February 4, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Campaign Finance
New York: “Newest NY Senator says she’ll fight for campaign finance reform” by Karen DeWitt in North Country Public Radio.
Lobbying
“Unregistered Lobbyists Keep Business Humming” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Business Roundtable Head Says CEOs Will Be Visible Lobbyists” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
California: “Capitol lobbying rises” by Laurel Rosenhall” in the Sacramento Bee.
Georgia: “House vs. Senate on the lobbyist gift ban” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New Jersey: “State watch: Hidden persuaders and local lobbying” by David Neese in the Trentonian.
Ethics
Nebraska: “Nebraska’s lieutenant governor quits amid scandal” by The Associated Press in the Los Angeles Times.
From the State Legislatures
Nevada: “All you need to know about the 77th Legislature convening today” by Anjeanette Damon and David McGrath in the Las Vages Sun.
Ohio: “Lawmaking 101: There’s a process” by Jim siegel in the Columbus Dispatch.
Wisconsin:“Lawmakers Have Mixed Feelings About Part Time Legislature” Marti Mikkelson on WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio.
NCSL’s “Legislative Social Media Sites”
Open Government
Missouri: “Mo. measure seeks to strengthen open records law” by The Associated Press in the News Tribune.
February 1, 2013 •
California FPPC Chair Announces Review of Lobbying Disclosure
Workgroup to examine “other” reporting category
Ann Ravel, Chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission, has assigned a working group to take on issues relating to lobbying disclosure practices. Currently, lobbying disclosure forms allow reporting of huge sums in a catch-all category requiring no detailed reporting to authorities.
State law allows groups hiring lobbyists to report spending related to lobbying, but not meeting the legal definition of lobbying, as a single lump sum in a category listed as “other payments to influence.” Over the past 12 years, lobbying groups have listed in this category over one-quarter of the $2.9 billion spent on lobbying efforts.
The working group is set to include lobbyists, watchdog representatives, and political lawyers.
February 1, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – February 1, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Menendez Pushes Back on Scandal Implications
On K Street, Score One for the Little Guy
From the States and Municipalities:
Colorado
Accidental E-mail Attachment Gets Lobbyist in Hot Water with Senate Majority Leader
Florida
House Proposes Closing Slush Funds, Raising Contribution Limits
Georgia
Georgia Speaker Unveils Sweeping Ethics Legislation
Hawaii
Lobbying Lessons: What Hawaii can learn from other states
Idaho
Armed Man in Security Video is Sorry He Alarmed Idaho Legislators
Illinois
Ex-Illinois State Ethics Panel Member Gets Ethics Fine
Kansas
Labor Groups Suffer Blow in Kansas House
Michigan
North Carolina
N.C. Budget Chairs Change Seats, Start Lobbying Careers
Pennsylvania
Pa. Lawmaker Seeks to Change Offensive Name of Mountain
Rhode Island
RI Rep: Ban lobbyist contributions during session
South Carolina
Ethics Panel Created by Gov. Haley Releases Report
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.
January 31, 2013 •
Rhode Island Bill Would Ban Contributions During Session
House Bill 5187
A bill was introduced that would prohibit lobbyists from making any political contributions to any member of the Rhode Island General Assembly during legislative sessions.
House Bill 5187, introduced by Representative John Lombardi on January 29, delineates the ban’s time-frame for each annual session from January 1 through July 1.
In his press release, Representative Lombardi states, “Perhaps buying a ticket to a legislator’s fundraiser is done with the best intentions, but it can still appear to be for a different reason entirely. Perceptions are important and there should never be the perception, even if incorrect, that a political contribution is a means to a special favor, to special treatment.”
January 31, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Lobbyist for lobbyists steps away” by Dave Levinthal in The Center for Public Integrity.
Florida: “Wilton Manors mayor takes on lobbying ban in county ethics code” by Brittany Wallman in the Sun Sentinel.
Idaho: “Dueling petitions: Signers have some fun at lobbyist’s expense” in the Idaho Statesman.
Campaign Finance
“Obama’s Flip-Flops on Money in Politics: A Brief History” by Justin Elliott (ProPublica) in the Huffington Post.
