March 27, 2012 •
High Profile Ethics Violation Cases in the News
U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards, and Illinois Rep. Derrick Smith all have made a prominent appearance in the news today:
“FEC fines Charlie Rangel $23K for apartment misuse” by Darius Dixon in Politico.
“Rangel agrees to pay $23,000 FEC fine over use of rent-controlled apartment” by Justin Sink in The Hill.
“Jefferson loses bribery appeal” by Mackenzie Weinger in Politico. (Jefferson, if you recall, hid $90,000 in his freezer.)
“Edwards lawyers seek leeway in questioning Young” by Michael Biesecker (Associated Press) on WOODTV.com.
“House opens hearings into Chicago lawmaker’s bribery charge” by Ray Long in The Chicago Tribune.
March 27, 2012 •
Cuyahoga County Advisory Opinion Clarifies Ethics Ordinance
Charitable event tickets subject to the gift law limits.
The Cuyahoga County Inspector General, Nailah Byrd, has issued an advisory opinion (IGADV-0005) regarding whether a public official or employee’s acceptance of a ticket to a charitable fundraising event violates any provision of the ethics ordinance.
The opinion states that while the ethics ordinance does not explicitly prohibit the acceptance of a ticket, it does require certain conditions to be met.
A charitable event ticket given by a lobbyist or contractor must not include an extravagant or lavish meal, entertainment of significant value, or a fair market value price exceeding $75.
March 26, 2012 •
How Many Public Corruption Convictions in Your State?
Governing took a look at data from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.
In the wake of the State Integrity Investigation corruption risk report, Governing posted this article revealing how many public corruption convictions have occurred in each state from 2001 to 2010, as well as calculating a per capita conviction index.
According to the article: “In terms of raw totals, the more populous states racked up the most prosecutions over the decade, led by Texas (697), California (679), Florida (674) and New York (589).”
The per capita ranking was a bit different, with Louisiana leading the list.
Be sure to read “Which States Have the Highest Public Corruption Convictions?” by Mike Maciag in Governing.
March 23, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – March 23, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Study: State governments at high risk for corruption
Federal:
Federal Contractors Donate to Super PAC Backing Romney
GOP Super PAC Men Seek to Overturn Donation Limits
Insider Trading Ban for Lawmakers Clears Congress
Senate Dems Push ‘Disclose Act 2.0’
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Key Corruption Trial Attorneys to Be in Benefit
Georgia
Atlanta Ethics Nominee Withdraws Name; Legislation to Give City Council More Power is Shelved
Illinois
Democrats Now Press Smith to Resign
Kansas
Kansas Bill Would Allow Officials to Explain Ballot Items in ‘Plain English’
Wisconsin
Ethics Violations Filed against Prosser
Wisconsin
Supreme Court Dismisses Case Challenging Political Ad Rules
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.
March 23, 2012 •
U.S. Senate Passes STOCK Act
The Senate passed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act yesterday, banning insider trading by members of Congress.
For full news coverage, be sure to read:
“STOCK Act passes: Insider trading ban heads to Obama” by Scott Wong in Politico.
“Lawmakers hit bipartisan note following STOCK Act passage” by Peter Schroeder in The Hill.
March 22, 2012 •
South Carolina House Representative Resigns
Special election to be called
Thad Viers announced his resignation as State Representative for House District 68. The announcement came after Mr. Viers was charged with harassing his ex-girlfriend. She told investigators he continued to call, text and email for more than five months after they broke up, according to a Myrtle Beach police report.
Due to the vacancy, a special election will be held following the writ of election to be issued by the speaker of the house. There is currently an unrelated special election scheduled for Senate District 41 on July 17, 2012.
Photo of Thad Viers courtesy of the South Carolina House of Representatives website.
Derrick Smith, an Illinois lawmaker who has been arrested on federal bribery charges, has won the Democratic primary for the state House race in the fall.
For full news coverage, read:
“Indicted Illinois House member wins Dem nomination” by John O’Connor (Associated Press) in The State Journal-Register.
“Chicago lawmaker charged in bribe case wins primary” by Andrew Stern (Reuters) in the Chicago Tribune.
ᔥ Thanks go to Jim Sedor, Editor of News You Can Use, for finding this article.
ᔥPhoto courtesy of the Illinois General Assembly website.
March 21, 2012 •
STOCK Act is Back
Will be voted on without amendments.
