May 9, 2012 •
American League of Lobbyists President on C-SPAN
Spoke about the group’s reforms and faced difficult questions on the air.
Howard Marlowe, the president of the American League of Lobbyists was featured on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program. Marlowe discussed the LDA reforms the group is proposing.
According to C-SPAN’s post, Role of Federal Lobbyists: “Howard Marlowe talked about the role of federal lobbying, and he responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Topics included legislation that affects the industry, and changes the industry itself is proposing that would alter law that governs those engaged in lobbying Congress and senior officials in the Executive Branch.”
The Chicago Tribune posted an article giving an account of the nature of the conversations Marlowe faced from callers on the program. Be sure to read “Lobbyists’ lobbyist draws public anger” by David Ingram.
May 4, 2012 •
The Latest Lobbying News
Keep up with the latest news with these lobbying articles:
“Tired of ‘Tainted’ Image, Lobbyists Try Makeover” by Eric Lichtblau in The New York Times.
“State lobbyists spend record amounts: report” by Nannette Miranda on KABC-TV Los Angeles.
“Del. Senate Approves Bill on Lobbyist Disclosures” by The Associated Press on WBOC.com.
May 4, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – May 4, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Crowd-Sourcing Site Aims to Give Voters Lobbying Power
Federal:
Conservative Group Seeks FEC Approval to Keep Donors Secret
Obama Campaign Puts Bo on the Trail
From the States and Municipalities:
California
Lawmakers Mix Work with Fundraising in Sacramento
Illinois
Mayor’s Ethics Panel Offers Tweaks, Plans to Take Bigger Steps
Kentucky
Audit: Richie Farmer abused system
Maine
Lawmakers Decry Corruption Claim
Maryland
Legislation Would Give State Voters More Political Gift Information
Montana
Groups Ask That Montana Judge Toss Ban Restricting Campaign Donations
North Carolina
Second Tillis Staffer Admits to Inappropriate Relationship with a Lobbyist
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Ethics Panel Reprimands OU Doctor for Accepting Excessive Speaking Fees
Texas
Austin Approves New Campaign Finance Rules
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.
May 2, 2012 •
Virginia Now Offering New Electronic Lobbyist Registration
on Virginia.gov
A new electronic lobbyist registration is now available for the Commonwealth of Virginia. All lobbyists, including those already registered for 2012-2013, will need to create a new account on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Lobbyist Registration Portal and complete a new lobbyist registration.
New accounts must be activated through the confirmation e-mail sent from the state.
Lobbyists will also receive a confirmation e-mail when their electronic registration has been approved by the state.
May 2, 2012 •
Campaign Finance, Lobbying, and Ethics News
Take a look at our latest news roundup:
Campaign Finance
New York: “Senate Democrats call for campaign finance reform” by Bill Lambdin on WNYT.com.
Vermont: “Campaign finance bill sent to Judiciary Committee” by Terri Hallenbeck in the Burlington Free Press.
Lobbying
North Carolina: “Second Tillis staffer admits to inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist” by Dan Kane and John Frank in the Charlotte Observer.
Texas: “Texas legislator fined for failure to disclose gifts” in the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Ethics
District of Columbia: “D.C. Council Backs Off Pressuring Mayor to Select Ethics Panel” by Tom Sherwood on NBCWashington.com.
South Carolina: “SC House votes to open investigations into its own if ethics committee finds probable cause” by Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) in The Republic.
May 2, 2012 •
Lobbying Reporting Begins in Manitoba
Law Took Effect April 30
On April 30, 2012, the Lobbyists Registration Act came into force in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The act requires lobbyists to file returns using an electronic registry system. Although the act was originally passed in 2008, it came into force only this year upon proclamation, allowing the lobbyist registrar the opportunity to create the system with its online component.
The act categorizes lobbyists as either consultant lobbyists or in-house lobbyists. Consultant lobbyists are individuals who, for pay or other benefit, undertake to lobby on behalf of a client. An in-house lobbyist is defined as an employee, partner, or sole proprietor of an organization who lobbies, or has a duty to lobby, on behalf of the organization. However, to be designated as an in-house lobbyist, an individual’s lobbying or duty to lobby has to constitute a significant part of his or her activities, which the regulations define as meeting or exceeding 100 hours annually. Additionally, if an individual’s lobbying, together with lobbying by others in the organization, meets or exceeds 100 hours annually, the senior officer of the organization must file a return.
The act defines lobby to mean communicating with a public official in an attempt to influence the development of a legislative proposal; introducing a bill or resolution before the assembly; making or amending a regulation; developing, amending, or terminating a program or policy; or awarding a financial benefit. For consultant lobbyists the definition of lobby also includes arranging a meeting with a public official or communicating with a public official in an attempt to influence the award of a contract.
Consultant lobbyists already lobbying before April 30th have 30 days to begin filing. If lobbying begins after April 30th, consultant lobbyists have 10 days to file. A senior officer filing on behalf of an organization with in-house lobbyists has two months in which to file, regardless of whether lobbying begins before or after April 30th. Additionally, the officer must file returns within two months after the end of each six-month period after filing the previous return.
May 1, 2012 •
Ask the Experts – How to Report Travel Expenses
Here is your chance to “Ask the Experts” at State and Federal Communications, Inc.
Q. Some of the state lobbying reports ask about my travel expenses. What does this include?
A. “Travel expenses” is a phrase used by several states. It can refer to two different types of expenditures.
Some states require the disclosure of personal, reimbursed expenses incurred while lobbying. This would include food and beverage, hotels, cab fare, and travel expenses for a lobbying trip. Iowa, for instance, requires lobbyist employers to disclose all reimbursements made to their lobbyists. So, if a lobbyist lives in Topeka and flies to Des Moines to communicate with a legislator, the airfare is a reportable expense. Note, however, this generally only applies if the primary purpose of the trip is lobbying as defined by the state. A trip during which the lobbying contacts made were incidental to the main purpose of the travel would usually not need reported.
Other states, however, require the reporting of airfare or other travel costs paid by a lobbyist on behalf of a legislator or other public official. In Idaho and Mississippi, for example, a lobbyist or lobbyist employer may pay for a public official to travel to an event or to the company’s facilities, and the cost of the travel must be reported.
In all of these cases, the state reports request “travel expenses.” As you can see, it is very possible for the same words to have different meanings in the eyes of different states. When in doubt, lobbyists and employers can always contact us for guidance.
You can directly submit questions for this feature, and we will select those most appropriate and answer them here. Send your questions to: marketing@stateandfed.com.
(We are always available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or e-mail us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies to your questions are not legal advice. Instead, these replies represent our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.
April 27, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – April 27, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist
Social Media Directors Increasing in Government
Federal:
‘We the People’ Petition Site the Newest Tool in K Street Lobbying Repertoire
Who Pays When The President Travels for The Campaign?
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
California
AT&T Wields Enormous Power in Sacramento
California
California Ethics Czar Urges Disclosure of Payments to Web Pundits
Louisiana
Cap on Legislative Wining and Dining Moves to $56
Minnesota
Debt-Laden Minnesota GOP Notified of Eviction
New York
Lobby Formed for Cuomo Blew Deadline
North Carolina
Charles Thomas, N.C. Speaker’s Top Aide, Linked to Lobbyist
North Dakota
North Dakota Bridles at Neighbor’s Capitol Insult
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Lawmaker Wins and Loses on the Same Day
South Carolina
ALEC Has Special Exemption in South Carolina’s Lobbying Law
West Virginia
Ethics Ruling Regarding House Speaker Raises Concerns
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 26, 2012 •
Lobbying in the News
Here is today’s lobbying news:
“1,000 Independent Agents Lobbying Lawmakers in Washington” by Young Ha in Insurance Journal.
Alabama: “Lawmakers recommend reprimand for lobbyist” by Sebastian Kitchen in the Montgomery Advertiser.
California: The San Francisco Ethics Commission announced that their Lobbyist Electronic Filing System will experience down time for maintenance. For the schedule, see the Ethics Commission news update.
Delaware: “Bill would expand lobbyist disclosures” by Randall Chase (Associated Press) on WDEL.com.
April 23, 2012 •
Today’s Lobbying News Roundup
Keep up with the latest lobbying news with these articles:
“Big lobbying spending dips” by Dave Levinthal in Politico.
