Howard Fischer in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Florida: “Ramba: Campaign-finance reform will just shuffle paper work” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.
Missouri:
Missouri: “Senate bill would limit campaign contributions” by Jonathan Shorman in the News-Leader.
New York: “WATCH LIVE: Senate IDC hosts hearing on campaign-finance reform” by Jon Campbell in Politics on the Hudson.
Ethics
Connecticut: “Malloy’s trip on People Magazine’s dime raises questions” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
North Carolina: “NC elections board gets new chair, exec director” in the Daily Dispatch.
New York: “Director leaving high-profile NY ethics commission” on CBS Albany News.
Pennsylvania: “Gov. Corbett discloses gifts, free travel for 2012” by The Associated Press in the Patriot-News.
Pennsylvania: “9 members of Congress from Pa. cited in nepotism report” by Melissa Daniels in The Reporter.
From the State Legislatures
“Elections—and Rules—Have Consequences” by Karen Shanton in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Indiana: “Indiana Governor Mike Pence doesn’t rule out vetoes of legislative bills” in the Courier-Journal.
Louisiana: “House committee shoots down effort at term limits for statewide elected officials” by Jeff Adelson in the Times-Picayune.
Government Tech and Social Media
“YouTube goes to Washington” by Seth Rosenblatt in CNET News.
May 2, 2013 •
Florida Governor Scott Approves Ethics and Campaign Finance Overhaul
Campaign finance changes take effect later this year
Two major bills passed by the Florida Legislature were signed by Governor Rick Scott late on Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The bills make significant changes to the state’s ethics and campaign finance laws.
Senate Bill 2, the state’s ethics overhaul, becomes effective immediately upon becoming a law.
House Bill 569, the campaign finance bill, takes effect November 1, 2013, except for the provisions eliminating committees of continuous existence (CCEs). CCEs are prohibited from accepting contributions after August 1, 2013, and their certification will be revoked as of September 30, 2013. Additionally, the bill requires the Division of Elections to present a proposal for mandatory electronic filing to the legislature by December 1, 2013.
For previous coverage about this legislation, see “Florida Legislature Passes Campaign Finance Bill” and “Florida Ethics Bill Heads to Governor Scott” by Jennifer Zona.
May 1, 2013 •
South Carolina House Passes Ethics Bill
Campaign and lobbyist reporting would be expanded
The House has passed a bill to overhaul ethics laws, including campaign finance and lobbying. House Bill 3945 creates the Joint Committee on Ethics and the Public Integrity Unit to investigate complaints and replace the separate House and Senate ethics committees.
The bill includes new reporting requirements for campaign contributions just before an election and extends lobbyist registration and reporting for individuals lobbying local governments and school boards.
A final approval on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, allows the bill to meet the crossover deadline for Senate consideration. If sent any later, the bill would need a two-thirds vote for Senate passage.
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 •
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 26, 2013 •
Florida Ethics Bill Heads to Governor Scott
Adds prohibitions on lobbying by former legislators
Perhaps the most talked-about piece of legislation this session, Senate Bill 2 was passed unanimously by both houses of the Florida Legislature.
The final ethics bill:
- Prohibits members of the legislature from acting as lobbyists for compensation before an executive branch agency, agency official, or employee for two years after leaving office. The version passed by the House eliminated an original provision preventing legislators from becoming lobbyists or principals of lobbying firms lobbying the legislature;
- Provides for a fine of up to $5,000 for executive branch lobbyists who fail to disclose required material facts as required or knowingly provide false information;
- Allows the Commission on Ethics to investigate whether a lobbyist has made a prohibited expenditure if a complaint is filed; and
- Prohibits vendors from providing gifts to a reporting individual or procurement employee for vendors doing business with the reporting individual’s or procurement employee’s agency.
The ethics bill was a top priority of Senate President Don Gaetz. He called the bill his “proudest moment as a senator.” The bill was sent immediately to Governor Rick Scott, who has seven days to sign or veto the bill.
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 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 •
Arkansas Ethics Amendment to be Decided by the Voters
Bill would ban corporate contributions and lobbyist gifts
Governor Mike Beebe has approved a proposed constitutional amendment to be placed on the November 4, 2014 general election ballot. House Joint Resolution 1009, the Arkansas Elected Officials Ethics, Transparency, and Financial Reform Amendment of 2014, passed both chambers shortly before the regular session recessed on April 24, 2013.
If affirmed by the voters, the constitutional amendment will ban corporate and union gifts to political campaigns, ban lobbyist gifts to legislative and executive officials, and provide 16 year term limits for legislators. The amendment would also increase the time between when a legislator leaves office and when a legislator is permitted to become a lobbyist from one year to two years.
The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on May 17, 2013 for a veto session before adjourning sine die.
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.
April 20, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – April 20, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
From the States and Municipalities:
California – Legislative Staffers Lavished with Gifts
Indiana – Indiana Speaker Pro Tem Turner Defends Supporting Company Daughter Represents as Lobbyist
Kentucky – Kentucky Group Is the PAC That Couldn’t Shoot Straight
Montana – Montana House Panel Kills Bill to Disclose ‘Dark Money’ in Campaigns
Nebraska – Golf Tops List of Gifts Dave Heineman Reported
New Jersey – Bergen County Freeholders Introduce Plan to Relax Pay-to-Play Restrictions
New Jersey – In N.J. Governor’s Race, Christie and Buono Choose to Keep Some Donors Secret
New York – Sandra Lee OK’d for Takeoff
Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania Turnpike Scandal Has Some Eyeing a Pay-to-Play Law
Pennsylvania – Senate Passes Three Bills to Strengthen Transparency and Efficiency in State Government
South Carolina – National GOP Campaign Arm Withdraws Sanford’s Financial Support
Tennessee – Bill Fails That Would Raise Campaign Contribution Limits, Allowing Direct Corporate Donations
Texas – Exotic Trips, Luxury Gifts Are Perks of Elective Office
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.
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.