August 6, 2012 •
Monday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Don’t miss these articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and social media:
Lobbying
“Conventions Lose Appeal for D.C. Lobbyists” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
California: “Highest-billing lobbying firms” by Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee.
Colorado: “University of Colorado’s in-house lobbyists hire out for other firms” by Allison Sherry in the Denver Post.
Indiana: “Daniels still waiting on lobbying decision” by The Associated Press in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers keep reeling in gifts from lobbyists” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Campaign Finance
“O’Connor: Declining approval for high court a ‘disappointment’” by Meghashyam Mali in The Hill.
Ethics
Alabama: “Former Gov. Don Siegelman sentenced to 78 months in prison” by Kim Chandler in the Birmingham News.
Government Social Media
“More government officials embrace social media” by Adam Silverman in USA Today.
“Tweets, social media help more officials get the word out” by Adam Silverman in USA Today.
South Carolina “SC governor goes to Facebook to get message across” by The Associated Press in GoUpstate.com.
August 3, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – August 3, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Conservatives Work to Cull Moderate Republicans
Poll: Public doesn’t like lobbyists, OK with lobbying
Federal:
Conservative Group Challenges Red Line Dividing Candidates, Super-PACs
FEC Says It Will Enforce Nonprofit Disclosure Rules
Households Divided by Campaign Donations
From the States and Municipalities:
California
Two Former Lynwood Officials Guilty of Illegally Boosting Salaries
Georgia
Georgia Voters Back Limits on Lobbyist Spending
Iowa
Contributions Dodged Rules, Records Show
Kentucky
Kentucky Lawyer’s Threatened Sanction Rejected on Free-Speech Grounds
New Jersey
Trenton Residents Lobby for Creation of City Ethics Board
New York
Lobbyists to Disclose Donors Since July 1
North Carolina
New Lobbyist Rankings Reflect GOP Takeover of NC Legislature
Ohio
Jimmy Dimora Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison, ‘A Life Sentence,’ Lawyers Say
Utah
Utah Supreme Court Ruling Ends Ethics Initiative Bid
West Virginia
W.Va. Election Commission Votes to Defend Public Financing Plan
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.
August 2, 2012 •
Thursday News Roundup
Lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics
Lobbying
“Commish claims board shields lobbyist” by The Associated Press in The Wall Street Journal.
“GOP Hits Obama on Lobbyist Meetings at ‘Caribou’” by Devin Dwyer, Shushannah Walshe and Mary Bruce on ABC News.
Campaign Finance
“TV stations begin publishing political ad spending” by Mark Binker on WRAL.com.
“Oregon Gets Low Marks For Campaign Finance” by April Baer in Oregon Public Broadcasting.
“The New Rules Of Campaign Finance: Small Dollars Are No Longer King” by Michael Scherer in TIME Magazine.
Ethics
“Laura Richardson fined $10K by ethics panel” by John Bresnahan in Politico.
Utah: “Push for ethics initiative will continue, backers say” by Robert Gehrke in the Salt Lake Tribune.
August 1, 2012 •
Georgia Voters Support Lobbyist Gift Limits
Primary ballots push the issue
Republicans and Democrats voted overwhelming to limit gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers. The issue was among several nonbinding questions appearing on Republican and Democratic primary ballots.
The vote will not change state law, but it may put political pressure on lawmakers to enact gift limits. Unofficial results show 87 percent of Republicans voted to cap gifts at $100, while 71 percent of Democrats voted in support of setting some kind of limit on what lobbyists can spend.
August 1, 2012 •
Lobbying and Campaign Finance in Today’s News
Take a look at our Wednesday news summary:
Lobbying
Georgia: “Voters want lobbyist gift cap” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Utah: “Utah Supreme Court ruling ends ethics initiative bid” by Robert Gehrke in The Salt Lake Tribune.
The Hill’s “Lobbying World” from July 31.
Campaign Finance
“Washington mayor under fire as finance scandal swirls” by Ian Simpson in Reuters.
“NY board keeps secret donors to pro-Cuomo lobbyist” by The Associated Press in The Wall Street Journal.
