Lobbying

“The Strength of Citizen Government: Local grassroots advocacy” by Jeffrey Berry for Nonprofit Quarterly

Ohio: “Columbus Lobbyist Pleads Guilty to Extortion” by Csaba Sukosd for WTTE

Campaign Finance

“Meet Jeb Bush’s Top White House Fundraisers” by Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars for USA Today

Connecticut: “Political Campaigns Rake in Cash despite Ban” by Ken Dixon (Hearst Connecticut Media) for The Day

New Jersey: “Among Christie Donors, a Slew of State Contractors” by Andrew Seidman and Maddie Hanna for Philadelphia Inquirer

Pennsylvania: “Pittsburgh City Council Passes New Campaign-Finance Rules” by Robert Zullo for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ethics

“Hidden Cash Financed Lawmakers’ Turkey Trips” by Hannah Hess for Roll Call

Elections

“This Chart Shows Why Republicans Are in a Much Stronger Position Than You Think” by Chris Cillizza for Washington Post

“Webb Exits the Democratic Presidential Primary” by Jose DelReal and David Weigel for Washington Post

Legislative Issues

Missouri: “New Missouri House Speaker Hopes to Restore Legislature’s Tarnished Image” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Lobbying

Missouri: “On the Trail: Lawmakers struggle to close General Assembly’s ‘revolving door’” by Jason Rosenbaum for KRCU

New York: “Education, Real Estate Tax Breaks Drove $131 Million Lobbying Spending” by Casey Seiler for Albany Times Union

Campaign Finance

“The Inside Story of Trump Campaign’s Connections to a Big-Money Super PAC” by Matea Gold, Tom Hamburger, and Jenna Johnson for Washington Post

New Mexico: “Duran Proposes New Rules for Campaign Finance” by Deborah Baker for Albuquerque Journal

Ethics

California: “‘Behested Payments’ Let Private Groups Curry Favor with Politicians – New Law Will Limit Disclosure” by Marisa Lagos for KQED

Virginia: “State Ethics Commission Recommends $15,000 Pay Raise for General Assembly Members” by Graham Moomaw for Roanoke Times

Elections

“Even with Rising Debt and Sinking Polls, Candidates Find Dropping Out Is Hard to Do” by Noah Bierman for Los Angeles Times

“The Women in the Van” by Hadas Gold for Politico

Legislative Issues

“The Obsession of the House Freedom Caucus” by Jake Sherman for Politico

Lobbying

Florida: “Hillsborough to Post Paid Lobbyists’ Visits Online” by Mike Salinero for Tampa Tribune

Pennsylvania: “House Passes Legislation to Increase Lobbying Fines” by Staff for Pennsylvania Business Daily

Campaign Finance

“Experts: John Kasich political ads chart new territory” by Fredreka Schouten for USA Today

New York: “Advance Group Fined $26k by Schneiderman, Campaign Finance Board” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Pennsylvania: “Allentown Council Passes Anti-Pay-to-Play Bill in Wake of FBI Probe” by Emily Opilo for Allentown Morning Call

Ethics

“Corporations Improve Reporting of Political Activity – with Exceptions” by Dave Levinthal and Cady Zuvich for Center for Public Integrity

Illinois: “Former Chicago Public Schools Chief to Plead Guilty to Bribery Scheme” by Jason Meisner and Juan Perez, Jr. for Chicago Tribune

New York: “Three Cuomo-Tied Hires Spark JCOPE Board Unrest” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Ohio: “Ginther among Those Being Investigated Over Trip to Big Ten Title Game” by Lucas Sullivan for Columbus Dispatch

Legislative Issues

“House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of Race for House Speaker” by Mike DeBonis for Washington Post

“Group Tries to Teach Lawmakers How to Talk about Pot” by Evan Halper for Los Angeles Times

California: “California’s High Court Appears Ready to Allow Voters to Weigh in on Citizens United” by Maura Dolan for Los Angeles Times

Lobbying

Kentucky: “Kentucky Lawmakers, Lobbyists May Already Be Violating New State Ethics Laws” by Jonathan Meador for Insider Louisville

