Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“Lobbyists Ask, Then Write, ʹWhere The Jobs Areʹ” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Gillespie Senate run tests stigma of ʹlobbyistʹ label” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Why Campaign Finance Laws Make Things Worse” opinion piece by Jonathan Bernstein in Bloomberg News.

Louisiana: “Democratic Super PAC Funnels More Funds Into Louisiana” by Emily Cahn in Roll Call.

Missouri: “Missouri Democrats to outline campaign finance plan” in the Kansas City Star.

Nevada: “Political groups in Nevada continue stubborn fight against disclosing donors” by Andrew Doughman in the Las Vegas Sun.

New Hampshire: “Campaign finance reformers march through N.H.” by John Toole in the Eagle-Tribune.

Ethics

Georgia: “Grand jury scheduled to meet in Georgia ethics case” by The Associated Press in the Athens Herald-Banner.

South Carolina: “State grand jury to investigate ethics allegations against SC House Speaker Bobby Harrell” by Jamie Self in The State.

From the State Legislatures

South Carolina: “Legislature kicks off with old issues on agenda” by Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) in GoUpstate.com.

South Carolina: “Dueling rallies to greet returning S.C. legislators” by Adam Beam in The State.

South Dakota: “5 things to know about SD 2014 legislative session” by The Associated Press in the Capital Journal.

Washington: “Washington Legislature Convenes With Election Year Issues On Agenda” by Austin Jenkins in Northwest Public Radio.

Wisconsin: “Wisconsin Legislature begins session Tuesday: 5 things to know” by The Associated Press in the Post Crescent.

Government Tech and Social Media

“How Government Leaders Can Stay Out of Social Media Hell” by Mark Schlossberg in Governing.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“K Street pushes to shape $1T omnibus spending legislation” by Bernie Becker and Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Chamber chief promises midterm blitz” by Ben Goad and Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“GOP leadership aide heads to K Street” by Peter Schroeder in The Hill.

“Yelp seeks DC clout after rapid rise” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Kauai County, Hawaii: “Lobbying bill gets green light” by Darin Moriki in The Garden Island.

Maryland: “Report: Top Md. Lobbyists Bring In More Than $37M” by The Associated Press in CBS Baltimore News.

Campaign Finance

Colorado: “Colorado GOP wants to skirt campaign contribution limits” by Reid Wilson in The Washington Post.

Missouri: “Court To Hear Challenge To Campaign Finance Limits” by Rachel Lippmann in St. Louis Public Radio.

Vermont: “Vt. lawmakers reach deal on campaign finance reform” on WCAX News.

Ethics

Arkansas: “Plenty of unknowns in how to impeach Ark. lt. gov.” by Andrew DeMillo (Associated Press) in the San Jose Mercury News.

California: “FPPC heads to court over money laundering allegations against Roger Hernandez” by Rebecca Kimitch in the Daily Bulletin.

Florida: “Palm Beach County Ethics Commission slowdown raises questions” by Andy Reid in the Sun Sentinel.

New York: “Ethics reformers call on Cuomo to use ʹmaximum leverageʹ” by Jessica Alaimo in Capital New York.

Virginia: “Virginia Governor Apologizes for Scandal During His Final State of the State” by Olympia Meola in Governing.

From the State Legislatures

Iowa: “Governor, lawmakers set modest goals for 2014” by Catherine Lucey in the Quad-City Times.

Maine: “ʹLow expectationsʹ for legislative session as election-year politics loom” by Christopher Cousins in the Bangor Daily News.

Missouri: “5 things to know about Missouri’s legislative session” by Chris Blank (Associated Press) in the Missourian.

Lobbying

“The State of K Street” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Bitcoin Woos Washington to Ensure Lawmakers Don’t Kill It” by Julie Bykowicz and Carter Dougherty in Bloomberg Politics.

New York City, NY: “New York City Imposes New Rules To Increase Registration of, and Reporting by, Lobbyists” by Laurence A. Levy in the National Law Review.

Campaign Finance

“Does Bitcoin Have a Future in Politics?” by Tom Moroney and Peter Robison in Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Facebook PAC Corrects Excessive Contributions to Senators” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Arkansas: “Darr says he won’t resign; legislative leaders say impeachment likely” in Arkansas News.

California: “Current, former lawmakers cited for alleged campaign violations” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

Minnesota: “More errors turn up in Minnesota political campaign finance data” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Glenn Howatt in the Star Tribune.

Minnesota: “Minn. campaign board finalizes Senate DFL case” by Brian Bakst (Associated Press) in The Kansas City Star.