“Justice to SCOTUS: Don’t allow direct corporate campaign spending” by Alison Frankel in Thomson Reuters.
Florida: “House proposes closing slush funds, raising contribution limits” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Indiana: “Some familiar names make campaign-finance violation list” by Kevin Leininger in the News-Sentinel.
Rhode Island: “RI Rep: ban lobbyist contributions during session” by The Associated Press in NECN.
Ethics
Colorado: “Gessler sues ethics commission to stop investigation of his spending” by Tim Hoover in the Denver Post.
Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Ethics Commission hires general counsel” by Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman.
South Carolina: “Disgraced Former Gov. Mark Sanford Is Ready To Make Another Move” by Alan Greenblatt on NPR.
Open Government
South Dakota: “South Dakota lawmakers reject plan to record closed meetings” in the Sioux City Journal.
January 30, 2013 •
Georgia House Speaker Unveils Ethics Bill
Lobbyist definition expanded, gifts restricted
House Speaker David Ralston has unveiled an ethics reform bill aimed at expanding the definition of a lobbyist and restricting gifts from a lobbyist. House Bill 142 would define a lobbyist to include an individual who advocates for the purpose of influencing a public officer whether the individual is compensated or working pro bono.
The new definition does away with both the $1,000 expenditure and 10 percent time spent thresholds for lobbyist registration. The bill, as originally filed, would ban even the smallest expenditure of a lobbyist if for the benefit of a single member of the General Assembly.
Lobbyists would still be permitted to spend on committees, caucuses, and expenses to public officers for trips to conferences and meetings.
January 30, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Keep up with the latest articles on campaign finance, lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“K Street Files: Defense, Tax Aides Join McBee” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Lobbying World” in The Hill.
California: “Former assemblyman registers as a lobbyist” by Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee.
Georgia: “Georgia speaker unveils sweeping ethics legislation” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Missouri: “Lawmaker: Legislators should never become lobbyists” by Bob Watson in the News Tribune.
Campaign Finance
“FEC Increases Contribution Limits for 2014” by Kyle Trygstad in Roll Call.
Montana: “Montana legislators, groups at odds on campaign donation limits” by Mike Dennison in the Missoulian.
New York: “On Campaign Finance Reform, Senate Republicans Stand in Gov. Cuomo’s Way” opinion piece by John Petro in the Huffington Post.
Ethics
“Ethics Office Opened 32 Cases During 112th Congress” by Amanda Becker in Roll Call.
Hawaii: “Honolulu Ethics Commission Wants to Double Its Resources to Fight Public Corruption” in the Hawaii Reporter.
Illinois: “Former state ethics commissioner hit with $2,500 ethics violation” by Rafael Guerrero in the Chicago Tribune.
Maine: “Bill would bar state officials from quitting to immediately work for industries they regulated” by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in the Bangor Daily News.
New York: “NY ethics board talks conflicts in secret session” by The Associated Press in the Albany Times Union.
New York: “Ex-aide to City Controller John Liu snared in campaign finance fraud probe is granted immunity to testify in former treasurer’s trial” by Robert Gearty in the New York Daily News.
South Carolina: “SC Supreme Court to hear Nikki Haley ethics case” by Andrew Shain in The State.
Elections
Michigan: “Snyder nixes plan to split Michigan electoral votes” by Alexander Burns in Politico.
Ohio: “State Sen. Turner proposes election reform package” by Joe Hallett in the Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio: “Secretary of State Jon Husted and other Republicans say Electoral College changes not in store for Ohio” by Henry J. Gomez in the Plain Dealer.
Open Government
Mississippi: “Mississippi gets low grades for transparency on state, local websites” by Donna Harris in the Sun Herald.
South Dakota: “Legislature: Public records plan falls short” by David Montgomery in the Argus Leader.
January 29, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“K Street Files: New Faces at Harlow Foundation, Thorn Run” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Abramoff lists 8 tips to overhaul lobbying laws” by Keith Matheny in USA Today.
“10 Strange Lobbying Groups That We Swear Are Real” by Elizabeth Flock in U.S. News & World Report.
Kentucky: “Kentucky sets lobbying record in 2012” by Phil Impellizzeri in the Bluegrass Institute.