Campaign Finance

“How Hillary Clinton Kept Her Wealthy Friends Close While at State Department” by Tom Hamburger for Washington Post

“Menendez’s Defense Relies on Odd Twist” by Salvador Rizzo for Bergen Record

California: “Regulators Propose Rules to Prevent Illegal Coordination” by Judy Lin (Associated Press) for Albany Times Union

Virginia: “Ex-Treasurer for Va. Senate Minority Leader is Accused of Stealing from Him” by Laura Vozzella for Washington Post

Ethics

“Donald Trump’s Candidacy Raises Novel Ethics Questions” by Fredreka Schouten for USA Today

Florida: “North Miami Senior High’s Night-School Principal Arrested on Corruption Charges” by David Ovalle for Miami Herald

Elections

“The Man Who Launched the GOP’s Civil War” by Jonathan Katz for Politico

Legislative Issues

North Carolina: “Legislature’s Last-Minute Rush Prompts Criticism” by Colin Campbell for Raleigh News & Observer

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner will resign and give up his seat in Congress at the end of October, according to his aides. He is currently under intense pressure from conservatives to defund Planned Parenthood as he attempts to keep the government open through the end of the year. Several members of the conservative base vowed not to vote for a bill if it did not defund the organization, and some are on a path to remove him as speaker.

Since becoming speaker in 2011, Boehner has struggled to navigate politically with a polarized Congress and its increasingly conservative Republican members. Boehner’s announcement comes just a day after he had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Capitol. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is expected to serve as the next speaker.

Lobbying

Hawaii: “Lawsuit Seeks New City Council Votes on Honolulu Rail” by Nick Grube for Honolulu Civil Beat

Missouri: “Report: Lobbyist goodies for Missouri lawmakers topped $10M over past decade” by Kevin McDermott for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Campaign Finance

California: “San Jose Commission Will Investigate Nearly the Entire City Council” by Ramona Giwargis for San Jose Mercury News

Montana: “Group Suing over Election Laws Seeks to Avoid Disclosures” by Matt Volz (Associated Press) for The Missoulian

Pennsylvania: “Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski Implicated in FBI Probe” by Emily Opilo and Scott Kraus for Allentown Morning Call

Ethics

“GOP Consultant Admits Lying to Ethics Investigators” by Paul Singer for USA Today

California: “Carson Mayor under Investigation for Not Filing Disclosure Reports with the State” by Nathan Fenno, Paul Pringle, and Richard Winton for Los Angeles Times

Indiana: “BMV Vendor Fires 2 Employees amid Ethics Probe” by Tony Cook for Indianapolis Star

Michigan: “House Expels Gamrat; Courser Resigns Before Vote” by Chad Livengood for Detroit News

New Mexico: “Impeachment Is ‘As Heavy As It Gets’” by Deborah Baker for Albuquerque Journal

Legislative Issues

“Boehner’s Future as Speaker in Doubt” by Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan for Politico

On August 28, state Rep. Rick Glazier resigned from his seat in the General Assembly to take a job with the North Carolina Justice Center.

He had planned to wait until the end of the session, but had to step down earlier because the session has lasted longer than expected.

Democrats in the 44^th District will meet to choose his replacement.

Campaign Finance

“First on CNN: Ted Cruz to release the names of his bundlers” by Theodore Schleifer for CNN

“Jeb Bush Super PAC Donors Also Spend Big To Influence Washington” by Paul Blumenthal for Huffington Post

Ohio: “State Rep. Ron Gerberry Resigns amid Investigation of Campaign Funds” by Jim Siegel for Columbus Dispatch

Oklahoma: “Democratic Party Sues Oklahoma Ethics Commission” by Rick Green for The Oklahoman

Ethics

“Will Common Cause Still Be Georgia’s Watchdog?” by Max Blau for Atlanta Magazine

Illinois: “Illinois’ Corrupt Women” by Maureen Foertsch McKinney for WUIS

Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania Top Prosecutor Says Charges Tied to Porn Emails” by Peter Jackson (Associated Press) for Philadelphia Inquirer

Elections

“‘Little House on the Prairie’ Actress Melissa Gilbert Just Became Another Celebrity Turned Politician” by Lindsey Bever for Washington Post

“Hillary Clinton Agrees to Provide Private E-mail Server to FBI” by Carol Leonnig, Tom Hamburger, and Rosalind Helderman for Washington Post

Legislative Issues

Maine: “Maine Court: 65 bills are law after LePage misses deadline” by Alanna Durkin (Associated Press) for Lexington Herald-Leader

On August 6, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued an opinion finding 65 bills from the 2015 legislative session were vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage too late to prevent the legislation from taking effect.

