Lobbying

“White Nationalists Dress Up and Come to Washington in Hopes of Influencing Trump” by Lisa Mascaro for Los Angeles Times

“Groups Ease Off Events for Lawmakers Under New Lobbying Law” by James Nord (Associated Press) for The Washington Times

Campaign Finance

“FEC Deadlocks, Won’t Investigate Dark Money Group That Spent All Its Funds On an Election” by Robert Maguire for Center for Responsive Politics

California: “Did Money Buy California Ballot Measure Contests?” by Taryn Luna for The Sacramento Bee

Kentucky: “State Agencies Investigate Political Donations Raised by Tim Longmeyer, Others” by John Cheves for Lexington Herald-Leader

Ethics

“Ethics Watchdog Updates Gift Rules for Federal Workers” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

“A Scramble to Assess the Dangers of President-elect Donald Trump’s Global Business Empire” by Drew Harwell and Anu Narayanswamy for The Washington Post

Arkansas: “Lawmakers File Bills on Ethics, Taxes, Sessions” by John Lyon (Arkansas News Bureau) for The Times Record

Florida: “Convicted Opa-locka City Manager Gets 3 Years in Prison for Taking Bribes” by Jay Weaver and Michael Sallah for Miami Herald

Pennsylvania: “Mastery Charter Schools to Pay $2,000 to Settle City Ethics Complaint” by Martha Woodall for Philadelphia Inquirer

Elections

“Underestimating the Unconventional” by Susan Milligan for U.S. News and World Report

Lobbying

“Trump’s New Lobbying Rules Could ‘Drain the Swamp.’ But They May Be Illegal and Are Porous.” by Catherine Ho for The Washington Post

Missouri: “Missouri Senate Moves to End Pizza-for-Play Bank Account” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Campaign Finance

Texas: “Zimmerman Appeals Campaign Contribution Limits” by Jo Clifton for Austin Monitor

Ethics

“Ethics Rules Bar Bannon from Helping Breitbart” by Isaac Arnsdorf and Taylor Gee for Politico

Michigan: “Text Messages Help FBI Nab 3rd Macomb County Politician in Rizzo Probe” by Tresa Baldas and Christina Hall for Detroit Free Press

New Jersey: “Passaic Mayor Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes” by Richard Cowen and Todd South for Bergen Record

Legislative Issues

“Rep. Tim Ryan Launches Long-Shot Challenge to Pelosi as Democrats Struggle with Postelection Strategy” by Paul Kane for The Washington Post

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission has announced the lobbyist registration renewal window for 2017.

Current lobbyists who do not owe any fees, fines, penalties, or reports may renew their registrations online beginning December 1, 2016, until 12:00 p.m. on January 13, 2017. Lobbyists who fail to timely renew their registration must register as a new lobbyist using paper forms.

Lobbyist badges are also expected to be sent much sooner than in past years. The Commission has asked lobbyists to allow up to two weeks for badges to be delivered.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

National:

Political Divide Splits Relationships – and Thanksgiving, Too
New York Times – Sabrina Tavernise and Katharine Seely | Published: 11/15/2016

The election is over, but the repercussions in people’s lives may be just beginning as families across America contemplate uncomfortable holidays – or decide to bypass them – and relationships among friends, relatives, and spouses are tested across the political divide. Democrats in some cases are refusing to sit across the table from relatives who voted for President-elect Donald Trump, a man they say stands for things they abhor. Many who voted for Trump say it is the liberals who are to blame for discord, unfairly tarring them with the odious label of “racist” just because they voted for someone else.

Rights Groups See ‘Unprecedented’ Support in Wake of Election
Washington Post – Sandhya Somashekhar | Published: 11/15/2016

Perhaps the most concrete action to follow the end of the divisive election season has been a surge in donations to various organizations whose agendas counter those proposed by President-elect Donald Trump. In recent days, groups that champion causes like civil liberties and women’s health, as well as focus on immigration rights and anti-discrimination initiatives, have seen record responses to the election in the form of contributions and volunteer applications. Left-leaning organizations say they are being forced to regroup in the wake of the election that gave Republicans control of both the White House and Congress for the first time in a decade.

Why Facebook and Google Are Struggling to Purge Fake News
Washington Post – Nick Wingfield, Mike Isaac, and Katie Benner | Published: 11/15/2016

Google and Facebook announced they would ban fake news sites from using their respective advertising platforms, a strategy aimed at cutting off some of the revenue sources for the sites, which have been under fire for stoking fears during the campaign. Facebook will bar all fake news sites from its Facebook Audience Network, while Google will ban them from using its AdSense ad-selling software. The move has raised new questions about long-standing claims by Facebook, Google, and other online platforms that they have little responsibility to exert editorial control over the news they deliver, even when it includes outright lies, falsehoods, or propaganda that could tilt elections.

Federal:

Former Illinois Congressman with ‘Downton Abbey’ Office Is Indicted
Washington Post – Matt Zapotosky | Published: 11/10/2016

Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, whose taste for first-class travel and a “Downton Abbey”-themed office design led to questions about his judgement and adherence to spending rules, was indicted by a federal grand jury on 24 counts, including wire fraud and theft of government funds. Ethics questions arose after The Washington Post reported on his opulent Capitol Hill office in 2015, which prompted a government investigation into whether he had improperly accepted pro bono interior design services. Schock personally paid back $40,000 for office renovations, which included a crystal chandelier and a plume of pheasant feathers. A New York Times article described the office as being decorated like a drawing room from “Downton Abbey.”

How Federal Ethics Laws Will Apply to a Trump Presidency
New York Times – Steve Eder | Published: 11/11/2016

A theme of Donald Trump’s presidency is likely to be the clash of his duties running the country with the remnants of his decades as a businessperson. But federal rules and precedent make a couple of things clear. Trump will have no immunity from lawsuits involving his corporate ventures, thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving Paula Jones, one of former President Bill Clinton’s accusers. And nothing will stop Trump’s family from continuing to run its vast international web of businesses. Federal ethics laws and conflict-of-interest statutes that apply to other federal employees and cabinet members do not apply to the president.

Trump Draws Sharp Rebuke, Concerns Over Newly Appointed Chief White House Strategist Stephen Bannon
Washington Post – Jose DelReal | Published: 11/13/2016

Critics denounced President-elect Donald Trump for appointing Stephen Bannon to a top White House position as chief strategist. Civil rights groups, senior Democrats, and some Republican strategists have said that Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, will bring anti-Semitic, nationalist, and racist views to the West Wing. Bannon has said while there are fringe elements associated with the right-wing nationalist movement, his critics are painting with too broad a brush. “These people are patriots,” he said. “They love their country. They just want their country taken care of.”

Trump Team Sets Broader Limits on Lobbying by Former Staff
New York Times – Michael Shear and Eric Lipton | Published: 11/16/2016

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team announced it will require incoming officials to terminate their lobbyist registrations and agree not to lobby again for five years after leaving the administration. The sweeping post-employment restrictions could make it difficult for Trump, whose transition team has struggled to get off the ground, to attract experienced professionals in policy circles where lobbying is a common revenue stream. The policy is in some ways far more rigid than President Barack Obama’s groundbreaking lobbyist ban.

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama – Strange’s Office Asked Groups for Input on Ethics Law
Montgomery Advertiser – Brian Lyman | Published: 11/15/2016

A few months after securing the conviction of House Speaker Mike Hubbard under the state ethics law, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange’s office solicited input about the law and its application to groups covered by it. The main point of unease grows from the Hubbard jury’s application of the ethics law to individuals and organizations who hire lobbyists, known as principals. The state’s ethics law forbids legislators from asking for or receiving any “thing of value” from a lobbyist or a principal. The Hubbard trial also led to questions about how state employees could find employment in the private sector without violating the ethics law.

Florida – Toll Board Lobbyist Accused of Foiling County’s Push for Transit Funds
Miami Herald – Douglas Hanks | Published: 11/11/2016

The private lobbyist Miami-Dade County hired to push transit legislation had another client on the issue that paid more: the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. A report from the county’s ethics board criticized the lobbyist, Fausto Gomez, for not disclosing the “potential conflict” and recommended that the county commission ban his firm, Gomez Barker, from county lobbying contracts for up to three years.

Illinois – Red Light Cameras Figure Given 2 1/2 Years in Prison for Massive Bribe Scheme
Chicago Tribune – David Kidwell | Published: 11/10/2016

The former chief executive officer of Chicago’s longtime red light camera vendor was sentenced to two-and-one-half years in prison for her role in a $2 million cash-for-cameras bribery scheme with a top City Hall manager who rigged the contract for a decade. In addition to imposing the prison sentence, the judge ordered Karen Finley to pay $35,000 up front in restitution and then 10 percent of whatever net income she makes for the rest of her life. The sentence will run concurrent with the 14-month prison term given to Finley in federal court in Ohio for her role in a smaller bribes-for-contracts scheme there.

Massachusetts – Federal Prosecutors Open Criminal Grand Jury Probe of Thornton Law Firm Donations
Center for Responsive Politics – Andrea Estes (Boston Globe) and Viveca Novak | Published: 11/15/2016

Federal prosecutors have opened a grand jury investigation into potentially illegal campaign contributions from lawyers at the Thornton Law Firm, a leading donor to Democrats around the country. The U.S. attorney’s office is one of three agencies now looking into the Boston-based personal injury firm’s practice of reimbursing its partners for millions of dollars in political donations. The law firm has insisted the donations were legal, but soon after the media revealed the firm’s practice, politicians began returning hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations. Federal prosecutors, as well as state and federal campaign finance regulators, are investigating whether Thornton and its lawyers violated the law by paying “bonuses” to firm partners in the exact amount of their political donations and often on the same day. The firm’s attorney acknowledges the payments went on for a decade.

New Jersey – GWB Scandal Puts a Light on the Benefits of Lobbying
Bergen Record – John Reitmeyer | Published: 11/14/2016

Wolff & Samson is one of the top “go-to” law firms in New Jersey, continuing the tradition of others that reap benefits when a particular political party or close ally is in power. Public records show the law firm headed by David Samson, who was legal counsel for Gov. Chris Christie’s 2009 campaign and led his transition team, also has earned millions of dollars doing legal work for numerous government agencies during Christie’s tenure. Wolff & Samson also employs lobbyists who have represented major corporations seeking favorable outcomes from state government.

New York – Cuomo, Stung by a Scandal, Offers Ethics Reforms
New York Times – Vivian Yee and Jesse McKinley | Published: 11/16/2016

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he is taking a number of unilateral steps designed to reduce potential conflicts-of-interest and fraud in the annual awarding of billions of dollars in state contracts. Cuomo said he will ban his political campaign and the state Democratic Party from accepting contributions from companies as they bid for state contracts. He will also create new watchdog positions to oversee the executive branch and the state’s higher-education system, among other reforms.

Tennessee – Legal Loophole Allows Donors to Obscure State Campaign Contributions
The Tennessean – Joel Ebert | Published: 11/14/2016

Andy Miller, one of the most significant Tennessee Republican Party donors in recent history, has used more than a dozen names, addresses, and job descriptions when giving as much as $550,000 in state contributions, making it difficult to track the money. The obfuscation of the donations to state PACs, incumbent state lawmakers, and legislative candidates illustrates a loophole in campaign finance law that helps wealthy donors skirt contribution limits, according to an analysis of more than a decade of campaign finance reports.

State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 60 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.

Lobbyists hoping to work for President-elect Donald J. Trump will have to terminate their lobbyist registrations to be vetted for high-level positions, according to CNN.

Additionally, as an agreement to work with the next administration, officials leaving their future positions will be banned from lobbying for five years. Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer says the goal of the ban is to make sure “people aren’t using the government to enrich themselves and using their service in government to do that.”

Trump’s transition team told CNN this will help fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington.

Lobbying

“U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue Announces Revamp of Group’s Lobbying Arm” by Catherine Ho for The Washington Post

“Trump Team Sets Broader Limits on Lobbying by Former Staff“ by Michael Shear and Eric Lipton for The New York Times

Alabama: “Strange’s Office Asked Groups for Input on Ethics Law” by Brian Lyman for Montgomery Advertiser

Florida: “Senate, House Differ on Lobbyist, Budget Rules” by Brandon Larrabee (News Service of Florida) for Sunshine State News

Campaign Finance

Maine: “Maine Ethics Commission Proposes New Campaign Finance Rules” by Christopher Cousins (Bangor Daily News) for Maine Sun Journal

“Federal Prosecutors Open Criminal Grand Jury Probe of Thornton Law Firm Donations” by Andrea Estes (The Boston Globe) and Viveca Novak for Center for Responsive Politics

Ethics

“Rudolph Giuliani’s Business Ties Viewed as Red Flag for Secretary of State Job” by Mark Landler, Eric Lipton and Jo Becker for The New York Times

New York: “Cuomo to Limit Campaign Cash, Create Watchdogs” by Jon Campbell for The Journal News

Elections

“Political Divide Splits Relationships – and Thanksgiving, Too” by Sabrina Tavernise and Katharine Q. Seelye for The New York Times

“Rights Groups See ‘Unprecedented’ Support in Wake of Election” by Sandhya Somashekhar for The Washington Post

Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran recently proposed sweeping changes to House Rules for when lawmakers return to Tallahassee next year. Corcoran is specifically taking aim at lobbyists and their interactions with House members.

Some of the proposed changes include banning lobbyists from texting lawmakers while in committee or in the House chamber, proposing a constitutional amendment banning elected officials from lobbying for six years after leaving office, and requiring lobbyists to disclose the bill or amendment they are trying to influence.

Newly elected lawmakers will be sworn in on November 22, 2016, and the 2017 regular session will begin on March 7.

Lobbying

Florida: “Toll Board Lobbyist Accused of Foiling County’s Push for Transit Funds” by Douglas Hanks for Miami Herald

Florida: “Ballot Questions Fail in Miami Beach” by Joey Flechas for Miami Herald

New Jersey: “GWB Scandal Puts a Light on the Benefits of Lobbying” by John Reitmeyer for The Bergen Record

Campaign Finance

Missouri: “Missouri Donors Say Effort to Limit Money in Politics Failed” by Summer Ballentine and David A. Lieb (Associated Press) for Southeast Missourian

Tennessee: “Legal Loophole Allows Donors to Obscure State Campaign Contributions” by Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Ethics

Illinois: “Google and Facebook Take Aim at Fake News Sites” by Nick Wingfield, Mike Isaac, and Katie Benner for The New York Times

“Red Light Cameras Figure Given 2 1/2 Years in Prison for Massive Bribe Scheme” by David Kidwell for Chicago Tribune

Elections

“Bernie’s Empire Strikes Back” by Daniel Strauss for Politico

“Trump Draws Sharp Rebuke, Concerns Over Newly Appointed Chief White House Strategist Stephen Bannon” by Jose A. DelReal for The Washington Post

Legislative Issues

“Republicans Unanimously Pick Ryan to Continue as Speaker, but Differences Remain” by Mike DeBonis for The Washington Post

New York: “No Pay Raises for State Legislators, Commission Says” by Rick Karlin for Albany Times Union

Campaign Finance

“Campaign Finance Laws Poised for Rollback Under Trump” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

“Howard Voters Approve Measure to Use Taxpayer Dollars for Local Campaigns“by Fatimah Waseem for The Baltimore Sun

Elections

“Critics See Stephen Bannon, Trump’s Pick for Strategist, as Voice of Racism” by Michael Shear, Maggie Haberman and Michael Schmidt for The New York Times

Ethics

“Former Illinois Congressman with ‘Downton Abbey’ Office Is Indicted” by Matt Zapotosky for The Washington Post

“How Federal Ethics Laws Will Apply to a Trump Presidency” by Steve Eder for The New York Times

Kentucky: “Longmeyer Found Guilty of 45 Ethics Violations” by Tom Loftus for Louisville Courier-Journal

Massachusetts: “Mass. Ethics Task Force OK’d” by Andy Metzger (State House News Service) for Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise

Lobbying

“Trump Campaigned Against Lobbyists, but Now They’re on His Transition Team” by Eric Lipton The New York Times

Florida: “Corcoran’s Changes Target Tallahassee’s ‘Good Ol’ Boy Culture’” by Steve Bousquet for Tampa Bay Times

Missouri: “Former Missouri Lawmaker Registers as Lobbyist After Quitting Early” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Miami Beach residents rejected two ballot measures looking to ease certain restrictions on lobbyists.

The first would have allowed architects and landscape architects to serve on city land-use boards and work on city projects at the same time, as long as they do not lobby for a project they would eventually vote on. Currently, these architects are not allowed to serve on a land-use board while working on a project for the city.

The second measure would have allowed lobbyists to forego filing an annual statement if they did not spend or receive money for lobbying during the year. Lobbyists currently must file annual reports regardless of their level of activity, and they are subject to fines for failing to do so.

Lobbying

“Trump Victory Could Mean Big Business for K Street” by Catherine Ho for The Washington Post

“S.F. Budget Set-Asides Mostly Pass; Noncitizens May Get a Vote” by Jenna Lyons and Emily Green for San Francisco Chronicle

Campaign Finance

“FEC Inspector General Says Top Agency Official Duped Her into Releasing Confidential Criticisms” by Dave Levinthal for The Center for Public Integrity

“Arizona AG to Investigate Spending by Minimum-Wage Advocates Yes on 206” by Alia Beard Rau for The Arizona Republic

Ethics

“Feds: Clinton Twp. trustee indicted in Rizzo scandal led us to others” by Tresa Baldas and Christina Hall for Detroit Free Press

“Donald Trump, New York Corruption, and a Loss of Faith in Institutions” by William Fowler for Gotham Gazette

Elections

“Over 70 Nations Have Been Led by Women. So Why Not the U.S.?” by Katrin Bennhold and Rick Gladstone for The New York Times

“The Electoral College Is Hated by Many. So Why Does It Endure?” by Jonathan Mahler and Steve Eder for The New York Times

“What Went Wrong with the 2016 Polls?” by Vann R. Newkirk II for The Atlantic

Despite strong support from democrats, Washington voters did not back Initiative 1464. The measure would have required new campaign finance disclosures, limited contributions by lobbyists and government contractors, and imposed a three-year waiting period on lobbying by former public officials and senior staff.

On the other hand, Initiative 735 was approved by 63.84% of voters. The measure will urge the state congressional delegation to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution regarding campaign financing. The measure also requests the state to ratify the constitutional amendment once passed by Congress.

Citizens of South Dakota voted in favor of lobbying and campaign finance reform. Initiated Measure 22 (IM 22), known as the South Dakota Government Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act, passed by a tally of 52% to 48%.

IM 22 creates a publicly funded campaign finance system and lowers contribution limits as well as new gift limits and revolving door restrictions for former state officials.

Though approved by the voters, the measure may face constitutional challenges in court.