April 1, 2013 •
Maine Pushes Back Lobbying Report Due Date
State offices closed due to Patriot’s Day
As a result of the state of Maine’s observance of Patriot’s Day, the March lobbying report is now due on April 16, 2013. Normally, the monthly lobbying report is due on the 15th day of each month, but with the state holiday, the Ethics Commission has pushed back the due date.
All registered lobbyists must file a report, even if no lobbying was done during the month. If a lobbyist did not lobby during the month of March, he or she may file a short-form report.
Patriot’s Day is only a state holiday in Maine and Massachusetts (in Massachusetts it is officially Patriots’ Day) and celebrates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolutionary War. In Boston, the holiday is celebrated by the running of the annual Boston Marathon and a late morning Boston Red Sox game.
Photo of the Lexington Minuteman statue by Daderot on Wikipedia.
April 1, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
Florida: “Florida lawmakers weigh bill to tweak lobbyist gift ban” by Jim Saunders in the Miami Herald.
Georgia: “New lobbyist law leaves possible loopholes” by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Chris Joyner and James Salzer in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kentucky: “Ethics Commission reports $4.2M spent on lobbying in Frankfort in January, February” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “Lobbying spending in N.Y. dropped to $205M in 2012” by Jon Campbell in the Democrat and Chronicle.
New York: “Pro-Cuomo Group Repeats as Top Spender on Lobbying” by Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times.
Oregon: “State, colleges lobbying costs top $1M” by Raju Chebium in the Statesman Journal.
Campaign Finance
Connecticut: “Boosting public financing for campaigns is off the table” by Mark Pazniokas in the Connecticut Mirror.
Nebraska: “Measure repeals Neb. campaign finance law but seeks to put campaign spending reports online” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “New Ads to Press Albany on Campaign Financing” by Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times.
Vermont: “Campaign finance reform bill in jeopardy” in the Rutland Herald.
West Virginia: “W.Va. House seeks anti-Citizens United amendment” by The Associated Press in WTRF.com.
Ethics
“Larry Craig Loses Major Battle in Fight Against FEC” by Steven T. Dennis in Roll Call.
“STOCK Act Endangers National Security, Report Says” by Niels Lesniewski in Roll Call.
North Dakota: “Gov. Dalrymple’s energy stocks, contributions raise questions” by Amy Dalrymple in InForum.
Ohio: “Jimmy Dimora files federal appeal claiming innocence” by James F. McCarty in the Plain Dealer.
From the State Legislatures
Georgia: “Ga. lawmakers take flurry of votes on final day” by The Associated Press in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Redistricting
Texas: “Texas redistricting fight resumes” by Tim Eaton in the Austin American-Statesman.
Open Government
“Which States Aced the Spending Transparency Test?” in Government Technology.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Internal Website HouseNet Gets a Makeover” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.
“NASA Becomes The Most-Followed Government Twitter Account, Nominated For Second Shorty Award” by Benny Luo in NewMediaRockstars.com.
Hawaii: “Bill would require state to post more information online” by The Associated Press in the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
March 29, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – March 29, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Why Republicans Still Run K Street
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona – Arizona Legislature Is Short on Ethics Rules
Florida – Florida Governor Shuts Down Office after Resignation
Georgia – Georgia Lawmakers Reach Deal on Lobbying Rules
Illinois – Illinois Supreme Court Reverses Ruling on Chicago Inspector General’s Power
Illinois – Lobbyist Uses Political Savvy in Springfield to Tackle Bill – Her Water Bill
Kentucky – Richie Farmer’s Sister Placed on Leave over Ethics Charges against Her
Montana – Murry Will Not Seek Confirmation to Political Practice Post
Nevada – Banishment Ends Brooks Saga: ‘We did not feel safe’
Nevada – Senate OKs Bill for Quarterly Lobbyist Reports
New Jersey – Campaign Finance Watchdog Agency Says Outside Democratic Group Must Adhere to Contribution Limits
New Jersey – Seven from Birdsall Services Group Engineering Firm Indicted in Plot to Hide Political Gifts
Pennsylvania – Turnpike Case Has Bribery Charges, But Not Against Bribers
Wyoming – Judge Rejects Lawsuit by Wyoming Free Speech
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.