Last month, the governor had returned the 65 bills to the Legislature on July 16, the last day of the session. However, the bills were returned beyond the 10 days, excluding Sundays, a governor has to veto legislation once he or she receives the bills.The court found the bills were beyond the ten days provided for gubernatorial objection and became law effective ninety days after the adjournment sine die of the Legislature, except where enacted as emergency legislation.

The opinion was made at the request of the governor.

Campaign Finance

“Rand Paul Super PAC Head Indicted over Alleged 2012 Campaign Finance Violations” by Sean Sullivan and Matea Gold for Washington Post

Connecticut: “CT Democrats Seek New Ruling to Resolve Malloy Campaign Investigation” by Mark Pazniokas and Keith Phaneuf for Connecticut Mirror

Massachusetts: “2 Businesses Fight State Ban on Campaign Contributions” by Shira Schoenberg for MassLive.com

Minneapolis: “MN Campaign Finance Board Gets Report about Holes in Disclosure Law” by J. Patrick Coolican for Minneapolis Star Tribune

Pennsylvania: “Reading Councilman Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case” by Jeremy Roebuck for Philadelphia Inquirer

Wisconsin: “Scott Walker, GOP Lawmakers Want to Change Elections Board by 2016” by Patrick Marley for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ethics

California: “Public Officials Named in New Findings from FBI Probe of ‘Shrimp Boy’ Chow” by Jonah Owen Lamb for San Francisco Examiner

Hawaii: “Ian Lind: Ex-Legislator May Make a Good Ethics Commissioner” by Ian Lind for Honolulu Civil Beat

New York: “New York State Ethics Watchdog Panel Divided on Choice for New Top Administrator” by Casey Seiler for Albany Times Union

Legislative Issues

Kansas: “The Kansas Experiment” by Chris Suellentrop for New York Times Magazine

Lobbying

California: “Businesses with Stake in California Politics Utilize Capitol Grounds” by Jeremy White for Sacramento Bee

Campaign Finance

“Two FEC Officials Implore Agency to Curb 2016 Election Abuse” by Fredreka Schouten for USA Today

“Why So Many Women Are Raising Money for Hillary Clinton” by Matea Gold for Washington Post

Delaware: “Bill Would Increase Campaign Donation Limits” by Jonathan Starkey for Wilmington News Journal

Massachusetts: “Baker, State GOP’s Use of Federal Funds Questioned” by Frank Phillips for Boston Globe

New York: “Carl Heastie’s Campaign Spending Blurs Line between Political and Personal” by Russ Buettner for New York Times

Ethics

“Dennis Hastert Rushed to Make Money as Payouts Grew” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

New Jersey: “Ex-Official Says Chris Christie Broke Grand Jury Law” by Kate Zernike for New York Times

Pennsylvania: “Fourth Defendant in Sting Case Pleads Guilty” by Angela Couloumbis and Craig McCoy for Philadelphia Inquirer

Legislative Issues

“Divided Legislatures Produce Gridlock, Not Compromise” by Alan Greenblatt for Governing

Indiana: “House Lawmakers Move to Shield Communications from Public” by The Associated Press for Indianapolis Business Journal

New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has resigned following his arrest on federal corruption charges. John J. Flanagan was formally elected to succeed Skelos on May 11, 2015.

Skelos’ resignation comes just weeks after the resignation of Sheldon Silver, former Speaker of the Assembly, following Silver’s arrest on similar charges. Skelos will keep his seat in the Senate even as his prosecution is ongoing.

