March 12, 2012 •
News You Can Use – March 12, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
One Super PAC Takes Aim at Incumbents of Any Party
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Jury Acquits All Defendants, Including Means, in Gambling Corruption Case
California
Ethics Panel Raises Donation Limits in Municipal Campaigns
California
Trutanich Paid for YouTube Views of D.A. Campaign Videos
Georgia
Some Priorities Fade as Lawmakers Favor Social Issues Ahead of Election Season
Maryland
Bereano’s 1994 Conviction Upheld
Maryland
Leopold Indicted on Charges of Using Police Detail for Political Gain
Missouri
Honor for Rush Limbaugh is Fracas for Missouri
Nevada
Ethics Case Back before Nevada Supreme Court
New Mexico
Newly Elected Sunland Park Mayor to Seek Court Order to Do Job
Oklahoma
Ex-Senator Convicted of Bribery; Co-Defendant Free
Utah
Special Interests Busy Providing Perks to Legislators
West Virginia
W.Va. Ethics Panel Clarifies Cohabitation Law
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 9, 2012 •
Ethics.gov Arrives
The much anticipated government ethics clearing house is here as the White House promised.
The Obama administration has unveiled Ethics.gov, the site that provides sets of data for those interested in White House visitors, data from Lobbying Disclosure Act reports, campaign finance data, travel records of elected officials, and much more.
As part of the larger Data.gov, the new site has a great deal of muscle: “Ethics.Data.gov brings records and data from across the federal government to one central location, making it easier for citizens to hold public officials accountable.”
According to the Ethics.gov site, this is what you’ll find:
“On www.Ethics.gov, the public will be able to find millions of White House Visitor records. You will be able to see agency reports of payments from non-Federal sources for travel to meetings and conferences.
You’ll find records for entities registered with the Federal Election Commission. This includes federal political action committees and party committees, campaign committees for presidential, House and Senate candidates, as well as groups or organizations who are spending money in connection with elections for federal office.
You’ll also find records for each candidate who has either registered with the Federal Election Commission or appeared on a ballot list prepared by a state elections office. This includes contributor information for each contribution of $200 or more from an individual to a federal committee.
Finally, you’ll be able to find lobbying registrations and reports filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.”
For a good summary, read “White House Launches Ethics.gov” by Samuel Rubenfeld in The Wall Street Journal.
March 8, 2012 •
Today’s Campaign Finance and Lobbying News Summary
Today we have stories about the FEC, the latest news on the investigation surrounding the D.C. mayor’s 2010 campaign, Super PACs, Super Tuesday, and more:
Campaign Finance
“FEC told to tread carefully with post-Citizens United rule” by Rachel Leven in The Hill.
“FEC moves on outdated rules” by Robin Bravender in Politico.
“DC mayor defends himself amid probe into campaign finance irregularities” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.
Super PACs
“Super PACs Outspent Candidates in Run-Up to Tuesday” by Brody Mullins and Alicia Mundy in The Wall Street Journal.
“Super PACs Could Drive Total 2012 Election Spending to $9.8B” by Cotton Delo in Ad Age.
Lobbying
“Son of legendary lobbyist starts own firm” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Redistricting
“Between the Lines: The Last Two Redistricting Holdouts” by Shira Toeplitz, Abby Livingston, and Joshua Miller in Roll Call.
March 7, 2012 •
How Is the Lobbying Oversight in Your State?
A new report offers ratings.
The State Integrity Investigation, a project by the Center for Public Integrity and other partners, is giving each state a grade in various areas of accountability and transparency. “Keep Government Honest” is their motto.
Lobbying is one of the categories they are measuring. The report considers a state’s definition of lobbying, its registration and reporting requirements, disclosure by lobbyist employers and principals, its citizen access to data, and the monitoring of lobbying requirements. The grades they are giving are “weak,” “fair,” or “strong”.
What is the corruption risk data for your state? It is easy to check by using this interactive map. (Some states’ grades are still being compiled.)
Take a look at “Michigan ‘weak’ in lobbying oversight,” where Peter Luke of Bridge Magazine discusses the mixed grades in Michigan’s report card.
March 7, 2012 •
Lobbying Spending in the News
Spending on lobbying is up in California, Michigan, and New Jersey according to these articles:
California: “Teachers union leads in record year of lobbying lawmakers” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.
Michigan: “Report: As Michigan economy floundered, spending by Michigan lobbyists soared 86%” in the Detroit Free Press.
New Jersey: “N.J. lobbyist spending hits new high at $73M; teachers union tops list again” by Matt Friedman in the Star-Ledger.
New Jersey: “N.J. Teachers Union Spent Record $11.3 Million on Ads Criticizing Christie” by Terrence Dopp in Bloomberg.
March 7, 2012 •
Ask the Experts – Reportable LDA Expenditures
Here is your chance to “Ask the Experts” at State and Federal Communications, Inc.
Q. As an organization employing in-house lobbyists, what expenditures am I required to capture for inclusion in the aggregate dollar amount reported on my quarterly Federal LD-2 report?
A. There are a variety of expenditures that Federal registrants are required to track and report in an effort to provide a good faith estimate of their activity. These expenditures include:
- Compensation, expenses and overhead associated with “registered” lobbyist employee activity. For Federal purposes, a “registered” lobbyist is an individual who meets the statutory definition of a lobbyist and is listed by name on the LD-2 report;
- Compensation, expenses and overhead associated with any non-lobbyist employee who engaged in lobbying activity during the quarter (even though they do not meet the statutory definition of lobbyist). Their names are not listed on the report, but the value of their activity is included;
- Dues paid to an association or membership organization during the quarter that are attributable to lobbying. This amount is typically a percentage of the overall payments made to the membership organization and is ascertained by speaking with the outside entity directly. Importantly, dues payments for lobbying activities should be included in the estimate for the quarter in which they are paid and cannot be apportioned over a longer period of time;
- Retainers/fees incurred during the quarter to outside consultants/firms for lobbying activities. These fees are required to be included during the quarter in which they are incurred regardless of whether billing or payment has been made.