The U.S. Senate will proceed with the House version of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. The bill would bar lawmakers and staff from engaging in insider trading and has been stalled since February. The provision requiring the registration and reporting of “political intelligence consultants” has been removed, but U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) are working to have it restored.
According to Politico, “Reid filed a cloture petition on the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act on Tuesday, setting up a Thursday vote to move forward on the bill.”
“Harry Reid to force vote on insider trading bill” by John Bresnahan and Anna Palmer in Politico.
Also: “Senate to vote on STOCK Act” by Paul Kane in The Washington Post.
March 20, 2012 •
Campaign Finance, Redistricting, and Ethics in the News
Today we have stories about campaign finance reform in North Carolina, clean elections in Connecticut, campaign finance violations, redistricting, and more:
Campaign Finance
Connecticut: “Watchdogs worried clean elections fund could run dry in next race for governor” by Keith M. Phaneuf in CTMirror.org.
District of Columbia: “Campaign finance inquiry takes close look at money-order donations in District” by Mike DeBonis and Nikita Stewart in The Washington Post.
Michigan: “Michigan group delays corporate disclosure measure” by The Associated Press on Michigan Live.
Missouri: “Kansas City lawmaker faces $30,585 in ethics fees” by Chris Blank in The Kansas City Star.
North Carolina: “Dome: Board of Elections will discuss campaign finance law” by John Frank and Tim Funk in The News & Observer.
Wisconsin: “GAB fined 110 people for campaign finance and ethics violations in last 3 years” by Kate Golden in The Wisconsin State Journal.
Campaigns and Elections
“Rogue political robocalls on the rise in Ohio” by Sabrina Eaton in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Redistricting
Florida: “New Senate district map ticks off both parties” by Mary Ellen Klas and Darla Cameron in The Miami Herald.
New York: “Incumbents at risk in final N.Y. map” by Alex Isenstadt in Politico.
Ethics
“Federal prosecutor under fire for anonymously commenting on news website” by Andrew Lapin in Government Executive.
March 19, 2012 •
States Get Their Ethics Report Cards
No state received an “A” grade.
State Integrity Investigation has just published a study on government transparency and accountability in the states. The partners in the project are The Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity, and Public Radio International.
The bad news is that most states suffer from a lack of transparency and other ethical issues. The State Integrity Investigation website describes the following:
“Open records laws with hundreds of exemptions. Crucial budgeting decisions made behind closed doors by a handful of power brokers. ‘Citizen’ lawmakers voting on bills that would benefit them directly. Scores of legislators turning into lobbyists seemingly overnight. Disclosure laws without much disclosure. Ethics panels that haven’t met in years.”
For a summary of the report, take a look at: “Grading the nation: How accountable is your state?” by Caitlin Ginley on The Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News.
Also, be sure to read: “Study: State governments at high risk for corruption” by The Associated Press on Fox News.
Here are some of the news stories about the report from various states:
Alabama: “Alabama gets C- in report on most corruptible states” on WAFF.com.
Arizona: “Arizona gets D+ on corruption risk report card” by Maureen West in the Tucson Sentinel.
Arkansas: “Arkansas gets ‘D’ grade in public integrity” by Max Brantley in the Arkansas Times.
Florida: “When it comes to lobbying, Florida’s Sunshine law is dark” by Toluse Olorunnipa in the Miami Herald.
Florida: “Integrity index gives Florida politics a C-” by Kenny Malone in the Miami Herald.
Georgia: “Georgia last in public corruption laws” by Chris Joyner and Aaron Gould Sheinin in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Illinois: “Illinois rates a C and ranks 10th in the U.S.” by Amanda Vinicky in the Quad-City Times.
Maine: “Watchdogs fault state for lax ethical oversight” by Naomi Schalit, Lance Tapley, and John Christie in the Kennebec Journal.
Michigan: “Michigan’s Corruptibility Rated An ‘F’ In New Report — And It Isn’t Just A Detroit Problem” by Matt Sledge in the Huffington Post.
New Jersey: “New Jersey leads in national survey of sleaze-busting” by Dave Davies in NewsWorks.
New Jersey: “Report: N.J. has lowest corruption risk of any state” by Mary-Ann Spoto in the Star-Ledger.
Ohio: “Ohio rated as lax on ethics” by Paul Kostyu on Cincinnati.com.
