August 13, 2012 •
Mayor of Concord Wants Ethics Ordinance Reviewed
Board of Ethics
Concord, New Hampshire Mayor Jim Bouley is calling for a review of the city’s ethics ordinance enacted just last year.
According to the Concorde Monitor, the mayor has requested the city council ask the Board of Ethics to assess the ordinance to “ensure a fair and efficient review of ethics complaints.” Two complaints filed against the mayor were recently dismissed by the board.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for tonight.
August 10, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – August 10, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Jack Abramoff Urges Ethics Reform in NCSL Speech
Policing the Politicians; State Ethics Commissions Lack Muscle
Federal:
Is Your Neighbor a Democrat? A New App Can Tell You
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Judge Sentences Siegelman to 78 Months in Prison in Corruption Case
Arkansas
Arkansas State Police Set Policy for Troopers Working College Sports Events
District of Columbia
Petition to Vote on Banning Corporate Political Donations Fails
Florida
Judge Voids Florida Limit on Minors’ Campaign Giving
Missouri
Missouri Lawmakers Keep Reeling in Gifts from Lobbyists
Nebraska
Supreme Court Overturns Campaign Finance Law
New York
Board Accused of Shielding Donors
Ohio
Ohioans to Vote on Drawing Political Maps
South Carolina
Ethics Reform Effort Faces Uphill Fight in S.C.
Virginia
A Facebook Court Battle: Is ‘liking’ something protected free speech?
Washington
Public Disclosure Commission Keeps Working to Inform Voters
West Virginia
Federal Judge Blocks W.Va. Cap on PAC Contributions Pending Legal 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.
August 9, 2012 •
Thursday News Roundup
Keep up with the latest lobbying, ethics, and social media news with these articles:
Lobbying
“How lobbyists became Congress’s leading policy wonks” by Suzy Khimm in The Washington Post.
New York: Editorial: “NY lobbying disclosures are a breakthrough” in Newsday.
“The Nation: It’s Still Party Time At The Conventions” by George Zornick on NPR.
Ethics
“Why Ethics Training Is a Waste of Time” by Mark Funkhouser in Governing.
Michigan: “Michigan: AG Will File Charges in Thaddeus McCotter Petition Scandal Thursday, Per Report” by Shira Toeplitz in Roll Call.
New Hampshire: “Speaker calls for more oversight over ethics” by Garry Rayno in the Union Leader.
Social Media
“Wikipedia locks down pages of VP contenders after excessive edits” by Alicia M. Cohn in The Hill.
From the State Legislatures
“Legislative Leaders Share Stories, Offer Lessons on Leadership” by Alex Fitzsimmons in NCSL’s blog The Thicket.
August 3, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – August 3, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Conservatives Work to Cull Moderate Republicans
Poll: Public doesn’t like lobbyists, OK with lobbying
Federal:
Conservative Group Challenges Red Line Dividing Candidates, Super-PACs
FEC Says It Will Enforce Nonprofit Disclosure Rules
Households Divided by Campaign Donations
From the States and Municipalities:
California
Two Former Lynwood Officials Guilty of Illegally Boosting Salaries
Georgia
Georgia Voters Back Limits on Lobbyist Spending
Iowa
Contributions Dodged Rules, Records Show
Kentucky
Kentucky Lawyer’s Threatened Sanction Rejected on Free-Speech Grounds
New Jersey
Trenton Residents Lobby for Creation of City Ethics Board
New York
Lobbyists to Disclose Donors Since July 1
North Carolina
New Lobbyist Rankings Reflect GOP Takeover of NC Legislature
Ohio
Jimmy Dimora Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison, ‘A Life Sentence,’ Lawyers Say
Utah
Utah Supreme Court Ruling Ends Ethics Initiative Bid
West Virginia
W.Va. Election Commission Votes to Defend Public Financing Plan
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.
August 2, 2012 •
Thursday News Roundup
Lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics
Lobbying
“Commish claims board shields lobbyist” by The Associated Press in The Wall Street Journal.
“GOP Hits Obama on Lobbyist Meetings at ‘Caribou’” by Devin Dwyer, Shushannah Walshe and Mary Bruce on ABC News.
Campaign Finance
“TV stations begin publishing political ad spending” by Mark Binker on WRAL.com.
“Oregon Gets Low Marks For Campaign Finance” by April Baer in Oregon Public Broadcasting.
“The New Rules Of Campaign Finance: Small Dollars Are No Longer King” by Michael Scherer in TIME Magazine.
