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.

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

The Fair Political Practices Commission has approved a change to simplify lobbyist reporting requirements for “drop-in” events.

The amendment to regulation 18640 allows appetizers and beverages to be excluded from the gift valuation for an official who does not stay for any meal or entertainment. The value of the gift is now any specific item, other than food, presented to the official and guest accompanying the official, if the official notifies the lobbyist in writing that the official did not stay for any meal or entertainment.

The amendment provides consistency with regulation 18946.2(e), which was previously amended to exclude the value of appetizers and drinks from the value of a gift received by an official who briefly appears or drops by an invitation-only event. Prior to the amendment, the value of the gift received was limited to the actual value of the food and beverages consumed by the official and guest, along with the value of any specific item received at the event.

Image of the Seal of California courtesy of Zscout370 on Wikipedia.