March 29, 2013 •
Georgia Passes Ethics Bill with Lobbyist Gift Limits
Unanimous vote comes shortly before adjournment
Legislators have passed an ethics overhaul capping lobbyist gifts at $75 and eliminating a prior proposal to require lobbying registration for volunteer advocates. The House and Senate voted unanimously for House Bill 142 shortly before adjournment on Thursday, March 28, 2013.
This is the state’s first limitation on gifts to public officials. Exceptions to the $75 limit include committee dinners, dinners for caucuses, and certain lobbyist-funded travel. The $75 cap is per occurrence and per lobbyist.
There is no explicit limit on the number of gifts permitted. As part of the deal, volunteers will not have to register as lobbyists unless they are reimbursed $250 or more in expenses from an organization.
UPDATE: The bill will also remove the $300 lobbyist registration and renewal fee when it becomes effective on January 1, 2014, following approval by the Governor
March 28, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Internet Association bolsters lobbying force” by Jennifer Martinez in The Hill.
Colorado: “Colorado gun lobbyist says he did nothing to warrant an ethics charge” by Lynn Bartels in the Denver Post.
Georgia: “Deal reported on lobbyist gift reform” by Greg Bluestein and Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Campaign Finance
“OFA Campaign Finance Reform Push Explained In Call To Supporters” by Paul Blumenthal in the Huffington Post.
Arizona: “Clean Elections’ funding could be returned to ballot” by Sean Peick in the Arizona Republic.
Illinois: “Bernard Schoenburg: Gaps remain in campaign finance reporting rules” – opinion piece by Bernard Schoenburg in the State Journal-Register.
Corporate Political Advocacy
“Poll: Public wary of corporate politics” by Byron Tau in Politico.
Open Government
“New law requires 72 hours of notice for public meetings” by The Associated Press in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
From the State Legislatures
Virginia: “Lacey Putney, longest-serving Va. lawmaker, to retire” by The Associated Press in the Times Dispatch.
March 27, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“K St. winners and losers in budget votes” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Under Contract” in The Hill.
“K Street Files: SEIU Launches Immigration Ads” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
Georgia: “Drama over ethics reform builds toward session’s finale” by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Nevada: “State Senate votes for more lobbyist transparency” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Campaign Finance
New York: “OFA joins New York campaign finance reform fight” by Maggie Haberman in Politico.
West Virginia: “Campaign financing bill advances” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.
Ethics
Maryland: “Dixon to give talk, consider return to politics” by Jena Marbella in the Baltimore Sun.
From the State Legislatures
“Committee recommends Brooks be expelled from Legislature” by Anjeanette Damon in the Las Vegas Sun.
Political Advertising
“Think Your Advocacy Group is Not Subject to FEC Rules? Think Again.” in Political Law Briefing via Eric Brown’s Political Activity Law Blog.
Open Government
“New Transparency Grades Issued for States” by Mike Maciag in Government Technology.
Arkansas: “Arkansas gets ‘C’ in spending transparency report” in Arkansas News.
Tennessee: “Rep. Glen Casada withdraws bill on open meetings law” by The Associated Press in The Tennessean.
West Virginia: “W.Va.’s spending transparency grade falls” by Eric Eyre in the Charleston Gazette.
Redistricting
Florida: “Legislators ask court to shield them from having to testify over maps” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
March 26, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
Georgia: “House makes ethics changes; Deal urges action” by Greg Bluestein, Aaron Gould Sheinin and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Ex-lawmakers go to lobbying-related jobs” by Fredreka Schouten in USA Today.
“Facebook’s Zuckerberg to launch lobby group with Washington consultants” by Jennifer Martinez in The Hill.
Campaign Finance
Florida: “Friend of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan evades prison time for illegal fundraising” by Susan Taylor Martin in the Tampa Bay Times.
Montana: “Bill to overhaul campaign finance law passes” by Charles S. Johnson in the Billings Gazette.
Ethics
“Michele Bachmann under investigation for campaign finance violations” by John Bresnahan and Byron Tau in Politico.
Connecticut: “Today’s lesson: Politicians dislike being called corrupt” by Mark Pazniokas in the Connecticut Mirror.
Texas: “Donations to Judicial Campaigns Spur Ethics Worries” by Maurice Chammah in the Texas Tribune.
Elections
Alabama: “Election runoffs targeted; legislation would allow candidates to win nominations with just 35 percent to win in a primary vote” by Brian Lyman in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Maine: “Bill would bar secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer from running for office” by Christopher Cousins in the Bangor Daily News.
