September 25, 2012 •
Federal Revolving Door Bills
House Resolutions 6424 and 5737
A bill introduced by U.S. Representative Bill Posey hopes to curtail members of congress from becoming lobbyists.
The “End the Congressional Revolving Door Act,” H.R. §6424, would prohibit a former member of congress or former congressional employee, while employed as a lobbyist, from being eligible for certain federal benefits.
Those benefits are:
- The Civil Service Retirement System;
- The Federal Employees’ Retirement System;
- The Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Program; and
- The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program.
The prohibition covers each month the individual is a compensated lobbyist.
In May, a similar bill was introduced by U.S. Representative Steve Israel. The “Congressional Double Dipping Pension Prevention Act,” H.R. §5737, would prohibit a former member of congress receiving annual compensation exceeding $1,000,000 as a lobbyist from being eligible to concurrently receive federal retirement benefits for the period of time he or she is employed as a lobbyist and receiving such income.
September 24, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Start the week off right with these government relations news articles:
Campaign Finance
“Phone Company PAC Funds Campaigns Against Republicans With Customer Overpayments” by Janie Lorber in The Hill.
“Super PAC Influence Falls Short Of Aims” by Neil King, Jr. in The Wall Street Journal.
California: “Measure attacks corporate campaign funds” by Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Iowa: “Iowa sees $29.6 million TV ad inundation” by Jennifer Jacobs in the Austin Post-Bulletin.
Washington: “State watchdog says Owen violated campaign laws” by The Associated Press in The Seattle Times.
Lobbying
Alabama: “Probation sought for ex-lobbyist Jennifer Pouncy in bingo bribery trial” by Kim Chandler in the Birmingham News.
Canada: “Feds respond to Lobbying Act review, but don’t scrap controversial 20 per cent rule” by Bea Vongdouangchanh in The Hill Times.
North Carolina: “Ethics guidance on legislative staffers and lobbyists” by Mark Binker in WRAL.com.
North Carolina: “Tillis: Second staffer had relationship with lobbyist” by Mark Binker and Laura Leslie in WRAL.com.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying.ph updated: which tech orgs spent the most lobbying in Philly so far this year?” by Juliana Reyes in Technically Philly.
Ethics
Michigan: “Kwame Kilpatrick prosecutor: Bernard Kilpatrick acted to ‘cash in’ on son’s mayoral power” by Gus Burns in the Detroit News.
Political Campaigns
“Obama Campaign Adopts ‘Wet Signature’ to Entice New Voters” in Government Technology.
“Campaign expense list: Beer, limos, Chick-fil-A” by Tarini Parti in Politico.
Open Government and Gov 2.0
“One year later We the People petitioners have mixed reviews” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
“Open government partnership marks first anniversary” by Kedar Pavgi in Nextgov.
Canada: “Alberta gets a ‘D’ in freedom of information audit” by Darcy Henton in the Edmonton Journal.
September 21, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – September 21, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Bain Capital Gives Millions to Democrats
Federal:
Appeals Court Overturns Political Donor Disclosure Ruling
Behind The Big-Ticket Political Fundraisers
From the States and Municipalities:
California
State Ethics Czar to Scale Back Proposed Disclosure Rules on Blogs
Connecticut
Ethics Agency Destroys Public Records of State Officials’ Financial Interests
Georgia
Ethics Commission: State has defanged its watchdog
Kansas
Kansas Ethics Panel Fines Candidates for Posts about Fundraisers on Facebook during Session
Maryland
More Than Half of City Officials, Employees Fill out Ethics Forms Wrong
Michigan
Detroit’s Former Mayor Faces Corruption Trial
Minnesota
Lobbyist Fined Who Donated to Davids’ Campaign
Montana
Federal Appeals Strikes Ban on Partisan Endorsements in Montana Judicial Elections
Oklahoma
Executive Director of Oklahoma State Ethics Commission Retires after 25 Years on Job
Pennsylvania
Pa. High Court Wants Review of Voter ID Access
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.
September 20, 2012 •
A Surfeit of Government Relations News!
Here are today’s articles on Lobbying, Campaign Finance, Elections, Ethics, and more:
Lobbying
“Tim Pawlenty to head bank lobbying organization” by Dave Clarke and MJ Lee in Politco.
Florida: “A First For Fla. Lobbyist Conference: A Governor’s Top Aide Gives Input” by Sascha Cordner in WFSU.org.
Kansas: “Lobbyist spending up nearly 9 percent” by The Associated Press in the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Ethics
Kansas: “Kansas ethics panel fines candidates for posts about fundraisers on Facebook during session” by John Hanna (Associated Press) in The Republic.
Maine: “LePage and House Democratic leader Emily Cain announce plans to improve state ethics” by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in the Bangor Daily News.
Massachusetts: “Ethics board to inform agencies of nepotism law” by Erin Smith in the Boston Herald.
Oklahoma:“Executive director of Oklahoma state Ethics Commission retires after 25 years on job” by Megan Rolland in The Oklahoman.
Utah: “Legislature hires ethics commission director” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.
West Virginia: “W.Va. court candidate advocates email disclosures” by Lawrence Messina in the Charleston Gazette.
Campaign Finance
“Money in Politics Never Looked So Pretty” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.
“Campaign finance report cards due” by Dave Levinthal in Politico.
California: “New poll: Hope fades for measure barring political contributions; tax measures are touch-and-go” by Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times.
Oregon: “Oregon Secretary of State candidates trade tough words over campaign spending limits” by Michelle Cole in The Oregonian.
Vermont: “Dems criticize GOP PAC official for denying, then acknowledging dinner meeting with Brock” by Sam Hemingway in the Burlington Free Press.
Government and Technology
“GovGirl Covers Best of the Web Awards” by Jessica Mulholland in Government Technology.
“Congress launches Congress.gov in beta, doesn’t open the data” by Alex Howard in O’Reilly Radar.
“New search engine offers better access to Congress” by Brett Zongker in The Associated Press.
Elections
“Online Voter Registration Launches in California” by McClatchy Newspapers in Governing.
“Supreme Court rejects LULAC suit seeking to postpone Texas elections” by Greg Stohr in the Star-Telegram.
September 19, 2012 •
Wednesday News Roundup
Don’t miss these important Lobbying, campaign finance, and election news articles:
Lobbying
“Street Talk: From K Street to School Corridors” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“K Street abuzz over who will get the $1.8 million Roundtable job” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Report: gambling interests spend heavy in Albany” by The Associated Press in the Wall Street Journal.
“Facebook, Google, Amazon join forces in D.C. lobby” by Cecilia Kang in the Washington Post.
“Twitter hires GOP congressional staffer” by Brendan Sasso in The Hill.
Campaign Finance
“Romney campaign took out $20-million loan, still owes $11 million” by Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times.
“FPPC Delays Vote on Paid Political Blogger Regulations” by Ben Adler in Capital Public Radio.
Electoral Maps
“2012 Swing States Map” in Politico 2012 Live.
“The Electoral Map: Building a Path to Victory” in the New York Times.
State Legislatures
“Too Much Information: Enemy # 1 for New Member Orientation” by Bruce Feustel in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Social Media
“Gov Website Evolution: Changes in 2013” by Sarah Rich Government Technology.
“The time of the ‘social media’ candidate is nigh” by Jen Doll on TechPresident.
September 18, 2012 •
Canada’s Lobbying Act To Cover More Officials
Additional lobbying penalties still being considered
The federal government has announced plans to extend the reach of the Lobbying Act to senior public servants with spending decision responsibilities. Currently, more than 1,000 people are covered as designated public office holders under the act, which governs interactions between registered lobbyists and politicians, their staffs, and senior bureaucrats. The proposal could more than double the number covered.
The government continues to consider adding small monetary penalties for minor infractions, as well as a removing the exemption for in-house lobbyists whose lobbying activities constitute less than 20 percent of their duties.
September 18, 2012 •
Palm Beach County School Board Developing Lobbyist Registration Policy
Effective date to be determined
The Palm Beach County School Board is in the process of developing a lobbyist registration policy.
Registration will likely be separate from the county’s lobbyist registration.
There is not yet a firm date by which the policy will be implemented, as the details are still being worked out by the school board.
September 17, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Start the week off right with these government relations news articles:
Lobbying
“At Holland & Knight, lobbyists no longer have corner offices” by Catherine Ho in the Washington Post.
Florida: “Lobbyist’s lobbying group coming to Jacksonville for annual conference” by Matt Dixon in the Florida Times-Union.
Campaign Finance
“Poll: Americans largely in favor of campaign spending limitations” by Morgan Little in the Los Angeles Times.
“Republican super PACs ramp up spending in House races” by Jake Sherman in Politico.
District of Columbia: “Michael A. Brown’s missing campaign funds” in the Washington Post.
Washington: “Parties pouring cash into race for governor” by Andrew Garber and Justin Mayo in the Seattle Times.
Elections
“Voter Information Guides Go Social With TheBallot.org” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
Ethics
Georgia: “Ethics commission: State has defanged its watchdog” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New Hampshire: Opinion piece by Grant Bosse,“Election laws grow more confusing” in the New Hampshire Watchdog.
Social Media
“Could a workplace social network replace email and phone? One agency thinks so.” by Joseph Marks in NextGov.
“Facebook knows how to trick you into voting” by Kevin Charles Redmon in Nextgov.
September 14, 2012 •
Friday News Roundup
Let’s close out the week with these government relations articles:
Campaign Finance
“House Dems push new campaign finance reform” by T.W. Farnam in the Washington Post.
“FEC move on wireless campaign contributions could aid Democrats” by Adam Mazmanian in Nextgov.
“Groups Ask Appeals Court to Keep Issue-Ad Donors Secret” by Tom Schoenberg in Bloomberg News.
“US election system criticised over finance rules and voting restrictions” by Karen McVeigh in The Guardian.
Minnesota: “Campaign Finance Board stands by ‘John Doe decision’” by Tom Scheck in MPR News.
“’Citizens United’ on the Corporate Court” by Jamie Raskin in The Nation.
Lobbying
“Lansing lobbyists’ spending on record pace” by Rich Robinson in the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.
Ethics
“Gov. Christie to stop showing GOP-produced video before town hall meetings” by Jenna Portnoy in the Star-Ledger.
Social Media
“New Tool Verifies Authenticity of Gov’t Social Media Sites” by John K. Higgins in E-Commerce Times.
Redistricting
“Serious problems still exist’ with redistricting maps, attorney tells Pennsylvania Supreme Court” by Nick Malawskey in the Patriot-News.
September 14, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – September 14, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Democrats Risk No Female Governor, First Time in 17 Years
U.S. Election System Criticized Over Finance Rules and Voting Restrictions
Federal:
Andrews Used wife to Vet Use of Campaign Funds on Trip
Look-Alike Sites Funnel Big Money to Mystery PAC
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona
Ex-Fiesta Bowl Lobbyist Takes Plea Deal in Probe
Illinois
Appeals Court Upholds Illinois Campaign Disclosure Law
Minnesota
Despite Campaign Finance Ruling, Regulators to Continue Requiring Disclosures
Montana
Republicans Ask Court to Axe Montana’s Campaign Contribution Laws
Nebraska
AG: Sen. Council withdrew campaign funds at casinos
New Jersey
Mayor of NJ’s Capital Arrested in Corruption Probe
New York
West Virginia
West Virginia Court Candidate Denied ‘Rescue Funds’
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.
September 13, 2012 •
ELEC Proposes Electronic Filing for Lobbyist Annual Reports
Hearing in October
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) has proposed changes to the administrative code allowing for electronic filing for lobbyists’ annual reports.