“U.S. Chamber of Commerce Continues to Spend Heavily on Lobbying, Filings Show” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“K Streeters Adjusting to Loss of Earmarks” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Fears of lame-duck session in Congress could boost K Street’s bottom line” by Kevin Bogardus and Rachel Leven in The Hill.
California: “How to wire a state capital” by Charles Mahtesian in Politico.
California: “AT&T wields enormous power in Sacramento” by Shane Goldmacher and Anthony York in The Los Angeles Times.
Minnesota: “Not all laws come from high-powered lobbying campaigns” by John Reinan in the MinnPost.
April 20, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – April 20, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
WellPoint Is Focus of Aggressive Effort to Force Political Spending Disclosures
Federal:
Federal Judge Rules for FEC in Contractor Donation Dispute
Mystery Donor Gives $10 Million to Crossroads GPS Group to Run Anti-Obama Ads
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Arizona
Arizona Senate Rejects New Bans on Meals, Donations
California
Corruption Can Leave Cities with Enormous Legal Bills
California
S.B. County Seeks to Bring in Political Watchdogs
Florida
Authorities Call for Tougher Campaign Finance Laws Following Rivera Probe
Illinois
Small Town Rocked by $30 Million Theft Case
New Jersey
How N.J. PACs Are Skirting the Law on ‘Pay-to-Play’
South Carolina
State Ethics Agency Pinched by Staff Shortage
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 17, 2012 •
Today’s News Roundup
Keep up with the latest campaign finance, ethics, and lobbying news:
Campaign Finance
“Rep. Ted Deutch Holds Summit on Overturning Citizens United” via a press release on Rep. Ted Deutsch’s website. The meeting is set for tomorrow.
Alabama: “Campaign finance, PAC-to-PAC transfer law needs teeth, grand jury says” by Brian Lyman in the Montgomery Advertiser.
“Fundraising Numbers Tip Scales of Power” by Joshua Miller in Roll Call.
ALEC
“Midwest Democracy | Study accuses ALEC of ‘secretive influence’ in Missouri Capitol” by Jason Hancock in The Kansas City Star.
Government Ethics
“Figure at center of D.C. campaign finance probe resigns from health-care company” by Mike DeBonis in The Washington Post.
“U.S. congressman under fire for campaign expenses turns to high-powered law firm” by Matt Friedman in the Star-Ledger.
April 17, 2012 •
Elizabeth Bartz at the National Summit on Strategic Communications
Speaking on advocacy and outreach
Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, was a presenter at the National Summit on Strategic Communications in Washington, D.C. yesterday.
The session was “Lobbying and Advocacy: Winning Strategies for Changing Times.” According to the conference agenda, the discussion consisted of the following:
“Thousands of political players, representing various causes, lobby on issues through diverse and fluid factions. Some research suggests that these factions often cancel each other out and prevent disruptive swings in public policy. Yet, this is no reason for organizations to step away from political involvement. As agencies and governments struggle with growing needs for services and large budget cuts, companies will be expected to play an even greater role in addressing society’s problems and advocating for solutions.”
The panel featured Elizabeth Bartz and Story Partners Chairperson Gloria Story Dittus, and was moderated by Tim Flaherty, Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton.
April 16, 2012 •
Lobbying and Campaign Finance in the News
Super PACs, Citizens United, lobbying the White House, and more in today’s news:
Campaign Finance
Federal: “Md. lawmakers take on political spending spree” by John Fritze in the Baltimore Sun.
Vermont: “Vermont lawmakers work to unravel Citizens United ruling” by Nicole Gaudiano in the Burlington Free Press.
Missouri: “St. Louis attorney pleads guilty in campaign donation scheme” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Lobbying
“Courting the White House: Don’t call it lobbying” by Anna Palmer and Abby Phillip in Politico.
“White House Opens Door to Big Donors, and Lobbyists Slip In” by Mike Mcintire and Michael Luo in The New York Times.
“Is dialoguing lobbying?” by Donovan Slack in Politico.
California: “The lobbyists’ bumbles and foibles” by Ray LeBov in Capitol Weekly.
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.