From the State Legislatures
Idaho: “House targets Friday adjournment – barring mishaps” by The Associated Press in the Idaho State Journal.
South Dakota: “SD Legislature ends annual legislative session” in the Rapid City Journal.
Utah: “Utah Legislature passed record number of bills” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Government Tech
“San Francisco Tells New York: Our Data Is Bigger Than Your Data” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
March 25, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
Georgia: “Lobbying reform: what’s gone down, what’s up next” by Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying money flows in state store debate” by Steve Esack and Scott Kraus in the Morning Call.
Washington: “Washington Teachers’ Union Top Lobbying Spender In Olympia So Far” by Austin Jenkins in Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Campaign Finance
“Rules of the Game: Hispanic Caucus Leverages Latino Power” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
California: “Former ethics chief would ban fundraising while California lawmakers work” by Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee.
Florida: “House approves no limits on campaign contributions” by Mary Ellen Klas and Michael Van Sickler in the Miami Herald.
Florida: “Campaign finance bill allows higher limits, mandates quicker reporting” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.
Montana: “Coalition ‘blasts’ campaign finance bill” in the Independent Record.
Ethics
New Jersey: “Sexually explicit e-mails sent by Assemblyman Joe Cryan to lobbyist are revealed, report says” in the Star-Ledger.
From the State Legislatures
Georgia: “Georgia lawmakers have 3 days left” by Walter C. Jones in the Augusta Chronicle.
Kentucky: “Dizzying pace for Ky. legislators in next 2 days” by The Associated Press in the Bowling Green Daily News.
Mississippi: “Miss. state Rep. Jessica Upshaw found dead” by The Associated Press in the Hattiesburg American.
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers to return from midsession break” by Chris Blank (Associated Press) in the Columbia Missourian.
Montana: “Montana Senate backs amendment to limit legislators to 16 years in office” by The Associated Press in the Missoulian.
Nevada: “Nevada Legislature sees quiet session so far” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review Journal.
New York: “No new budget bills; final voting pushed to Thursday” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Capitol Confidential.
Open Government
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers don’t follow open records rules, auditor says” by Elizabeth Crisp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Tennessee: “Casada says open meetings bill can be fixed” by Lucas L. Johnson II (Associated Press) in The Tennessean.
Procurement
Kentucky: “Well-paid Kentucky lawmaker Dennis Horlander a toothless watchdog” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
March 25, 2013 •
Georgia Senate Approves Version of Ethics Bill
Both chambers now seeking compromise on House Bill 142
The Senate approved its version of a House ethics bill on Friday, March 25, 2013. Now the House and Senate are seeking common ground between the different versions of House Bill 142.
The House version of the bill bans most gifts from lobbyists to individual legislators, but allows unlimited gifts to legislative groups. The Senate version imposes a $100 gift cap and erases the exception for legislative groups, but does not limit the number of gifts allowed. The Senate version also erases the House version’s expanded lobbyist registration for unpaid advocates.
Both chambers are expected to appoint a joint committee to negotiate in an effort to reach compromise before the session reaches its scheduled end on Thursday, March 28, 2013.
Photo of the Georgia State Capitol dome by Connor Carey on Wikipedia.
March 22, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – March 22, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Conflicts of Interest Run Rampant in State Legislatures
Democratic Women Eye City Hall Gains
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona – Supreme Court Hears Arguments over Whether States Can Ask for Proof of Citizenship to Register
California – Bell Trial Ends in Chaos
California – Judge Orders San Jose to Disclose Officials’ Messages on Private Devices
Florida – Gaming Committee Chairman Relies on Flights from Gaming Lobbyist for Travel to Tallahassee
Georgia – State Senate Offers $100 Lobbying Cap in Split Plan
Kansas – Kansas House Passes Bill on Union Pay Deductions
Kentucky – Richie Farmer Could Be Fined $210,000 over 42 Ethics Violations
Maryland – Campaign Finance Reform Passes House and Is Moving in Senate
Maryland – Former Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold Gets Jail Time from Judge
New Mexico – Social Media Plays a Bigger Role in Legislative Session
New York – Artists Against Fracking May Not Be Registered As New York Lobbying Group
South Carolina – Former Governor Advances in South Carolina Race
South Carolina – Misuse of SC State Plane Alleged
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.