Electronic filing would be mandatory through ELEC’s website and would replace the requirement to file paper copies. Copies of what a lobbyist files electronically must be retained by the lobbyist.
The proposed amendments cover governmental affairs agents, represented entities, and representatives of “persons communicating with the general public.” The proposals also make technical changes, such as substituting “represented entity” for “lobbyist” throughout the relevant sections. A copy of the proposal can be found here.
ELEC will conduct a public hearing at its offices concerning this proposal on Tuesday, October 16 at 11:00 a.m.
September 13, 2012 •
Thursday News Roundup
Keep up with the latest lobbying, campaign finance, government ethics, redistricting, and social media news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Lobbyists Keep Busy Despite Legislative Lull” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“How Many Lobbyists Are Really Breaking the Law?” by Elahe Izadi in the National Journal.
Campaign Finance
Montana: “Republicans ask court to axe Montana’s campaign contribution laws” by Matt Gouras (Associated Press) in The Republic.
New Jersey: “Political action committees gave $18M to N.J. campaigns last year, analysis shows” by Matt Friedman in the Trenton Times.
Redistricting
Ohio: “Ohio Supreme Court says ballot summary for redistricting issue is inaccurate” by Joe Guillen in the Plain Dealer.
Pennsylvania: “Supreme Court to hear redistricting arguments today” in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Ethics
“HHS chief violated law restricting political activity, OSC finds” by Eric Katz in Government Executive.
“Scandals are making uphill battles even steeper for some lawmakers” by Alexandra Jaffe in The Hill.
Alaska: “APOC says Senate candidate failed to disclose clients” by Richard Mauer in the Anchorage Daily News.
Social Media and tech
“You Gotta Have Friends: New Study Shows Facebook Can Get Out the Vote” by Micah L. Sifry in TechPresident.
“Study: Facebook drove turnout in 2010” by Steve Friess in Politico.
“Facebook to Cities: Change Page Names, or Else” by Noelle Knell in Governing.
“Web pioneer providing voter database for free” by Gregory Korte in USA Today.
September 11, 2012 •
Tuesday News Roundup
Take a look at these lobbying, campaign finance, and social media articles:
Lobbying
“ALEC Finds New Friends” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
Arizona: “Ex-Fiesta Bowl lobbyist takes plea deal in probe” by Craig Harris in the Arizona Republic.
Campaign Finance
“Appeals court upholds Illinois campaign disclosure law” by Nate Raymond (Reuters) in the Chicago Tribune.
Minnesota: “Minnesota to keep enforcing campaign disclosure law; federal judge called part of it ‘onerous’” by Martiga Lohn (Associated Press) in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“Nonstop Fundraising Stretch Starts” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Rahm Emanuel suspends super PAC fundraising” by Kenneth P. Vogel in Politico.
“Shop Talk: Celebrating Campaign Women” by Kyle Trygstad in Roll Call.
“Look-alike sites funnel big money to mystery PAC” by Shaqne Goldmacher in NextGov.
“Corporate Contributions and Disclosure” editorial in the New York Times.
Social Media
“Twitter adopts new targeting method for advertisers” by Steve Friess in Politico.
“Cementing social media’s place in the campaign world” in Campaigns & Elections.
“Social-Media Insights Inspired By Barack Obama, America’s First Truly Social President” by Amber Mac in Fast Company.
“Nine Tech Tips for Starting a New Government Job” by Mark Micheli in Government Executive.
“Social Media Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Government Career” by Mark Malseed in OhMyGov!
September 10, 2012 •
Miami-Dade County Amends Lobbyist Ordinance
Reporting no longer required for those with no expenditures
The Board of County Commissioners passed an amendment to the county’s lobbying ordinance on September 6, 2012. Expenditure reports are no longer required if a lobbyist had no expenditures during the reporting period.
The ordinance previously required expenditure reports to be filed even if no lobbying expenditures were made.
The ordinance will become effective 10 days from the date of enactment.
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.
