February 15, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – February 15, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
From the States and Municipalities:
California – Donor to Three Mayoral Candidates Hit with $170,000 Ethics Fine
Connecticut – Howls as Malloy Tries to Shorten Leash on Watchdogs
District of Columbia – D.C. Campaign Finance Proposals Await More Public Comment
Florida – Cashing in on State Contracts Becomes Growth Industry
Florida – Gov. Rick Scott Turns to Lobbyists to Help Push His Agenda
Georgia – New Lobbying Rules Would Prohibit Airfare Expenses
Illinois – Diluted Emanuel Ethics Proposal Finally Gets Nod
Kansas – Legislature Mulls Changing Official Lobbying Threshold
Massachusetts – Lynch, Markey Sign Pledge to Limit Third-Party Ads
New Jersey – Head of Lobbying Firm Hired by AshBritt Will Host Christie Fundraiser
New Jersey – N.J. Firms Donated over $700,000 to Republican Governors Association
New York – Lobby for Cuomo Keeps Donors Secret
South Carolina – South Carolina Attorney General Forwards Complaint against House Speaker Harrell to SLED
Texas – In Some Cases, Government Is All Relative
Virginia – Virginia General Assembly Displays State’s Exceptionalism and its Exceptional Weirdness
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.
February 14, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
Kansas: “Legislature mulls changing official lobbying threshold” by Vikaas Shanker in the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Louisiana: “Study ties Jindal tax plan to ALEC” in the Baton Rouge Advocate.
Maryland: “Bills seek to slow the revolving door of public officials into lobbying” by Becca Heller in the Maryland Reporter.
Campaign Finance
“ABA Supports Disclosure of Secret Political Spending” by Ian Vandewalker in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.
Hawaii: “Mayor donor fund took in $360,000; Ethics digging deeper” by Gina Mangieri in KHON2 News.
New Jersey: “N.J. firms donated over $700,000 to Republican Governors Association” by John Reitmeyer and Melissa Hayes in the Bergen Record.
Rhode Island: “Local Politicians Owe $1.3M in Campaign Fines” by Stephen Beale in GoLocal Prov.
Ethics
Connecticut: “Conflict of interest bill gains traction” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Iowa: “Ethics committee won’t reprimand Iowa state senator” by Mike Wiser in the Quad-City Times.
Kentucky: “Metro ethics bill passes House panel” by Joseph Gerth in the Courier-Journal.
Maine: “Maine bill seeks to end cozy relations between state officials, private firms” by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in the Portland Press Herald.
Rhode Island: “Drive to reinstate R.I. Ethics Commission power over legislators resumes” by Katherine Gregg in the Providence Journal.
February 12, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Wall Street tipsters brace for exposé on their industry, scrutiny from Capitol Hill” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Wisconsin: “Bill to prevent revolving door” by Alice Coyne in the Badger Herald.
Campaign Finance
“Congressman seeks to overturn Citizens United” by the Associated Press in U.S. News & World Report.
Arizona: “Phoenix launches searchable campaign-finance website” by Dustin Gardiner in the Arizona Republic.
Florida: “House moves ahead with plan to end slush funds, raise campaign contribution limits to $10,000” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Ethics
Florida: “Former state GOP chairman Jim Greer pleads guilty to theft, money laundering” by Lucy Morgan in the Miami Herald.
Social Media
Eric Brown’s Political Activity Law blog points out that next week is Social Media Week.
“Do Governments Need Personal Social Media Policies?” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.
February 11, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
District of Columbia: “Washington lobbying is key part of Williams Mullen’s evolution” by Catherine Ho in the Washington Post.
North Dakota: “Bill would allow use of public funds to hire lobbyists” by Nick Smith in the Bismarck Tribune.
Texas: “Despite Reforms, Some Elected Officials Still Lobby” by Aman Batheja in the Texas Tribune.
Campaign Finance
“Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. admits to campaign finance violationsFormer Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. admits to campaign finance violations” by ASndrew Rafferty in NBC News.
“Review: Ex-House members still dipping into campaign funds” by Fredreka Shouten in the Montgomery Advertiser.
District of Columbia: “D.C. campaign finance proposals await more public comment” by Tim Craig in the Washington Post.
Florida: “Indicted Developer Jay Odom Set to Enter Plea in Campaign Finance Case” by Lucy Morgan in the Ledger.
Georgia: “Ralston Amends Proposed Lobbying Rules” by the Associated Press in GPB News.