Lobbying

“Amid Gridlock in D.C., Influence Industry Expands Rapidly in the States” by Reid Wilson for Washington Post

Florida: “Legislators Approve Water Farming Funding after Copter Rides, Donations” by Craig Pittman and Michael Van Sickler for Tampa Bay Times

Florida: “Voters Won’t Get Say on Lifting Gift Ban” by Brittany Wallman for South Florida Sun Sentinel

New Mexico: “Lobbyists, Groups Spend Large on New Mexico Lawmakers” by Sandra Fish (New Mexico In Depth) for Las Cruces Sun-News

Texas: “Wendy Davis Fined $5,000 for Ethics Violation” by Terri Langford for Texas Tribune

Virginia: “Lobbyists Take Changes to Gifts Law in Stride” by Patrick Wilson for The Virginian-Pilot

Campaign Finance

“Bill Shuster Aided Virgin Islands – Then Asked for Cash” by Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, and John Bresnahan for Politico

“Jeb Bush Leans on Nonprofit Group as He Prepares Likely Presidential Run” by Ed O’Keefe and Matea Gold for Washington Post

Montana: “New Campaign Finance Law Praised, but Some Say It Needs to Be Toughened” by Charles Johnson for The Missoulian

New York: “The New Office Politics: Funding boss’s political causes” by Michelle Conlin and Lucas Iberico Lozada (Reuters) for The Times Record

Ethics

Nebraska: “Common Cause Files Complaints on Activity Surrounding Niobium Bill” by Joanne Young for Lincoln Journal-Star

“Bill Clinton’s Lucrative Speeches Got Fast Approval at State” by Lisa Lerer and Stephen Braun (Associated Press) for Fresno Bee

“Politics Is a Dirty Business. It Should Stay That Way.” by Chris Cillizza for Washington Post

New Jersey: “Report: Christie racked up $82,594 bill at sports stadium” by Karey Van Hall for Politico

Ohio: “Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic Resigns: The Big Story” by John Harper (Northeast Ohio Media Group) for Cleveland Plain Dealer

Vermont: “Vermont Lawmaker Accused in Sex-for-Rent Scheme” by Paris Achen, Zach Despart, and Adam Silverman (Burlington Free Press) for USA Today

Virginia: “Appeals Judges Pepper McDonnell Defense with Skeptical Questions” by Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

Elections

“Study: State elections becoming less competitive” by Reid Wilson for Washington Post

“The Great Democratic Crack-Up of 2016” by Robert Draper for New York Times

Legislative Issues

New York: “Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader, Vacates Post” by Thomas Kaplan and Susanne Craig for New York Times

Lobbying

Illinois: “In Illinois Capitol, Lobbying Is a Growing Business” by Kurt Erickson for Quad City Times

Nevada: “Bill Imposes Cooling-Off Period for Ex-Lawmakers” by Sandra Chereb for Las Vegas Review-Journal

Vermont: “House Oks Bill Limiting Lobbyist Contributions during Session” by Erin Mansfield for VTDigger.org

Campaign Finance

“Hillary Clinton Embraces a ‘Super PAC,’ Trying to Erode a Republican Edge” by Maggie Haberman and Nicholas Confessore for New York Times

“The FEC’s ‘Non-Partisan’ Whistleblower” by Tarini Parti for Politico

Ethics

Florida: “Politicians Send Millions to Charity of Lobbyist’s Daughter” by Francisco Alvarado (BrowardBulldog.org) for Miami Herald

Indiana: “Expanded Disclosure, Ethics Rules Now Law” by Olivia Covington for WFYI

Massachusetts: “Brian Joyce Thrives at the Edge of a Fuzzy Boundary” by Andrea Estes for Boston Globe

New York: “Scarborough Pleads Guilty Twice” by Brendan Lyons for Albany Times Union

Texas: “Government Contract Disclosure Bill Advances” by Jay Root for Texas Tribune

West Virginia: “‘Trinkets’ Defined as Ethics Commission Prepares for New WV Law” by Joel Ebert for Charleston Daily Mail

Legislative Issues

Hawaii: “Hawaii Lawmakers Quietly Dole Out Millions of Dollars in Grants” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat