May 2, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
California: “California lobbying firms make $40.1M in first quarter” by Kathy Robertson in the Sacramento Business Journal.
Illinois: “Evaluating Municipal Lobbying Data: Chicago” by Alisha Green in the Sunlight Foundation blog.
Campaign Finance
“Billionaire’s son pushes for campaign-finance overhaul” by Brian Tumulty in USA Today.
Arizona: “Horne campaign finance case puts contribution limits at risk” by Howard Fischer in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Florida: “Ramba: Campaign-finance reform will just shuffle paper work” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.
Missouri:
Missouri: “Senate bill would limit campaign contributions” by Jonathan Shorman in the News-Leader.
New York: “WATCH LIVE: Senate IDC hosts hearing on campaign-finance reform” by Jon Campbell in Politics on the Hudson.
Ethics
Connecticut: “Malloy’s trip on People Magazine’s dime raises questions” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
North Carolina: “NC elections board gets new chair, exec director” in the Daily Dispatch.
New York: “Director leaving high-profile NY ethics commission” on CBS Albany News.
Pennsylvania: “Gov. Corbett discloses gifts, free travel for 2012” by The Associated Press in the Patriot-News.
Pennsylvania: “9 members of Congress from Pa. cited in nepotism report” by Melissa Daniels in The Reporter.
From the State Legislatures
“Elections—and Rules—Have Consequences” by Karen Shanton in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Indiana: “Indiana Governor Mike Pence doesn’t rule out vetoes of legislative bills” in the Courier-Journal.
Louisiana: “House committee shoots down effort at term limits for statewide elected officials” by Jeff Adelson in the Times-Picayune.
Government Tech and Social Media
“YouTube goes to Washington” by Seth Rosenblatt in CNET News.
May 1, 2013 •
South Carolina House Passes Ethics Bill
Campaign and lobbyist reporting would be expanded
The House has passed a bill to overhaul ethics laws, including campaign finance and lobbying. House Bill 3945 creates the Joint Committee on Ethics and the Public Integrity Unit to investigate complaints and replace the separate House and Senate ethics committees.
The bill includes new reporting requirements for campaign contributions just before an election and extends lobbyist registration and reporting for individuals lobbying local governments and school boards.
A final approval on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, allows the bill to meet the crossover deadline for Senate consideration. If sent any later, the bill would need a two-thirds vote for Senate passage.
May 1, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“Report: Obama To Pick Cable and Wireless Industry Lobbyist To Chair FCC” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
“Bottom Line” in The Hill.
California: “Lobbying intensifies on immigration reform” by Elizabeth Aguilera in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Delaware: “Common Cause of Delaware cites lobbying concerns in study” by Craig Anderson in the Delaware State News.
Michigan: “Nell Kuhnmuench ‘probably the best lobbyist in Lansing’” by Kristen M. Daum in Greater Lansing Woman.
Campaign Finance
“Springtime for disclosure” by Jonathan Backer in The Hill.
“113th Congress Freshmen Take $6.5 Million in PAC Money During First Three Months” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
“‘Too Much Money in Politics’” by Kimberly A. Strassel in the Wall Street Journal.
Montana: “Montana legislative leaders to interview 5 for political practices commissioner” by Charles S. Johnson in the Missoulian.
Ethics
North Carolina: “New members of NC elections board set to meet” by Michael Biesecker (Associated Press) in the Jacksonville Daily News.
Pennsylvania: “Pa. lawmakers, other public officials disclose gifts, travel, other freebies in annual filing” by Mark Scolforo (Associated Press) in The Republic.
Texas: “Disclosure Bills Get Little Love From Top Leaders” by Emily Ramshaw in the Texas Tribune.
From the State Legislatures
NCSL Members Mobile App on the NCSL website.
Nevada: “Nevada Legislature lagging in number of approved bills” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Redistricting
Arizona: “Brewer OKs extra redistricting commission funds” by The Associated Press in Arizona Capitol Times.
Kentucky: “Beshear hopes to call special session to deal with legislative redistricting” by Jack Brammer and Beth Musgrave in the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Government Tech and Social Media
“NYC BigApps Refines the Civic Hackathon” by Sam Roudman in TechPresident.
April 30, 2013 •
Joint Commission on Public Ethics Proposes Rule Changes
Gift and Source of Funding regulations targeted in proposed changes
The New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) unveiled proposed changes to the ethics rules Tuesday, which could make it easier for lobbyists to conceal their donors and funders from the public. At its monthly meeting, JCOPE proposed changes to the gift regulations and the recently enacted source of funding regulations.
Under the source of funding regulations, lobbyists must disclose the names of anybody who provided them with funding in excess of $5,000 for lobbying purposes, but only if they meet a certain threshold. The current rules allow for a waiver of this requirement only if there is a substantial likelihood of harm. Under the proposed change, JCOPE would lower the standard to a reasonable likelihood or probability of harm.
Executive Director Ellen Biben said the current standard may be unconstitutional, thus necessitating the change. “The substantial likelihood standard may be constitutionally too high,” Biben said. “We agree.”
In the proposed change to the gift ban, JCOPE puts a concrete dollar amount on the term “nominal value.” Under current law, a lobbyist is prohibited from giving a gift to a public official and gift is defined as something worth more than nominal value. However, there is no dollar figure attached to the current definition of nominal value.
Under the proposed definition, nominal value will be defined as an item or service with a value of $10 or less. Therefore, if the proposed change is enacted, lobbyists will be prohibited from giving a public official a gift with a value in excess of $10.
In order for the rules to go into effect, JCOPE commissioners must approve the proposals. There is no set time table on when the commissioners will review the proposals and make a decision on their enactment.
April 30, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Ethics Group CREW Bails on Lobbying Efforts” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
Arizona: “Action lacking despite opportunities to improve Arizona’s lobbyist reporting system” by Evan Wyloge and Hank Stephenson in the Arizona Capitol Times.
Florida: “NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbies lawmakers in Tallahassee to back Dolphins stadium renovation bill” by Toluse Olorunnipa and Charles Rabin in the Miami Herald.
Michigan: “State Rep. Andy Schor intros bills to adjust term limits, restrict post-office lobbying by lawmakers” by Angela Wittrock in Michigan Live.
Utah:”Loopholes allow lobbyist spending to vanish from reports by Lee Davidson” in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Campaign Finance
“Why don’t Americans care more about campaign finance reform?” by Juliet Eilperin and Scott Clement in the Washington Post.
“Bipartisan Campaign Finance Bill Aims to ‘Follow the Money’” by Chris Vest in Associations Now.
Maine: “Senate backs resolutions supporting campaign finance, immigration reforms” by Matthew Stone in the Bangor Daily News.
Ethics
“Latest ethics proposal rejected by AG” by John Lyon in the Arkansas News.
New York: “NY ethics board proposes changes to gifts, disclosure requirements by some lobbying groups” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
South Carolina: “Fate of ethics bill to be determined Tuesday in S.C. legislature” by Kirk Brown in the Anderson Independent Mail.
Procurement
“7 Ideas for the Future of Local Government” by Steve Ressler in Government Technology.
April 29, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“Social media emerge as players in state capitols” by Brad Cooper in the Kansas City Star.
Hawaii: “Has Hawaii Given Up On Lobbying Congress?” by Kery Murakami in Honolulu Civil Beat.
Campaign Finance
California: “Interactive graphic lets voters follow the money in mayor’s race” by David Zahniser, Maloy Moore and Anthony Pesce in the Los Angeles Times.
California: “California declines to update campaign data online” by Jusy Lin (Associated Press) in the Redding Record Searchlight.
New York: “Public campaign finance debate heats up in Albany” by Jon Campbell in the Journal News.
Ethics
“Tuesday Discussion on the FEC-The Day The Terms of All Commissioners Will Have Expired” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
South Carolina: “Bid to reform state ethics draws fire” by Tim Smith in the Greenville News.
South Dakota: “South Dakota lawmakers don’t see conflict of interest problems in the Legislature” by David Montgomery in the Argus Leader.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Open Source Tech is Driving Big Changes in Government” by Joseph Marks and Mark Micheli in Nextgov.
“San Francisco Hires New Chief Information Officer” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
April 29, 2013 •
Indiana Legislature Passes Lobbying Bill Before Adjourning
Enrolled Act 1222 awaits Governor’s approval
The Legislature adjourned Saturday, April 27, 2013, shortly after passing a bill to change lobbying regulations. Enrolled Act 1222 expands the definition of lobbying to include communications with any legislative employee and requires lobbyists to file registration statements and activity reports electronically.
The bill also increases the annual lobbyist registration fee from $100 to $200 and makes the lobbyist registration year match the current lobbyist reporting periods. Lobbyist registration statements issued for 2013 will expire November 1, 2013.
Most of the bill’s provisions will become effective July 1, 2013, following approval by the Governor.
Photo of the Indiana State House by Jasont82 on Wikipedia.
April 26, 2013 •
Florida Ethics Bill Heads to Governor Scott
Adds prohibitions on lobbying by former legislators
Perhaps the most talked-about piece of legislation this session, Senate Bill 2 was passed unanimously by both houses of the Florida Legislature.
The final ethics bill:
- Prohibits members of the legislature from acting as lobbyists for compensation before an executive branch agency, agency official, or employee for two years after leaving office. The version passed by the House eliminated an original provision preventing legislators from becoming lobbyists or principals of lobbying firms lobbying the legislature;
- Provides for a fine of up to $5,000 for executive branch lobbyists who fail to disclose required material facts as required or knowingly provide false information;
- Allows the Commission on Ethics to investigate whether a lobbyist has made a prohibited expenditure if a complaint is filed; and
- Prohibits vendors from providing gifts to a reporting individual or procurement employee for vendors doing business with the reporting individual’s or procurement employee’s agency.
The ethics bill was a top priority of Senate President Don Gaetz. He called the bill his “proudest moment as a senator.” The bill was sent immediately to Governor Rick Scott, who has seven days to sign or veto the bill.
April 26, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – April 26, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
K Street’s Bounce Proves Elusive
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama – Barron, Former Aide Indicted
Arkansas – Arkansas House Sends Ethics, Petition Rules to Voters
California – ‘Hacking’ Open Financial Disclosure Data
California – Many Private Interests Were Brown’s Fellow Travelers in China
Florida – Legislators Finish Rewrite of Ethics, Campaign Bill
Illinois – Emanuel Campaign Taking Donations from Hotel Developers with Projects in Works
Iowa – Affidavit Says Bachmann Approved Hidden Payments to Iowa Senator
New Jersey – Campaign Finance Overhaul by N.J. Senate Democrats Would Also Reform Pay-to-Play
North Carolina – Sweepstakes Donor’s Checks to NC Politicians Scrutinized
Texas – Campaign Accounts Help Texas Legislators Pay Staffers
Vermont – Former Lt. Gov. Dubie, RGA Agree to Settle Election Lawsuit with State
Washington – Donate to Sick Lawmakers? Limits Apply to Some Gifts
State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 80 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.
News You Can Use is a news service provided at no charge only to clients of our online Executive Source Guides, or ALERTS™ consulting clients.
April 25, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“The Shadow Lobbyist” opinion piece by Tom Edsall in The New York Times.
Georgia: “New ethics law’s Jan. 1 start creates uncertainty for lobbyists, legislators” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
North Carolina: “NC elections board supports investigation on sweepstakes cash” by Michael Biesecker and Mitch Weiss (Associated Press) in the News & Observer.
Campaign Finance
“Donor Gets Jail Time for Illegal Contributions” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine.
“Does Stephen Colbert’s Endorsement of His Sister Violate Election Laws?” by Megan Wiegand in Slate.
Florida: “Common Cause: campaign finance ‘reform’ bill is a ‘farce’” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Florida: “Legislators send campaign finance and ethics bills to governor” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Ethics
“’Hacking’ Open Financial Disclosure Data” by Scott Detrow in KQED Public Media.
Alabama: “Former state senator Lowell Barron indicted on campaign finance, ethics charges” by Kim Chandler in Alabama Live.
Colorado: “San Francisco Considers Ethics Reforms” by Ryan Parker in the Denver Post.