Nevada: “Former Nevada legislative director joins high profile public relations, lobbying firm” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
Campaign Finance
Missouri: “Nixon makes pitch for Medicaid, campaign donation limits” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Utah: “Some ethics bills advance, while calls arise for more” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Vermont: “Ben and Jerry push campaign finance ‘petition on steroids’” Dan D’Ambrosio in the Burlington Free Press.
Ethics
Arizona: “Arizona Democrats introduce trio of ethics bills” by AJ Vicens in Cronkite News.
Arizona: “Arizona Democrats introduce trio of ethics bills” by Mary Jo Pitzl in the Arizona Republic.
New Jersey: “Christie make case for taking over independent agencies” by Matt Katz in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
South Carolina: “Gov.’s commission suggests ‘clean, honest’ ethics plan” by Andrew Shain in The State.
Texas: “Ethics Commission to Debate Fundraising Opinion” by Emily Ramshaw in the Texas Tribune.
Virginia: “Va. lawmakers’ gifts last year were padded with travel” by Bill Sizemore in the Virginian-Pilot.
Redistricting
North Carolina: “Judges to hear N.C. redistricting challenge” by Dale Gibson in the Triangle Business Journal.
Virginia: “Va. Senate OK’s constitutional amendments” by Laura Vozzella in the Washington Post.
Wisconsin: “Rep. Vos subpoenaed in Wisconsin redistricting case” by The Associated Press in the Post Crescent.
January 28, 2013 •
South Carolina Ethics Reform Commission Offers Recommendations
Lobbying definitions and fees would expand
The Commission on Ethics Reform, formed by Governor Nikki Haley in October, 2012, has released 23 recommendations following a series of public meetings. Recommendation 12 would revise lobbying definitions to cover individuals who lobby any political subdivision of the state, including counties, city councils, municipalities, school districts, and special purpose or public service districts.
The commission hopes to offset the additional cost associated with expanding lobbying registration and reporting by increasing the registration fee for lobbyists and lobbyist principals. Whether or not the reform recommendations will produce new legislation is up to state lawmakers.
January 28, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“D.C. Circuit Upholds Conviction of Former Abramoff Lobbying Associate” by Tom Ruger in the Blog of the Legal Times.
Arizona: “Inquiry of Fiesta Bowl lobbyist drags on” by Craig Harris in the Arizona Republic.
Georgia: “Lobbyist gifts decline amid citizen outcry” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hawaii: “Hawaii legislators push reforming ethics rules for lobbyists and public officials” by Anita Hofschneider (Associated Press) in The Republic.
Kentucky: “Some notes on 2012 lobbying spending” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
New Mexico: “Lobbyists haven’t reported all event expenses” by Steve Terrell in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
North Carolina: “N.C. budget chairs change seats, start lobbying careers” by Rob Christensen in the Charlotte Observer.
Washington: “Spin Control: Lobbying season kicks off in Olympia” by Jim Camden in the Spokesman Review.
Campaign Finance
Arizona: “Campaign finance violations targeted” by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez in the Arizona Republic.
Montana: “Montana bill seeks cash to fight ‘dark money‘” by Matt Gouras (Associated Press) in the Great Falls Tribune.
Ethics
South Dakota: “Sunshine laws draw support, resistance” by David Montgomery in the Argus Leader.
Government Tech and Social Media
“6 Ways to Optimize Gov-to-Citizen Communication” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.
Legislative Issues
Arizona: “Arizona’s new Legislature not demographically representative of population” by Mary Jo Pitzl in the Arizona Republic.
January 25, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – January 25, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Citizens United Third Anniversary Marked By Reformers with Push for Constitutional Amendment
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona – Former Arizona Lawmaker Ben Arredondo Avoids Prison Time
Florida – Florida Group Wants to End Caps on Campaign Donations
Hawaii – Lobbying Reform Is a Tough Sell in Hawaii’s Legislature
Kansas – Business, Labor Clash over Bill Aimed at Restricting Union Politicking
Kentucky – Lobbyists Spend Record Amount in Kentucky
Nevada – Lawmakers Anxious in Wake of Alleged Threats to Assembly Speaker
North Dakota – North Dakota to Move Forward on Ethics Reform
Ohio – Ex-Legislator Sent to Prison for Corruption
Utah – New Utah Congressman Has Ties That Bind: Family
Washington – Bill Imposing a Lobbyist Fee Gets Mixed Reactions Lobbying
West Virginia – U.S. Appeals Court OKs Some W.Va. Election Ad Rules
Wisconsin – Contract Lobbying Still Under the Radar
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.