If we can be of assistance in helping to identify reportable expenditures, please let us know.
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.
March 6, 2012 •
Lobbying News Today
Vice President Biden, Jack Abramoff, and other latest lobbying news from around the country:
Federal: “Biden hires former lobbyist” by T.W. Farnam in The Washington Post.
Federal: “Abramoff says his corrupting influence reached into the media” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
California: “Record $287M paid to Calif. lobbyists in 2010” by The Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Georgia: “Yarbrough: Lawmakers just don’t see need for lobbying reform,” an opinion piece by Dick Yarbrough in the Athens Banner-Herald.
Michigan: “Lobbying in Capitol’s hallways is one business flourishing in Michigan” by Peter Luke in Michigan Live.
March 5, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – March 5, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Wealthier People More Likely To Lie or Cheat, Study Says
Federal:
K Street Democrats Warn Clients
Romney and Obama Super-PAC Backers Also Spent Big Dollars on Lobbying
Two Ads Sired Five Years Apart Spark Fight over Election Rules
From the States and Municipalities:
District of Columbia
Elections Board Backs Initiative to Ban Corporate Campaign Giving
Florida
Ethics Commission Votes to Restrict Doling Out of Free Tickets to Politicians
Florida
State Rep. Richard Steinberg Resigns over Stalker-Like Text Messages
Illinois
Relatives of Lobbyists, Campaign Donors Got Lawmakers’ Help to Enter U of I
Maine
Justices Shun Appeal of Group that Fought Maine Gay Marriage
Maryland
Baltimore Co. Public Ethics Law Falls Short of State Standards
Maryland
Garagiola’s Lobbying Work Wasn’t Included on Maryland Ethics Forms from 2001 to 2003
Montana
Judge Blocks More Montana Campaign Finance Laws
New Mexico
Lap-Dance Extortion Details Revealed
Oklahoma
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.
February 27, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – February 27, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Foster Friess Aspirin Joke Shows Danger to Candidates of Outside Political Groups
Lobbyists Decertify after Obama Ban
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona
Fiesta Bowl Case: Junker pleads guilty to felony charge
California
Ethics Commission Delays Vote on Raising Contribution Limits
Colorado
Colorado Supreme Court Upholds ‘Magic Words’ Test for Political Spending by 527s
Colorado
Secretary of State Scott Gessler Rewrites Colorado Campaign Finance Rules
Florida
Miami Beach House Rep. Steinberg under Investigation by Feds for Bizarre Texts
Illinois
William Beavers Indicted on Tax Fraud Charges
Indiana
Lawmaker Takes Jab at Girl Scouts
Iowa
Denied Jobs, Blacks in Iowa Test New Bias Theory
Montana
High Court Halts Montana Corporate Spending Ban
New York
Critics Wary of State Elections Panel Plan to Oversee Super PAC Operations
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.
February 24, 2012 •
New York Bill Would Forbid Lobbying by Convicted Lobbyists
JCOPE Would Have Authority to Remove or Extend Suspension after Mandatory Period
New York Senator Gustavo Rivera has introduced Senate Bill 6533 that would forbid lobbyists convicted of class D felonies or more serious offenses from lobbying in the state for three years.
The barred person may seek to re-register as a lobbyist with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics after three years.
The commission may determine if the suspension should be lifted or extended for a maximum of an additional two years.
February 24, 2012 •
Arizona Lobbying Disclosure Bill Passes
Without the ALEC disclosure measure
The Arizona House of Representatives passed House Bill 2642, which will require more disclosure for local governments who lobby the state lawmakers. Two amendments were not added to the bill – one requiring American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) disclosure and another that would remove the one year “revolving door” waiting period for lawmakers to become lobbyists.
To find out more about the details of the new lobbying law (and what did not pass with it), be sure to read:
“Insider: Lobbyist bill passes without extras” by Mary Jo Pitzl in The Arizona Republic.
“Lawmakers OK more disclosure on lobbying” by Howard Fischer in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Photo of the Arizona House of Representatives Chamber by Willem van Bergen on Wikipedia.
February 23, 2012 •
Maryland’s State Ethics Commission Issues Memorandum
Addresses lobbying and campaign finance
The State Ethics Commission has issued a memorandum concerning provisions of the ethics law relating to regulated lobbyists and campaign finance activities.
State law prohibits a lobbyist or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist to engage in certain campaign activities including soliciting contributions or forwarding tickets to fundraising events.
The memorandum does not constitute an advisory opinion but addresses common issues and provides approaches for compliance with the technical provisions of the law.
The memorandum is available online here.
February 22, 2012 •
Federal Lobbyist Bundling Disclosure Threshold Increased
$16,700
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) released its annual adjustment of the threshold limit for lobbyist bundling disclosure.
The federal lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold has been increased from $16,200 for 2011 to $16,700 for 2012.
The FEC is required to adjust the threshold amount annually to account for inflation, rounding to the nearest multiple of $100.
February 22, 2012 •
Lobbying News in the States
Here is a look at news items in four states:
Massachusetts: “Casinos industry spent millions lobbying in Mass.” by The Associated Press in the Boston Herald.
Oklahoma: “Lobbyist: Lawmaker Morgan sought help for ‘friends’” by Nolan Clay in the Tulsa World.
South Carolina: “Senators hold moment of silence for missing lobbyist, search continues” by Noelle Phillips in The State.
Wisconsin: “Union lobbying plummets in last half of 2011” by Bill Lueders in Wisconsin Watch.
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.