Illinois: “State Sen. Trotter pleads guilty to misdemeanor” by Jason Meisner in the Chicago Tribune.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Get Ready for Mobile Only” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
Redistricting
Alaska: “Redistricting Board asks Supreme Court to clarify ruling” by Richard Mauer in the Anchorage Daily News.
April 25, 2013 •
San Francisco Considers Ethics Reforms
Legislation would expand lobbying and squeeze exceptions
City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu have introduced legislation to better regulate lobbying and campaign finance within the city. The ordinance would amend the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code to expand the definition of lobbyist and require lobbyists to complete training online.
The lobbying exemption for contractors and their attorneys would be limited to in-house officers and employees. Outside consultants communicating with public officials regarding contract bidding and negotiating would be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of lobbying.
The ordinance would also require the Ethics Commission to publish a guide for campaign contributors regarding contribution regulations and reporting requirements.
The board may begin discussion of the legislation at the next meeting in May.
April 24, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“Lobbying World” in The Hill.
“Graham’s campaign collects bundle from lobbyists” by Michael Beckel in the Huffington Post (via The Center for Public Integrity).
Nevada: “Nevada advances lobbying cooling-off-period bills” by Matt Woolbright (Associated Press) in the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Campaign Finance
“Follow The Money Bill Proposed For More Transparency in Campaign Financing” in CQ Roll Call’s Political Moneyline.
“S.E.C. Gets Plea: Force Companies to Disclose Donations” by Nicholas Confessore in The New York Times.
Florida: “Senate finishes campaign finance bill, first piece of ethics compromise” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
New York: “Skelos opposes Cuomo on abortion, campaign finance” by Yancey Roy in Newsday.
New York: “Bad Legal Arguments Can’t Stop Reform” by Lawrence Norden in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.
South Carolina: “SC Senate advances a piece of ethics reform” by The Associated Press in WJCL News.
Ethics
California: “SF May Make Major Update to City Ethics Policies” by Nina Thorsen in KQED Public Media.
Connecticut: “Foley wants to revive ‘good government’ bill” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
New York: “Parole Granted for Political Consultant in a Corruption Case” by Jesse McKinley in The New York Times.
April 24, 2013 •
Arkansas Ethics Amendment to be Decided by the Voters
Bill would ban corporate contributions and lobbyist gifts
Governor Mike Beebe has approved a proposed constitutional amendment to be placed on the November 4, 2014 general election ballot. House Joint Resolution 1009, the Arkansas Elected Officials Ethics, Transparency, and Financial Reform Amendment of 2014, passed both chambers shortly before the regular session recessed on April 24, 2013.
If affirmed by the voters, the constitutional amendment will ban corporate and union gifts to political campaigns, ban lobbyist gifts to legislative and executive officials, and provide 16 year term limits for legislators. The amendment would also increase the time between when a legislator leaves office and when a legislator is permitted to become a lobbyist from one year to two years.
The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on May 17, 2013 for a veto session before adjourning sine die.
April 23, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“K Street’s bounce proves elusive” by Kevin Bogardus and Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.
“Chamber of Commerce Still Keeping Lobbyists Busy” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.
“Religious Groups Throw Lobbying Cash at Immigration Reform” by Elizabeth Flock in U.S. News & World Report.
Montreal, Quebec: “City asked to investigate undeclared lobbying” by Monique Beaudin in the Montreal Gazette.
Pennsylvania: “Mensch: Improve Campaign Finance, Lobbyist Reporting” in the Lehigh Valley Patch.
Campaign Finance
New York: “Reform does work, New York” editorial piece by Denise Merrill, the Connecticut secretary of the state and Miles Rapoport, president of Demos and former Connecticut secretary of the state in the Albany Times Union.
Ethics
District of Columbia: “D.C. wraps audit of Gray campaign, doesn’t release findings” by Alan Blinder in the Washington Examiner.
New York: “NY governor replaces head of troubled ethics board with lawyer who represented Bernard Madoff” by The Associated Press in the Washington Post.
Procurement
Ohio: “Franklin County, Ohio, Builds Transparent Procurement System From Scratch” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Federal Web Visitors are Coming Via Mobile” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.