Utah: “Flagged Bill: HB 235 – Campaign Contributions Amendments, Rep. Powell” by Curtis Haring in Utah Political Watch.

Vermont: “State Revising, Raising Campaign Finance Limits” by Taylor Dobbs in Vermont Public Radio.

Vermont: “VPIRG: Higher contribution limits weaken campaign finance bill” by Anne Galloway in VTDigger.org.

Ethics

Knoxville County, TN: “Ethics Committee chairwoman looking to expand role of panel” by Gerald Witt in the Knoxville News.

State Legislatures

Mississippi: “Lawmakers back in session” by Emily Wagster Pettus (Associated Press) in the Clarion Ledger.

Missouri: “Missouri Legislature to convene amid election-year pressures” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

New Hampshire: “N.H. Legislature to convene 2014 session today” by Norma Love (Associated Press) in the Concord Monitor.

Vermont: “Vermont Legislature jumps right in to start session” by Terri Hallenbeck and Nancy Remsen in the Burlington Free Press.

Virginia: “General Assembly returns to divided government” by Jim Nolan in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Redistricting

Montana: “New battle lines drawn for legislative races” by Tom Lutey in the Billings Gazette.

Government Tech and Social Media

Alaska: “Juneau developing social media policy” by The Associated Press in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Massachusetts: “Mass. big data centralized on a new website” by Callum Borchers in The Boston Globe.

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications’ digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly email updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

Lobbying

“Lobbyists cash in on do-nothing Congress” by Anna Palmer and Byron Tau in Politico.

“9 websites you use regularly that are lobbying Congress” by Amber Phillips in the San Jose Mercury News.

“Yelp Inc. Registers For Lobbying and Forms PAC” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Idaho: “Business lobbyists ready legislative wish lists” by Zach Kyle in the Idaho Statesman.

Washington: “Lobbyist freebies on legislative agenda” by Brad Shannon in The Olympian.

Campaign Finance

“Congressman Accepts Bitcoins While FEC Doesnʹt” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

“New Super PAC Registers With Bitcoin Receiving Addresses” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.

Arkansas: “Ethics chief says Darr skipped campaign finance training” by John Lyon in KATV News.

Ethics

Missouri: “Missouri’s no-limit legislature stokes debate over ethics reform” by Jason Hancock in the Kansas City Star.

North Carolina: “Ethics Commission appointments made” by Craig Jarvis in the News & Observer.

Wyoming: “Conservative Wyoming group battles Federal Election Commission over election law” by Kyle Roerink in the Casper Star-Tribune.

Congress

“3 Reasons Congressʹ Year Might Start Unexpectedly Strong” by David Hawkings in Roll Call.

In the State Legislatures

“Nearly 2,400 state lawmakers return to work this week” by Niraj Cokshi in The Washington Post.

“Interactive: State of the States 2014” by Melissa Maynard in Governing.

“Governors, Lawmakers Return to Capitols With an Eye on November” by Daniel C. Vock in Governing.

Indiana: “State lawmakers face packed agenda” by Dan Carden in Northwest Indiana Times.

Iowa: “Iowa Legislature’s 2014 session to be shaped by epic political year” by Jason Noble and William Petroski in the Des Moines Register.

Kentucky: “Kentucky legislative session comes with political, fiscal shackles” by Tom Loftus in the Courier Journal.

Maryland: “Md. legislative session overshadowed by election year politics” by John Wagner in The Washington Post.

Mississippi: “What do lawmakers see as top issues for 2014 session?” by Ed Kemp in the Hattiesburg American.

Mississipi: “Analysis: US Senate race will impact Miss. Session” by Emily Wagster Pettus (Associated Press) in the Hattiesburg American.

Missouri: “Mid-Missouri legislators preparing for new session” by Bob Watson in the News Tribune.

North Carolina: “Lawmakers ponder how to fill midterm N.C., U.S. legislative openings” by Gary D. Robertson in the Charlotte Observer.

Rhode Island: “R.I. General Assembly: A look ahead at the key issues of 2014” by Katherine Gregg, Philip Marcelo, and Randal Edgar in the Providence Journal.

South Carolina: “SC politicsʹ welcome back starts this week” by Andrew Shain in The State.

Government Tech and Social Media

Rhode Island: “Political Scene: High tech comes to R.I. General Assembly” by Philip Marcelo, Katherine Gregg and Randal Edgar in the Providence Journal.

Washington: “Access Washington Website Dealing With Outages” in Government Technology.

The 2013 fall sitting of the first session of the 33rd Yukon Legislative Assembly adjourned on December 19, 2013.

During this sitting the Assembly passed the Health Information Privacy and Management Act. The act “will raise the bar on privacy and security of personal health information,” Minister of Health and Social Services Doug Graham said in a press release.

The fall sitting commenced on October 31, 2013.

Lobbying

“Lobbyists: ‘Misunderstood’ in poll” by Tal Kopan in Politico.

Campaign Finance

“There’s No Way to Follow the Money” by Lee Aitken in The Atlantic.

Arizona: “For all the campaign finance limit marbles” by The Yellow Sheet Report in the Arizona Capitol Times.

Minnesota: “Minn. campaign money regulator promises to fix problems leading to faulty finance data” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Ethics

“Report: Chinese hackers attacked crucial government election website” on CNN Politics.

“Ethics Committee Will Investigate Trey Radel” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

Florida: “Ethics commission offers advice on use of office” by Bill Cotterell in The Florida Current.

Legislative Issues

“Lackluster Final Score for Congress This Year: 8 to 22” by David Hawkings in Roll Call.

“Angry About Partisan Gridlock in Washington? Blame the States.” By Donald F. Kettl in Governing.

Louisiana: “Lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s congressional districts withdrawn” by The Associated Press in The Times-Picayune.

New Jersey: “State legislative panels scramble to advance hundreds of bills” by Michael Phillis and Leslie Brody in the Bergen Record.

On December 6, the Missouri General Assembly adjourned its first special session sine die.

The legislative body convened earlier in the week to prepare an aerospace industry incentive bill.

Effective immediately, Senate Bill 1 is designed to encourage growth and expansion of the aerospace industry and serves as an incentive proposal for Boeing to build its new commercial 777X airplane within the state.

Photo of the Missouri State Capitol courtesy of RebelAt on Wikimedia Commons.

Legislators are meeting today, Monday, December 2, 2013, for a special session to consider a package of tax breaks designed to give Boeing a reason to bring thousands of jobs to the state. Gov. Jay Nixon called the special session and asked legislators to approve a $150 million incentive package with extensions of existing economic development programs.

Nixon hopes the package will attract Boeing’s 777X program after a machinists union in Washington State rejected the company’s long-term contract proposal earlier this month.

Prior to the union vote, Washington legislators passed a package of incentives with the largest tax breaks any state had ever offered to a corporation.

Photo of the Missouri Capitol courtesy of RebelAt on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Scott Walker has called a special session of the Legislature to address the implications of the troubled federal launch of the Affordable Care Act.

The special session will begin on December 2, 2014.

Walker hopes lawmakers will agree to delay the transfer of over 77,000 Medicaid cases from BadgerCare to health exchanges.

Photo of the Wisconsin State House courtesy of Dori on Wikimedia Commons.

The New Hampshire Legislature adjourned its special session on November 21, 2013.

Gov. Maggie Hassan had called for the extra legislative session to consider the Medicaid Expansion Study Commission’s report recommending the state accept $2.5 billion in federal funds to expand Medicaid. However, the Legislature did not follow her recommendation and did not pass any health care legislation.

In her press release Hassan expressed her disappointment and assigned blame, stating, “Today, members of the Senate Republican caucus let down the people of New Hampshire by refusing to compromise to develop a health care expansion plan that would actually work.”

Photo of the New Hampshire State House courtesy of Alexius Horatius on Wikimedia Commons.

Lawmakers ended the 2013 regular session early Friday morning, November 15, 2013, after approving an anti-abortion license plate, increased coverage for mental health services, and changes to voting hours and voter ID laws.

The first special session concerning property tax relief concluded earlier this week, but Gov. Scott Walker plans to call a second special session sometime in December to delay the transfer of Medicaid cases from BadgerCare to health exchanges.

Legislators return for the 2014 regular session January 14, 2014.

Photo of the Wisconsin State Capitol by Dori on Wikimedia Commons.

On November 12, the Legislature adjourned its second special session sine die. The legislative body convened in October to address marriage equality.

Effective December 2, the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013 recognizes marriages between individuals of the same sex, and extends to same-sex couples all rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of marriage.

The special session of the Washington Legislature adjourned Saturday, November 9, marking the third special legislative session this year.

The purpose of the special session was to consider legislation containing tax incentives for Boeing and the aerospace industry in exchange for retaining manufacturing operations in the state.

Photo of the Washington State Capitol by Bluedisk in Wikimedia Commons.