After months of scandal, state Sen. Bill Kintner resigned from the Nebraska Legislature today. Kintner’s announcement comes just hours before a resolution to expel him was expected to be brought to the floor.

Problems for Kintner began last year when it was discovered he used his state-provided laptop to engage in cybersex. He evaded pressure to step down only to face further criticism this week for retweeting a post implying participants at the Women’s March were too unattractive to be sexually assaulted.

Kintner’s resignation is effective January 30 and a special election to fill his seat has yet to be announced.

Photo of Sen. Bill Kintner courtesy of the Nebraska Legislature website.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo tackled several issues at his recent State of the State Address.

Cuomo acknowledged the corruption at all levels of government, and proposed plans for a full-time Legislature, term limits for elected officials, an increase to the inspector general’s powers, and a strategy to limit campaign contributions from major companies.

Additionally, he also intends to appoint a new chief procurement officer, require public funding for elections, and recruit new inspectors for the State Education Department and the Port Authority.

Gov. Cuomo also acknowledged the success of all of his proposed bills and amendments depend on the public’s currently deteriorating trust in New York’s leaders.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee has introduced legislation requiring ethical guidelines be followed by states before those states be allowed to administer certain federal funds.

House Bill 0554, The Make State Government More Open, Honest, and Transparent Act, suspends the authority of a state to administer funds under federal block grant programs if the state does not enact certain conflict of interest protections. These include banning state contractors from making state financial contributions, prohibiting state legislators from requiring their staff make political contributions, and requiring state legislators to annually disclose their own financial interests.

“My legislation is simple: it raises the bar for states to be more open and transparent with their constituents so that we can begin to restore public trust in government,” Kildee said in his press release.

Lobbying

“Companies Drafting Emergency Plans for Trump Tweets” by Megan Wilson and Melanie Zanona for The Hill

Ethics

“Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry into Trump Associates” by Michael Schmidt, Matthew Rosenberg, Adam Goldman, and Matt Apuzzo for The New York Times

California: “Former L.A. Coliseum Executive at the Center of Corruption Scandal Sentenced to 3 Years of Probation” by Melissa Gerber for Los Angeles Times

California: “Short-Staffed SF Ethics Panel’s Backlog of Cases Growing” by Emily Green for San Francisco Chronicle

Maryland: “Hogan Proposes Maryland Government Ethics Reforms” by Pamela Wood for The Baltimore Sun

Rhode Island: “Ex-R.I. Rep. Palumbo Charged with Embezzling; 2nd Ex-Lawmaker Arrested in a Week” by Katie Mulvaney for Providence Journal

Legislative Issues

Maryland: “Hogan Seeks Background Checks for Appointed Lawmakers” by Pamela Wood and Erin Cox for The Baltimore Sun

Campaign Finance

“With Morale in Tatters, Federal Election Commission Eyes Changes” by Dave Levinthal for Center for Public Integrity

“‘Soft Money’ Era Not Back Yet as Few Companies Contribute” by Kenneth Doyle for Bloomberg BNA

Pennsylvania: “In First Act, New Pa. Treasurer Cracks Down on Pay-to-Play Fees” by Craig McCoy and Mark Fazlollah for Philadelphia Inquirer

Elections

“From Headline to Photograph, a Fake News Masterpiece” by Scott Shane for The New York Times

Lobbying

“The Trump Lobbying Purge That Wasn’t” by Maggie Severns and Isaac Arnsdorf for Politico

Colorado: “Denver City Council Committee Stalls Vote Again on Ethics Changes” by Jon Murray for Denver Post

Massachusetts: “Could Lobbying Rules Have Saved Boston from Ill-Fated Grand Prix?” by Andrew Ryan for Boston Globe

Missouri: “House Passes HB 60 to Limit Lobbyist Gifts” by Benjamin Peters for Missouri Times

South Dakota: “Senators Reluctantly Allow Lobbyists to Stay” by Dana Ferguson for Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Campaign Finance

“SEC Settles with 10 Public Fund Money Managers Over Pay-to-Play Violations” by Hazel Bradford for Pensions & Investments

Ethics

South Carolina: “Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster Paying Off Ethics Penalties Before Becoming Governor” by Andy Shain for Charleston Post & Courier

Texas: “State Rep. Dawnna Dukes Indicted by Grand Jury” by Alex Samuels for Texas Tribune

Elections

Kansas: “Kobach Seeks Authority for Bifurcated Elections; Downplays Issue of Missing Registrations” by Peter Hancock for Lawrence Journal World

Legislative Issues

“How a Mother-in-Law Inspired a Bill to Protect Drivers” by Cleve Wootson Jr. for Washington Post

Del. Eric Luedtke is sponsoring a bill to allow the State Board of Elections to borrow dollars from the general fund for the Fair Campaign Financing Fund if money runs short before a gubernatorial election.

House Bill 72 provides for the borrowed money to be returned via online contributions, voluntary tax form checkoffs, and penalties. Del. Jimmy Tarlau is expected to introduce an additional bill to incentivize candidates to avoid large donations of $250 or more from a single contributor.