Iowa: “Campaign finance bill offers new approach” by William Petroski in the Des Moines Register.
Montana: “Several campaign finance bills introduced in 2013 session” in the Missoulian.
Philadelphia, PA: “2 move to regulate campaign $” by Jan Ransom in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Ethics
Connecticut: “Legislator pushes conflict of interest bill” by Brian Lockhart in the Connecticut Post.
Idaho: “Lawmakers propose ethics committee” by Katherine Wutz in the Idaho Mountain Express.
Oklahoma: “New Ethics Commission leader seeks better campaign-reporting software” by Barbara Hoberock in Tulsa World.
West Virginia: “Ethics Commission in contract talks with director finalist” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.
Open Government
Oklahoma: “Disputes over Oklahoma’s open records and open meetings laws continue” by Zeke Campfield and Phillip O’Connor in the Oklahoman.
Redistricting
Ohio: “Ohio Redistricting Overhaul Gains Support” by Josh Goodman in Stateline.
Social Media
“Social Media: Becoming a Trusted Source for Political Information” by Pam Greenberg in NCSL’s The Thicket.
February 8, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – February 8, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
U.S. Groups Flex Their Muscles in Brussels
From the States and Municipalities:
California – FPPC Examining Changes to California Lobbyist Disclosure
Colorado – Judge Denies Halting Ethics Probe of Gessler; Appeal Coming
Kansas – NRA Lines Up Support for Anti-Public Lobbying Bill
Maine – America’s Capital of Divided Government
Maryland – Maryland Ethics Panel Says Delegate Should Not Have Tried to Silence Football Player
Massachusetts – DiMasi, Lobbyist Ask Appeals Court to Overturn Convictions
Massachusetts – Lobbyists Win Challenge to Galvin Requirement
Missouri – Missouri Gov. Nixon Got Donation from Contractor While Decrying Big Political Money
Nebraska – Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy Resigns in Scandal Involving Cell Phone Calls to Four Women
New Jersey – N.J. Budget Official Questions Florida Debris Firm’s $100 Million Contract, Political Connections
New York – Two Campaign Aides Going on Trial, but Comptroller May Face Judgment
Texas – Text Donations Spread Down 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.
February 8, 2013 •
Palm Beach County Commission Votes to Expand Ethics Commission
From five members to seven
The Palm Beach County Commission voted in favor of a proposal to expand the county’s ethics commission from five members to seven. County Commissioner Priscilla Taylor pushed for the change, saying the commission needed more diversity.
The proposal will go before the committee responsible for drafting changes to the county code, and then back to the county commission for a final vote.
Independent community groups are responsible for selecting the ethics commission’s members.
February 5, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Senate lobbying data revamp causing problems for data watchdogs” by Dave Levinthal in the Center for Public Integrity.
“Lobbyists rush to shape immigration deal” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Georgia: “Lobbyists asked to sponsor Senate lunches” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Michigan: “Lobbying expenses add up in 2012” by Kristen M. Daum in the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Campaign Finance
Kansas: “House panel may allow politicians to rollover campaign funds” by Tim Carpenter in the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Missouri: “Seminar will focus on Missouri campaign finance laws” by Paul Hampel in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
South Dakota: Legislature: “Panel endorses greater campaign disclosure” in the Argus Leader.
Ethics
“Attorneys Want Public Input on Ethics Office Rules Changes” by Amanda Becker in Roll Call.
Kansas: “Bill would set term limits for Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission” by Scott Rothschild in the Lawrence Journal World.
Maryland: “Reprimand, apology recommended for lawmaker” by Erin Cox and Michael Dresser in the Baltimore Sun.
Redistricting
“Emails show legislative staff talked with party over redistricting maps” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
February 4, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Campaign Finance
New York: “Newest NY Senator says she’ll fight for campaign finance reform” by Karen DeWitt in North Country Public Radio.
Lobbying
“Unregistered Lobbyists Keep Business Humming” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Business Roundtable Head Says CEOs Will Be Visible Lobbyists” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
California: “Capitol lobbying rises” by Laurel Rosenhall” in the Sacramento Bee.
Georgia: “House vs. Senate on the lobbyist gift ban” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New Jersey: “State watch: Hidden persuaders and local lobbying” by David Neese in the Trentonian.
Ethics
Nebraska: “Nebraska’s lieutenant governor quits amid scandal” by The Associated Press in the Los Angeles Times.
From the State Legislatures
Nevada: “All you need to know about the 77th Legislature convening today” by Anjeanette Damon and David McGrath in the Las Vages Sun.
Ohio: “Lawmaking 101: There’s a process” by Jim siegel in the Columbus Dispatch.
Wisconsin:“Lawmakers Have Mixed Feelings About Part Time Legislature” Marti Mikkelson on WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio.
NCSL’s “Legislative Social Media Sites”
Open Government
Missouri: “Mo. measure seeks to strengthen open records law” by The Associated Press in the News Tribune.
February 1, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – February 1, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Menendez Pushes Back on Scandal Implications
On K Street, Score One for the Little Guy
From the States and Municipalities:
Colorado
Accidental E-mail Attachment Gets Lobbyist in Hot Water with Senate Majority Leader
Florida
House Proposes Closing Slush Funds, Raising Contribution Limits
Georgia
Georgia Speaker Unveils Sweeping Ethics Legislation
Hawaii
Lobbying Lessons: What Hawaii can learn from other states
Idaho
Armed Man in Security Video is Sorry He Alarmed Idaho Legislators
Illinois
Ex-Illinois State Ethics Panel Member Gets Ethics Fine
Kansas
Labor Groups Suffer Blow in Kansas House
Michigan
North Carolina
N.C. Budget Chairs Change Seats, Start Lobbying Careers
Pennsylvania
Pa. Lawmaker Seeks to Change Offensive Name of Mountain
Rhode Island
RI Rep: Ban lobbyist contributions during session
South Carolina
Ethics Panel Created by Gov. Haley Releases Report
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.
January 31, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Lobbyist for lobbyists steps away” by Dave Levinthal in The Center for Public Integrity.
Florida: “Wilton Manors mayor takes on lobbying ban in county ethics code” by Brittany Wallman in the Sun Sentinel.
Idaho: “Dueling petitions: Signers have some fun at lobbyist’s expense” in the Idaho Statesman.
Campaign Finance
“Obama’s Flip-Flops on Money in Politics: A Brief History” by Justin Elliott (ProPublica) in the Huffington Post.
“Justice to SCOTUS: Don’t allow direct corporate campaign spending” by Alison Frankel in Thomson Reuters.
Florida: “House proposes closing slush funds, raising contribution limits” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Indiana: “Some familiar names make campaign-finance violation list” by Kevin Leininger in the News-Sentinel.
Rhode Island: “RI Rep: ban lobbyist contributions during session” by The Associated Press in NECN.
Ethics
Colorado: “Gessler sues ethics commission to stop investigation of his spending” by Tim Hoover in the Denver Post.
Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Ethics Commission hires general counsel” by Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman.
South Carolina: “Disgraced Former Gov. Mark Sanford Is Ready To Make Another Move” by Alan Greenblatt on NPR.
Open Government
South Dakota: “South Dakota lawmakers reject plan to record closed meetings” in the Sioux City Journal.
January 30, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Keep up with the latest articles on campaign finance, lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“K Street Files: Defense, Tax Aides Join McBee” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Lobbying World” in The Hill.
California: “Former assemblyman registers as a lobbyist” by Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee.
Georgia: “Georgia speaker unveils sweeping ethics legislation” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Missouri: “Lawmaker: Legislators should never become lobbyists” by Bob Watson in the News Tribune.
Campaign Finance
“FEC Increases Contribution Limits for 2014” by Kyle Trygstad in Roll Call.
Montana: “Montana legislators, groups at odds on campaign donation limits” by Mike Dennison in the Missoulian.
New York: “On Campaign Finance Reform, Senate Republicans Stand in Gov. Cuomo’s Way” opinion piece by John Petro in the Huffington Post.
Ethics
“Ethics Office Opened 32 Cases During 112th Congress” by Amanda Becker in Roll Call.
Hawaii: “Honolulu Ethics Commission Wants to Double Its Resources to Fight Public Corruption” in the Hawaii Reporter.
Illinois: “Former state ethics commissioner hit with $2,500 ethics violation” by Rafael Guerrero in the Chicago Tribune.
Maine: “Bill would bar state officials from quitting to immediately work for industries they regulated” by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in the Bangor Daily News.
New York: “NY ethics board talks conflicts in secret session” by The Associated Press in the Albany Times Union.
New York: “Ex-aide to City Controller John Liu snared in campaign finance fraud probe is granted immunity to testify in former treasurer’s trial” by Robert Gearty in the New York Daily News.
South Carolina: “SC Supreme Court to hear Nikki Haley ethics case” by Andrew Shain in The State.
Elections
Michigan: “Snyder nixes plan to split Michigan electoral votes” by Alexander Burns in Politico.
Ohio: “State Sen. Turner proposes election reform package” by Joe Hallett in the Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio: “Secretary of State Jon Husted and other Republicans say Electoral College changes not in store for Ohio” by Henry J. Gomez in the Plain Dealer.
Open Government
Mississippi: “Mississippi gets low grades for transparency on state, local websites” by Donna Harris in the Sun Herald.
South Dakota: “Legislature: Public records plan falls short” by David Montgomery in the Argus Leader.
January 29, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“K Street Files: New Faces at Harlow Foundation, Thorn Run” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Abramoff lists 8 tips to overhaul lobbying laws” by Keith Matheny in USA Today.
“10 Strange Lobbying Groups That We Swear Are Real” by Elizabeth Flock in U.S. News & World Report.
Kentucky: “Kentucky sets lobbying record in 2012” by Phil Impellizzeri in the Bluegrass Institute.
Nevada: “Former Nevada legislative director joins high profile public relations, lobbying firm” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
Campaign Finance
Missouri: “Nixon makes pitch for Medicaid, campaign donation limits” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Utah: “Some ethics bills advance, while calls arise for more” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Vermont: “Ben and Jerry push campaign finance ‘petition on steroids’” Dan D’Ambrosio in the Burlington Free Press.
Ethics
Arizona: “Arizona Democrats introduce trio of ethics bills” by AJ Vicens in Cronkite News.
Arizona: “Arizona Democrats introduce trio of ethics bills” by Mary Jo Pitzl in the Arizona Republic.
New Jersey: “Christie make case for taking over independent agencies” by Matt Katz in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
South Carolina: “Gov.’s commission suggests ‘clean, honest’ ethics plan” by Andrew Shain in The State.
Texas: “Ethics Commission to Debate Fundraising Opinion” by Emily Ramshaw in the Texas Tribune.
Virginia: “Va. lawmakers’ gifts last year were padded with travel” by Bill Sizemore in the Virginian-Pilot.
Redistricting
North Carolina: “Judges to hear N.C. redistricting challenge” by Dale Gibson in the Triangle Business Journal.
Virginia: “Va. Senate OK’s constitutional amendments” by Laura Vozzella in the Washington Post.
Wisconsin: “Rep. Vos subpoenaed in Wisconsin redistricting case” by The Associated Press in the Post Crescent.
January 28, 2013 •
South Carolina Ethics Reform Commission Offers Recommendations
Lobbying definitions and fees would expand
The Commission on Ethics Reform, formed by Governor Nikki Haley in October, 2012, has released 23 recommendations following a series of public meetings. Recommendation 12 would revise lobbying definitions to cover individuals who lobby any political subdivision of the state, including counties, city councils, municipalities, school districts, and special purpose or public service districts.
The commission hopes to offset the additional cost associated with expanding lobbying registration and reporting by increasing the registration fee for lobbyists and lobbyist principals. Whether or not the reform recommendations will produce new legislation is up to state lawmakers.
January 28, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“D.C. Circuit Upholds Conviction of Former Abramoff Lobbying Associate” by Tom Ruger in the Blog of the Legal Times.
Arizona: “Inquiry of Fiesta Bowl lobbyist drags on” by Craig Harris in the Arizona Republic.
Georgia: “Lobbyist gifts decline amid citizen outcry” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hawaii: “Hawaii legislators push reforming ethics rules for lobbyists and public officials” by Anita Hofschneider (Associated Press) in The Republic.
Kentucky: “Some notes on 2012 lobbying spending” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
New Mexico: “Lobbyists haven’t reported all event expenses” by Steve Terrell in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
North Carolina: “N.C. budget chairs change seats, start lobbying careers” by Rob Christensen in the Charlotte Observer.
Washington: “Spin Control: Lobbying season kicks off in Olympia” by Jim Camden in the Spokesman Review.
Campaign Finance
Arizona: “Campaign finance violations targeted” by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez in the Arizona Republic.
Montana: “Montana bill seeks cash to fight ‘dark money‘” by Matt Gouras (Associated Press) in the Great Falls Tribune.
Ethics
South Dakota: “Sunshine laws draw support, resistance” by David Montgomery in the Argus Leader.
Government Tech and Social Media
“6 Ways to Optimize Gov-to-Citizen Communication” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.
Legislative Issues
Arizona: “Arizona’s new Legislature not demographically representative of population” by Mary Jo Pitzl in the Arizona Republic.
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.