Ethics
“Laura Richardson fined $10K by ethics panel” by John Bresnahan in Politico.
Utah: “Push for ethics initiative will continue, backers say” by Robert Gehrke in the Salt Lake Tribune.
August 1, 2012 •
Lobbying and Campaign Finance in Today’s News
Take a look at our Wednesday news summary:
Lobbying
Georgia: “Voters want lobbyist gift cap” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Utah: “Utah Supreme Court ruling ends ethics initiative bid” by Robert Gehrke in The Salt Lake Tribune.
The Hill’s “Lobbying World” from July 31.
Campaign Finance
“Washington mayor under fire as finance scandal swirls” by Ian Simpson in Reuters.
“NY board keeps secret donors to pro-Cuomo lobbyist” by The Associated Press in The Wall Street Journal.
Ethics
“Attorney general appoints former prosecutor to Oklahoma Ethics Commission” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
July 30, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Don’t miss these articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and social media:
Lobbying
“Statehouse Live: At least 8 GOP legislators registered to attend ALEC meeting” by Scott Rothschild in the Lawrence Journal World.
Oklahoma: “Lobbyist gift-giving to Oklahoma lawmakers is up again for the third straight year” by Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman.
Campaign Finance
“Massachusetts Senate calls for Congress to pass law reversing Citizens United decision” by Robert Rizzuto in the Republican.
“Big campaign donors can remain a big secret” by Jon Murray and Mary Beth Schneider in the Indianapolis Star News.
Ethics
Alabama: “Lawmakers plan to run again as ‘double dipping’ ban looms” by Sebastian Kitchen in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Connecticut: “7 charged in Donovan probe” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Illinois: “Feds widen probe into newly retired South Side lawmaker” by Ray Long and Monique Garcia in the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois: “Ex-Illinois lawmaker subpoenaed over scholarships” in the Quad-City Times.
South Carolina: “Taxpayer bill for Haley ethics probe is $61,000” by Andrew Shain in the Charlotte Observer.
Utah: “Utah Supreme Court weighs fate of 2010 ethics initiative” by Cathy McKitrick in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Political Campaigns and Social Media
“New Site Seeks to Aggregate User-Generated Political Videos” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.
July 27, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – July 27, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
IRS Says It Will Examine Rules for Nonprofit Political Activity
Lawyers Raking in Cash as Campaign Spending Hits Records
Millionaire Political Donors Club: Where are the women?
From the States and Municipalities:
California
San Bernardino County: Campaign finance reform boosted by bill
Connecticut
Campaign Money Scandal Rattles Congressional Race
Georgia
Governor Admits to Ethics Violations
Nevada
Americans for Prosperity May Have Opened Donors to Public Scrutiny by Entering State Race
Pennsylvania
Pa.’s Tough, New Voter ID Law Lands in Court
Pennsylvania
SEPTA Says It Didn’t Think It Had to Report Lobbyist Spending
Utah
ALEC Conservatives Reject Charges of Corporate Cronyism
Vermont
Vermont AG: No limits for independent expenditure PACs
Wisconsin
Prosser Converts Campaign Account to Legal Defense Fund
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 25, 2012 •
Ethics Ordinance Passes Chicago City Council Vote
New rules to take effect November 1st
The Chicago City Council voted unanimously to pass Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s ethics ordinance. The ordinance, which is the first overhaul of the city’s ethics code in 25 years, institutes the recommendations made by an ethics board Emanuel appointed to study the city’s ethical issues.
The newly passed ordinance will increase the gift prohibition for city officials and employees. Officials and employees will now only be able to accept gifts that are less than $50 in value. It also limits the ability of lobbyists and contractors to make political contributions. It also includes a reverse revolving door provision, which limits a city official or employee’s participation in matters involving former employers.
The ordinance will go into effect on November 1, 2012.
Photo of Chicago’s City Hall and Daley Plaza by JeremyA in Wikipedia.
July 24, 2012 •
Campaign Finance, Campaign Ads, and Ethics in the News
You’ll find many articles in today’s campaign finance and ethics news summary:
Campaign Finance
“Apps to Identify Who Backs Political Ads” in Government Technology.
“Romney-Obama Lawyers Raking in Millions” by Jonathan D. Salant in Bloomberg News.
Massachusetts: “Mass. groups take aim at Citizens United” in the Patriot Ledger.
Montana: “Group seeks to take measure saying corporations aren’t people off ballot” by Charles S. Johnson in the Billings Gazette.