January 23, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Keep up with the latest articles on campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics!
Lobbying
“K Street says goodbye, good riddance to 2012, expects upturn this year” by Kevin Bogardus and Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.
“K Street Files: At Start of Second Term, Lobbyists Get Over Obama’s Cold Shoulder” by Kate Ackley and Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
“Interests’ Presence Felt In 2012, Filings Show” by Janie Lorber and Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“K Street sings the blues” by Byron Tau and Tarini Parti in Politico.
Campaign Finance
“Florida GOP donor Jay Odom indicted on campaign finance fraud charges” by Lucy Morgan in the Miami Herald.
Maine: “Maine lawmakers join effort to amend Constitution to allow campaign funding limits” by Robert Long in the Bangor Daily News.
Ethics
Colorado: “Ethics bill clears Senate committee hurdle” by Arek Sarkissian II in the Tallahassee Democrat.
Ohio: “Ex-legislator sent to prison for corruption” by Jim Siegel in the Columbus Dispatch.
Redistricting
“In quirk, some California residents have two state senators, others none” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.
“Va. Republicans’ redistricting maneuver draws criticism” by Laura Vozzella and Errin Haines in the Washington Post.
From the State Legislatures
“Top 10 legislative issues facing lawmakers in 2013” by Mark Wolfe from NCSL.
“In Michigan and Wisconsin, Some Lawmakers Want to Go Part-Time” by Jim Malewitz in Stateline.
January 22, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“Washington Parties, K Street Pays” by Chris Frates in National Journal.
“Ben Nelson among ex-lawmakers to K Street” by Tarini Parti in Politico.
“Lobbyists of all stripes swarm President Obama’s gun-control proposals” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Virginia: “Uranium backers gave gifts, donations to lawmakers” by Bob Lewis in the Winston-Salem Journal.
Wisconsin: “Former Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald lobbying” by The Associated Press in the News Times.
Campaign Finance
New Jersey: “Corporations face new rules on disclosing political donations” by Juliet Fletcher in the Bergen Record.
New York: “Lawmakers scrambling to raise funds ahead of Cuomo’s promised campaign reform” by Carl Campanile in the New York Post.
Ethics
New Mexico: “Democrat wants bill to ban use of state resources for political reasons” by Steve Terrell in the New Mexican.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Obama’s Inauguration Live-Tweeted by the White House” in Government Technology.
“Facebook Graph Search Announcement Inspires IT Leaders” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.
“Obama calls for new ideas and technology to ‘remake’ government” by Eric Katz and Kedar Pavgi in Government Executive.
January 21, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“Obama Expected to Ease Lobby Posture” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“K Street Files: Lieberman Aide to Artemis Strategies” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
Canada: “Canada finance minister apologizes after reprimand for lobbying” by David Ljunggren in Reuters.
Texas: “Lobbying groups maintain presence in state capitol during legislative session” by Enrique Rangel in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
Campaign Finance
“10 biggest beneficiaries of Citizens United” by Laura Gottesdiener in Salon.
Colorado: “Denver rally calls for campaign finance changes” on ABC 7 News.
Colorado: “Who is and isn’t obeying Colo. voters on campaign finance?” by Brandon Rittiman in NBC 9 News.
Indiana: “Hoosiers Protest Citizens United In Indianapolis” by Brandon Smith in Indiana Public Media.
Ethics
“Obama’s Ethics Agenda Backfires” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
Florida: “Major ethics bill unveiled in Tallahassee” in the St. Augustine Record.
Idaho: “House takes up push to revamp ethics commission” by The Associated Press in the Idaho Statesman.
Kentucky: “Metro Council to ask legislature to approve subpoena power for Ethics Commission” by Sheldon S. Shafer in the Courier-Journal.
Texas: “The Texas Tribune launches interactive Lawmaker Explorer tool” by Ryan Lakich in CultureMap Austin.
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.