Corpus Christi, Texas City Council will meet Tuesday to discuss new recommendations to the ethics code to further tighten rules for City Council members. The Council unanimously approved the new code during a first vote last week.

If approved on the second vote, it will be formally adopted by City Council. If adopted, the modified code would ban council members from appointing people to city committees and boards if the appointee contributed more than $2,700 to the council member’s campaign in the previous election. This would not ban the contributor from appointment, but would require a council member who did not receive contributions meeting the threshold to appoint the person.

Additionally, the prospective code broadens who falls within what is called the circle of influence and indicates a conflict of interest if a person with a specific relationship to a council member would profit from a council member’s vote. The current circle of influence includes direct family members but could be expanded to cover employers of family members and household members if the new code is adopted.

Legislators will attempt to pass a major ethics reform for the second time after their effort during the 2015 legislative session failed. The plan gained wide spread support in 2015 but was ultimately defeated in the House due to a provision increasing donor disclosure requirements for dark money groups.

The new reform package, Senate Bill 14, has four main provisions to:

• Prohibit politicians convicted of felony corruption charges from collecting state pensions
• Require disclosure if companies a lobbyist is tied to have received government contracts or served as bond counsel to a governmental entity
• Decrease the amount of money lobbyists can spend on food and drinks for legislators without triggering disclosure
• Ban registered lobbyists from running for elected office

Sen. Van Taylor who is sponsoring Senate Bill 14 has said reform is needed beyond the provisions of the reform package and will continue to file additional ethics bills. While Senate Bill 14 has not yet been filed, Taylor has filed Senate Bill 137 aiming to prohibit state agencies from using state funds to employ a person who is registered as a lobbyist or who engages in lobbying activities.

Gov. Greg Abbott supports the passage of an ethics package.

Photo of the Texas State Capitol By LoneStarMike via Wikimedia Commons

New Mexico lawmakers have recently introduced several ethics bills.

House Bill 119 would make it unlawful for a state legislator or legislative candidate to solicit or accept a contribution, even absent any political purpose.

House Bill 73 seeks to create a two-year revolving door provision prohibiting former statewide elected officials, public regulation commissioners, legislators, and cabinet secretaries from accepting compensation as lobbyists for a period of two years after terminating their service. The bill would also prohibit a lobbyist employer from compensating any of the aforementioned persons during the two-year period.

State Sen. Daniel A. Ivey-Soto introduced Senate Bill 72, also known as the Public Accountability Act (PAA). If passed, the PAA would create the Public Accountability Board (PAB) with enforcement powers over the compliance provisions of various public acts including, but not limited to, those related to campaign finance reporting, lobbying, public accountability, ethics, and procurement.

The PAB would serve as an adjunct agency with the secretary of state, members of the board of commissioners of the state bar, the governor, and the chief justice of the supreme court each appointing three members, respectively. Among its provisions, the act amends the definition of lobbyist and prohibits lobbyists and government contractors from serving on the PAB. If passed, several of the sections would be effective as soon as July 1, 2017, while the PAB would not gain enforcement powers over many of the listed acts until July 1, 2019.

Lawmakers in Washington have introduced two bills to enhance campaign finance disclosure and ethics laws.

Senate Bill 5108 aims to increase transparency of “gray money” by limiting political action committees from receiving 70 percent or more of their contributions from other political committees.

Another proposal, House Bill 1159, seeks to establish revolving door provisions requiring former state officials to take a yearlong “cooling-off” period before they can become lobbyists.

The Senate Committee on Legislative Procedure is considering a new rule to ban lobbyists from the chamber and adjacent hallways during working hours.

The committee is expected to reconvene tomorrow for a vote on the proposal. If adopted, Senate President Pro Tempore, Brock Greenfield, would have the authority to implement the new measure.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said on Friday a special session of the legislature is likely necessary to remedy a $313 million deficit in the state’s budget. Gov. Edwards stated last week that any deficit beyond $300 million would automatically trigger a special session as it would exceed the amount he can cut from the budget on his own.

Due to Louisiana’s legal framework, a special session will allow budget cuts to be balanced for agencies across the board while higher education and healthcare would be the target if the cuts are done while the Legislature is not in session. Gov. Edwards is also considering making use of the state’s rainy day fund to close the budget gap. No date for the special session has been set but mid-February is being discussed as the target date.

On Tuesday, January 10, the D.C. Council introduced several bills aimed at limiting big donors’ influence and increasing transparency in campaign fundraising. Citizens have accused Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, a Democrat, of participating in pay-to-play politics.

One of the bills introduced would block contractors from city business for two years following a political contribution to a candidate or political committee.

Bill 22-0038 would increase the number of lobbying reports by requiring monthly filings. Currently, reports are due twice a year.

A Missouri ethics bill, being fast-tracked through the House, cleared committee yesterday with just three dissenting votes.

The bill would prohibit legislators from receiving certain gifts from lobbyists. Exemptions to the proposed ban would include honorary plaques, flowers and gifts customarily received by someone before they became a legislator.

The bill is just one of a handful of ethics bills on the legislative agenda. The measure could hit the House floor as early as Thursday.