Oregon: “Report: Oregon’s ethics rules occasionally undermined by ‘loopholes’” by Ryan Kost in The Oregonian.
Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania has right-to-know law, but austerity hinders transparency” by Peter Durantine on NewsWorks.
Tennessee: “Tennessee Near Top of Nation for Anti-corruption Measures” by Nina Cardona on Nashville Public Radio.
Virginia: “Va. Gets F in Corruption-Risk Assessment” by The Associated Press on WHSV.com.
Washington: “Washington Scores Well On Transparency, But Up To Citizens To Verify” by Amy Radil on KUOW.org.
March 19, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – March 19, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
2012 GOP Primary Shaping Up to Be Cheapest Race in Years
Group Offers $25,000 Reward for Exposing Secret Corporate Giving
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Alabama Public Corruption Trials Focus on Bribes vs. Donations
Colorado
Spending by Super PACs in Colorado Is the Dominion of Democrats
Illinois
Part of Campaign Finance Law Nixed
Illinois
State Rep. Derrick Smith, of Chicago, Is Charged with Accepting Bribe
Kentucky
Senate Changes Schedule, Allowing David Williams to Attend Kentucky Basketball Game
Minnesota
Business-Backed ALEC’s Relations with Conservative Lawmakers Riles Democrats
New Mexico
Arrests Mount in Sunland Park Scandal; New Details about Alleged Extortion Threat Emerge
Ohio
Jimmy Dimora Convicted of Racketeering, 32 Other Corruption-Related Charges
Ohio
Legislator Charged in FBI Bribery Sting
South Carolina
Ard Resigns, Is Indicted, Gets Probation
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.
March 14, 2012 •
Lobbyist Compliance and Other Resources Online
State and Federal Communications, Inc. is your compliance information source for campaign finance, lobbying compliance, procurement, and ethics laws.
Take a tour of our site and click on the “Free Live Online Demo” on the middle of the left column of the home page. You will open a page with three blue links, located in the middle of the page:
•Executive Source Guide on Lobbying Laws
•Executive Source Guide on Political Contributions
•Executive Source Guide on Procurement Lobbying
Click on any one – or all three – to view the state of Alaska compliance information we provide to clients. This comprehensive and vital compliance information is updated continuously.
We have this same online information for all 50 states, the federal government, and 226 municipal and regional governments.
If you would like to view everything we have for online clients, contact us at info@stateandfed.com or 330-761-9960 and ask about our two-week trial. There is no cost for the trial, and you are under no obligation to purchase.
We can think of no better way for you to see the value in our online resources than for you and your team to actually use them for two weeks in your compliance efforts.
March 12, 2012 •
Today’s Campaign Finance and Lobbying News
Super PACs, the revolving door, and Facebook’s lobbying in the news:
Campaign Finance
“The Super PAC Paradox” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
“The year’s busiest day of campaign fundraising shows how Springfield really works” by Ray Long and Alissa Groeninger in the Chicago Tribune.
“Group to appeal Iowa campaign finance ruling” by The Associated Press in the Globe Gazette.
Lobbying
“Retiring lawmakers openly eye K Street” by Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman in Politico.
“Lobbying pays off big for business” by Toluse Olorunnipa in the Miami Herald.
“Facebook ‘friends’ a new lobby firm” by Rachel Leven in The Hill.
March 12, 2012 •
News You Can Use – March 12, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
One Super PAC Takes Aim at Incumbents of Any Party
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Jury Acquits All Defendants, Including Means, in Gambling Corruption Case
California
Ethics Panel Raises Donation Limits in Municipal Campaigns
California
Trutanich Paid for YouTube Views of D.A. Campaign Videos
Georgia
Some Priorities Fade as Lawmakers Favor Social Issues Ahead of Election Season
Maryland
Bereano’s 1994 Conviction Upheld
Maryland
Leopold Indicted on Charges of Using Police Detail for Political Gain
Missouri
Honor for Rush Limbaugh is Fracas for Missouri
Nevada
Ethics Case Back before Nevada Supreme Court
New Mexico
Newly Elected Sunland Park Mayor to Seek Court Order to Do Job
Oklahoma
Ex-Senator Convicted of Bribery; Co-Defendant Free
Utah
Special Interests Busy Providing Perks to Legislators
West Virginia
W.Va. Ethics Panel Clarifies Cohabitation Law
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.