Ethics
“Attorney general appoints former prosecutor to Oklahoma Ethics Commission” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
Guidelines to go through formal rulemaking process now
The New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics voted to approve draft regulations and guidelines for implementing the public disclosure requirement for lobbyists and their clients. The commission’s interpretation of the state’s new lobbying act states that starting July 1 certain lobbyists and lobbying employers must disclose individual funding behind their lobbying campaigns. The law would apply to donors of more than $5,000.
There will be two filed reports each year, with the first being due January 15, 2013.
Good government advocates were hoping that the law would be applied starting June 1, when the disclosure provisions were to go into effect. However, the commission said that a “fair and reasonable” reading of the law required the disclosure to begin in July.
These proposed regulations now have to be submitted through the formal rule promulgating process under state law. This means a public comment period and publication in the state register will have to occur before the rule officially goes into effect.
July 31, 2012 •
Tuesday Lobbying News Summary
Keep up with the latest lobbying news with these articles:
“Poll: Public looks down on lobbyists, but OK with firms using them” by Bernie Becker in The Hill.
“Hey, Big Companies: People Like You! (And Don’t Mind Your Lobbying)” by Elahe Izadi in the National Journal.
“For retailers chief lobbyist, battles in Congress go on and on” by Vicki Needham in The Hill.
“Silicon Valley web giants go their own way with new lobbying startup” by Brendan Sasso in The Hill.
Florida: “Several lawmakers work for lobbyists, group says” by Matt Dixon in the Florida Times-Union.
Georgia: “Ga. voters weigh in on lobbying caps, abortion” by Ray Henry in the Sacramento Bee.
North Carolina: “New lobbyist rankings reflect GOP takeover of NC legislature” by Robert Willett in the News & Observer.
Utah: “Loophole lets thousands in lobbyist expenses go unreported” by Robert Gehrke in the Salt Lake Tribune.
July 30, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Don’t miss these articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and social media:
Lobbying
“Statehouse Live: At least 8 GOP legislators registered to attend ALEC meeting” by Scott Rothschild in the Lawrence Journal World.
Oklahoma: “Lobbyist gift-giving to Oklahoma lawmakers is up again for the third straight year” by Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman.
Campaign Finance
“Massachusetts Senate calls for Congress to pass law reversing Citizens United decision” by Robert Rizzuto in the Republican.
“Big campaign donors can remain a big secret” by Jon Murray and Mary Beth Schneider in the Indianapolis Star News.
Ethics
Alabama: “Lawmakers plan to run again as ‘double dipping’ ban looms” by Sebastian Kitchen in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Connecticut: “7 charged in Donovan probe” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Illinois: “Feds widen probe into newly retired South Side lawmaker” by Ray Long and Monique Garcia in the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois: “Ex-Illinois lawmaker subpoenaed over scholarships” in the Quad-City Times.
South Carolina: “Taxpayer bill for Haley ethics probe is $61,000” by Andrew Shain in the Charlotte Observer.
Utah: “Utah Supreme Court weighs fate of 2010 ethics initiative” by Cathy McKitrick in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Political Campaigns and Social Media
“New Site Seeks to Aggregate User-Generated Political Videos” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.
July 27, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – July 27, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
IRS Says It Will Examine Rules for Nonprofit Political Activity
Lawyers Raking in Cash as Campaign Spending Hits Records
Millionaire Political Donors Club: Where are the women?
From the States and Municipalities:
California
San Bernardino County: Campaign finance reform boosted by bill
Connecticut
Campaign Money Scandal Rattles Congressional Race
Georgia
Governor Admits to Ethics Violations
Nevada
Americans for Prosperity May Have Opened Donors to Public Scrutiny by Entering State Race
Pennsylvania
Pa.’s Tough, New Voter ID Law Lands in Court
Pennsylvania
SEPTA Says It Didn’t Think It Had to Report Lobbyist Spending
Utah
ALEC Conservatives Reject Charges of Corporate Cronyism
Vermont
Vermont AG: No limits for independent expenditure PACs
Wisconsin
Prosser Converts Campaign Account to Legal Defense Fund
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.
July 26, 2012 •
Hollywood, Fla. Lobbying Ordinance Takes Effect August 1
Current registered lobbyists must file new registration statement
Hollywood’s new lobbyist ordinance takes effect August 1, 2012. Lobbyist registrations now expire yearly, and will be effective from August 1 to July 31 of the following year. All current lobbyist registrations will expire July 31, 2012, and a new registration statement must be filed.
There will also be an annual registration fee of $50 for each principal or client identified on the registration statement, except for those principals or clients that do not compensate the lobbyist for lobbying. Lobbyists who do not receive compensation are now required to register.
The city clerk will also offer electronic filing of lobbyist registrations beginning August 1.
July 25, 2012 •
Ethics Ordinance Passes Chicago City Council Vote
New rules to take effect November 1st
The Chicago City Council voted unanimously to pass Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s ethics ordinance. The ordinance, which is the first overhaul of the city’s ethics code in 25 years, institutes the recommendations made by an ethics board Emanuel appointed to study the city’s ethical issues.
The newly passed ordinance will increase the gift prohibition for city officials and employees. Officials and employees will now only be able to accept gifts that are less than $50 in value. It also limits the ability of lobbyists and contractors to make political contributions. It also includes a reverse revolving door provision, which limits a city official or employee’s participation in matters involving former employers.
The ordinance will go into effect on November 1, 2012.
Photo of Chicago’s City Hall and Daley Plaza by JeremyA in Wikipedia.
July 24, 2012 •
Tuesday Lobbying News
Keep up with the latest lobbying news with these articles:
“K Street Files: Bundlers Give to Both Parties” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“You don’t know Jack: Abramoff’s multimedia return” by Patrick Gavin in Politico.
The Hill’s “Bottom Line”.
“Caught on K Street candid camera?” by Dave Levinthal & Anna Palmer in Politico Influence.
Here is the Sunlight Foundation’s 180 ° project link.
“Lobbyists are paid $52.6 million over first half of 2012” in the Boston Globe.
Florida: “Florida Lobbyists Find Reasons to Spread Cash Around; Washington Lobbyists, Not so Much” by Nancy Smith in the Sunshine State News.
Pennsylvania: “SEPTA says it didn’t think it had to report lobbyist spending” by Mark Fazlollah in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
July 24, 2012 •
California Local Lobbying and Campaign Reporting Bill Approved
Electronic filing systems must meet criteria by 2013
Governor Jerry Brown has approved Assembly Bill 2452, which changes the criteria local government agencies must meet in order to require campaign and lobbying reports to be filed electronically. The bill was chaptered in the Political Reform Act as section 84615.
A local government agency requiring campaign committees and lobbyists to file electronically must provide a secure, standardized, and free filing system. In addition, if a local ordinance requires a statement or report to be filed electronically, local officials can no longer require an additional copy to be filed in paper format.
The law becomes effective January 1, 2013.
July 23, 2012 •
Monday Campaign Finance and Lobbying News Roundup
Start your week off with these articles:
Campaign Finance
“Tallying Up Presidential Campaign Finances” in The New York Times.
Arizona: “Arizona campaigns often in gray area financially” by Mary Jo Pitzl in The Arizona Republic.
Montana: “Former Montana governor candidate wants political practices findings reversed” by Charles S. Johnson in the Missoulian.
New York: “Analysis: New York political money gushing to campaigns, but upstart Democratic group makes strides” by Michael Gormley (Associated Press) in the Syracuse Post-Standard.
Lobbying
“K Street’s continuing slump” by Anna Palmer in Politico.
“Blue Chips Mull Moves to K Street” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Chamber ups lobbying spending” by Erik Wasson in The Hill.
“Facebook lobbying sets record in Q2” by David Saleh Rauf in Politico.
Nevada: “Dems honor longtime women’s lobbyist” by Ray Hagar in the Reno Gazette-Journal.
New York: “Lobbyists in swing of things at political golf fundraisers” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times Union.
New York: “Cuomo’s Office Releases 2,200-Word Letter on Lobbying Group” by Jon Campbell in State Politics Albany Watch.
Oklahoma: “Report: Lobbyists provided pols Thunder tickets” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
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.