Campaign Ads
“Ad-Rating Project Will Assess Campaign TV Spots by Asking Voters” by Gregory Giroux on Bloomberg News.
“Voters Say They Are Wary of Ads Made Just for Them” by Tanzina Vega in The New York Times.
“Obama, Romney Attack Ads Top Charts” by Tim Hanrahan in The Wall Street Journal.
“Obama puts $46.7M into ads, outspends what he raised in June” by Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars in USA Today.
“Report: Super PACs make up 80 percent of Romney ad spending” by Chris Moody in ABC News.
“Florida PAC Lets Internet Users Create Own Voiceovers For Romney Campaign Ad” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
Ethics
Arizona: “Legislator files ethics complaint against another” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Georgia: “Governor admits to ethics missteps, but major cases dismissed” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
July 20, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – July 20, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
House Ethics Panel Has Track Record of Leniency
Son of Liberal Financier George Soros Launches Anti-Super PAC Super PAC
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Alabama Casino Developer, Lobbyist, Ex-Lawmaker Sentenced to Prison in Statehouse Gambling Scheme
California
Battle Lines Drawn over Payroll Deductions
California
Feds Detail Scale of Graft in Cudahy
Michigan
Prosecutor: Bolger conspired with party switcher, but didn’t break law
Minnesota
Minnesota GOP, Former Chairman Face Fines Over Recount
Nevada
Felon Was a Lobbyist for Catholic Officials in Nevada
New Jersey
FBI Raids City Hall in New Jersey’s Capital
New York
NY Ethics Board Member Resigns from Lobbying Group
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 20, 2012 •
Proposed Chicago Ethics Ordinance Passes Committee Vote
Proposal moves to full city council vote
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s new proposed ethics ordinance has advanced out of committee and will now head to a full city council vote. The proposal, which stems from the first set of recommendations handed out by Emanuel’s appointed Ethics Board, will, among other things, lower the value of gifts that city’s employees and officials may receive. Currently, the limit is $100, but the proposed ordinance lowers that limit to $50.
The proposal is expected to pass the city council. The ethics board is expected to release its second set of ethics recommendations in late summer.
July 19, 2012 •
Be Ready for the 2012 National Party Conventions!
We have everything you need in our new report.
2012 is an exciting year for national politics. State and Federal Communications, Inc. is your trusted resource for comprehensive lobbying and campaign finance guidelines to assist your organization with navigating the national party conventions. Here is our User’s Guide to National Party Conventions.
The Republican National Convention is being held in Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27th to August 30th. The Democratic National Convention opens at the Time Warner Cable Arena on September 3rd and closes on September 6th with President Obama accepting the nomination of his party at the Bank of America Stadium.
These conventions will be a gathering place for delegates and other party members from across the country and thus will represent an excellent opportunity for your organization to interface with a wide range of public officials.
Knowledge of the applicable federal, state, and local rules governing your interactions with both convention delegates and other public officials in attendance will ensure your organization has the tools available to say, “I Comply.”
What is important as you read the document is knowing the official names of the convention and host committees:
1. Republican Convention Committee —
Committee on Arrangements for the 2012 Republican National Convention;
2. Democratic Convention Committee —
The 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee, Inc.;
3. Republican Host Committee —
2012 Tampa Host Committee; and
4. Democratic Host Committee —
Charlotte in 2012 Host Committee.
In closing, we hope this resource serves you well during the upcoming convention season. The Research Department of State and Federal Communications, under Manager John Cozine, made sure we looked at all avenues of giving.
We wish you all the best this summer before the conventions.
Thank you.
Elizabeth Bartz
President and CEO of State and Federal Communications
July 18, 2012 •
Today’s Lobbying and Ethics News Roundup
Don’t miss these latest articles:
Lobbying
“NY ethics board member resigns from lobbying group” by The Associated Press in the Wall Street Journal.
The Hill’s “Lobbying World” news summary.
“Farm bill tops health care law in lobbying dollars” by Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Gate.
Connecticut: “Attorney, lobbyist Albert Pirro arraigned on charges he attacked woman at Conn. Restaurant” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
District Columbia: “D.C. lawmakers, lobbyists talked nearly 600 times” by Alan Blinder in the Washington Examiner.
Ethics
“Ethics Committee launches probe of Dem Rep. Robert Andrews” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
“Blagojevich administration official Ali Ata is spared prison for lying” by Annie Sweeney in the Chicago Tribune.
“Ethics panel has track record of leniency” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
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.