System to be offline for five days
The City Ethics Commission is upgrading the Lobbyist Electronic Filing System (LEFS) at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, through 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2013.
Filers will not have access to LEFS and will not be able to file or amend registrations and quarterly reports during this time.
Lobbyists and authorized signers for firms must submit a paper CEC Form 59 by April 1 in order to use the new paperless system.
Photo of the Los Angeles City Hall by Brion Vibber on Wikipedia.
March 21, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Lobbying Without a Trace” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Under Contract” in The Hill.
“K Street firms working US-EU trade talks from both sides of the Atlantic” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Casino Jack’s New Game” by Mariah Blake in The Atlantic.
Florida: “House revises its ethics bill, allows for revolving door lobbying of exec branch” by Mary Ellen Klas in The Miami Herald.
Georgia: “Senate to present $100 lobbyist cap” by Ray Henry (Associated Press) in the Marietta Daily Journal.
Minnesota: “Minnesota lobbying reports show big spending by business groups” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger in the Star Tribune.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying frenzied as Pa. House vote nears on privatizing alcohol sales” by Angela Couloumbis in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Toronto, Ontario: “Ban on after-hours lobbyist schmoozing gets a cold shoulder from Toronto city hall” by Paul Moloney and Robyn Doolittle in the Toronto Star.
Campaign Finance
“Campaign Finance: Raise Spending Limits, Increase Transparency” by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic.
Ethics
Georgia: “Delay on ethics bill” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New York: “NYS Senate GOP Looking To Cut Ethics Commission Funding” by Ken Lovette in the New York Daily News.
Legislative Issues
Rhode Island: “R.I. legislature begins live streaming floor sessions, hearings” by Katherine Gregg in the Providence Journal.
March 20, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
Georgia: “Ga. Senate expected to unveil lobbying rules” by The Associated Press in WSAV TV.
Indiana: “Purdue moving to trim its federal lobbying costs” by The Associated Press in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Ethics
Arizona: “Campaign-finance case against Horne recommended for dismissal” by Lindsey Collom and Craig Harris in the Arizona Republic.
Georgia: “Ethics reform at critical juncture” Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New Jersey: “N.J. Politics Roundup: House committee investigates Andrews over spending” by Brent Johnson in the Star-Ledger.
Rhode Island: “R.I. ethics panel mulls statute of limitations on complaint filings” by Karen Lee Ziner in the Providence Journal.
Elections
Ohio: “Ohio House panel OKs elections bill” by Michelle Everhart in the Columbus Dispatch.
Procurement
Iowa: “Iowa businesses would get preference on state contracts under bill approved by Iowa Senate” by William Petroski in the Des Moines Register.
From the State Legislatures
“State Legislative Leaders Gather in Washington” by Jon Kuhl in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Term Limits
Texas: “Senate votes to let voters decide on term limits for statewide officeholders” by Mike Ward in the Austin American-Statesman.
March 19, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“K Street Files: FTI Consulting Snaps Up C2 Group” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
California: “California cities, counties find funds to hire Capitol lobbyists” by Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times.
Georgia: “Ga. senators to debate House plan to limit lobbyist spending; end-of-session drawing near” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “Artists Against Fracking May Not Be Registered As New York Lobbying Group, AP Reports” by Michael Gormley in the Huffington Post.
Campaign Finance
Connecticut: “The ‘Ernie Newton’ campaign finance ban moves forward” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Las Cruces, New Mexico: “Las Cruces council refines proposed campaign finance ordinance” by Steve Ramirez in the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Vermont: “Vermont Senate’s campaign finance bill: many find something to like” by Nancy Remsen in the Burlington Free Press.
Ethics
“Reps. Andrews, Young to be investigated by House Ethics panel” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
Florida: “Coalition calls for ethics improvements” by Bill Cotterell in the Florida Current.
Kentucky: “Richie Farmer could be fined $210,000 over 42 ethics violations” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
Rhode Island: “Common Cause web site counts days, hours since ethics vote quashed” by Katherine Gregg in the Providence Journal.
From the State Legislatures
“2012 Election Legislation: National Summary” on NCSL.org.
Social Media
New Mexico: “Social media plays a bigger role in leg session” by Julie Ann Grimm in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
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.
