I am pleased to share the news State and Federal Communications has acquired the lobbying compliance reporting business of MER Consulting Services, LLC, from its owner and founder, Mary Roche.

MER has been a fixture in Massachusetts lobbying compliance reporting and consulting, having served local organizations and leading companies in the state since 2001. She has had a very successful career in this field.

This move allows Mary to wind down her career, while ensuring a solid transition for her clients to continue receiving professional and thorough political reporting and lobbying consulting services, plus additional support from our larger research and compliance staffs.

Mary will stay on with State and Federal Communications as a consultant in the year ahead as the transition takes place to ensure clients’ reporting needs are adequately served.

I personally am enthused about this development! It will allow State and Federal Communications to continue to grow our business by doing what we do best…providing top-tier and trusted political compliance services. It is a positive endorsement Mary has put her faith in our capabilities to take care of the lobbying compliance reporting needs of her Massachusetts clients.

For the full story, please read the media press release announcement.

On March 22, Kim Janey became the acting Mayor of Boston.

Under the city charter, Janey who served as the City Council President, becomes the acting mayor when a vacancy occurs mid-term.

The seat became vacant when Marty Walsh formally resigned on Monday after being confirmed as the new U.S. Secretary of Labor.

Janey will serve the remainder of the year and a general election will be held in November to fill the position.

The Boston Municipal Lobbying Compliance Commission recently adopted lobbying regulations to complement the city’s lobbyist registration and regulation ordinance.

Effective immediately, clients or lobbying entities required to file reports must itemize all expenditures exceeding $35 on any day during a covered reporting period.

Expenditures not exceeding $35 on any day must be reported but is not required to be itemized.

For the purposes of lobbying, expenditures are any expense incurred or paid separately by a lobbying entity or client during the reporting period in connection with each decision, legislation, legislative action or administrative action of a city employee that it sought to promote, oppose or influence and the total amount thereof incurred or paid separately by such lobbying entity or client during the reporting period.

Expenditures include operating expenses such as the cost of clerical and administrative staff salaries or wages, equipment, and facilities related to a lobbying entity or client engaging in lobbying activity and specific expenditures for lodging, meals, gifts, transportation, entertainment, advertising, public relations, printing, mailing, and telephone.

The regulation also provides a definition for compensation; a lobbyist registration exception for technical service experts; fee waiver requirements; and authorizes the commission’s power to initiate a formal investigation, hold hearings, issue decisions, and enforce penalties.

The search committee for the Office of Campaign and Political Finance has named William Campbell as the new director for the independent agency.

The panel has been searching for a new director for the OCPF since Mike Sullivan retired in 2019 after serving as director since 1994.

Campbell is the current Woburn city clerk and will lead the independent agency administering the state’s campaign finance and public financing laws.

A special election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 19^th Suffolk District is scheduled for March 30, with a primary election to be held on March 2.

The seat became vacant after House Speaker Robert DeLeo resigned December 29, 2020.

On Election Day, voters defeated Question 2, an Act to Implement Ranked-Choice Voting in Elections.

The initiative was proposed to create a ranked-choice voting system in which voters rank one or more candidates by order of preference.

Ranked-choice voting would have been used in primary and general elections for all Massachusetts statewide offices, state legislative offices, federal congressional offices, and certain other offices.

However, ranked choice voting would exclude elections for president, county commissioner, or regional district school committee members.

The Massachusetts General Court passed Senate Bill 2873 declaring a state of emergency within the Legislature and extending the legislative session past the traditional last day of July 31.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the General Court extended the session to respond to and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, to protect the health, security, safety, and economic well-being and convenience of the people of the Commonwealth.

The bill suspends Joint Rule 12A and allows the second annual session of the 191st General Court to continue until the end of the calendar year.

Due to Governor Baker’s Executive Order 591, declaring a state of emergency in response to COVID-19, leaders of the Legislature have rescheduled elections set for March 31.

President of the Senate Karen Spilka has ordered the elections to fill the vacancies in Plymouth and Barnstable District and 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District to take place on Tuesday, May 19.

Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo has ordered the elections to fill vacancies in 37th Middlesex District and 3rd Bristol District to take place on Tuesday, June 2.

Lawmakers also enacted Senate Bill 2608.

Senate Bill 2608 will authorize any city or town with any municipal caucus or annual or special municipal election scheduled to take place between March 23 to May 30 to postpone the election if necessary.

The bill is currently awaiting the governor’s signature for approval.

On February 19, State Rep. David Nangle announced his resignation from Middlesex District 17.

Rep. Nangle was arrested by the FBI and the IRS on federal charges of bank fraud, wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and making false statements to a bank.

Nangle was indicted for using campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, defraud his bank lender, and collect income he did not report to the IRS.

A date to conduct a special election will be announced to fill the vacancy.

Former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi is suing Secretary of State Bill Galvin in state court for the right to register as a state lobbyist.

The State Lobbyist Division, which is overseen by the secretary of state, denied DiMasi’s application in March of 2019, citing his federal convictions for fraud and extortion.

DiMasi is currently registered as a lobbyist with the city of Boston.

Another special election has been scheduled, this time for the 37th Middlesex district.

The House seat will become vacant on January 8 when Rep. Jen Benson, a Lunenberg Democrat, will resign to become president of the Alliance for Business Leadership.

The primary special election for Benson’s replacement will be held on March 3 and the general special election will be held on March 31.

Special elections for the 32nd Middlesex House District and Plymouth and Barnstable Senate District have been scheduled by their respective legislative bodies.

Both seats were vacated when their officeholders left for executive positions.

Rep. Paul Brodeur, a Democrat, resigned after winning the Melrose mayoral election.

Sen. Vinny DeMacedo, Republican from Plymouth, stepped down to become director of regional partnerships at Bridgewater State University.

The 32nd Middlesex primary election will be held on February 4, and a general election will be held on March 3.

The Plymouth and Barnstable primary election will be held on March 3, and a general election will be held on March 31.

On November 26, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a new campaign finance bill into law. The bill amends the state’s law by now requiring House, Senate and all mayoral candidates to use the depository system of campaign finance reporting.

According to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OPCF), “Nearly 500 House and Senate candidates will transition into the depository campaign finance reporting system, as well as about 100 mayoral candidates in cities of 65,000 or less.” House Bill 4087 also requires banks to file monthly disclosure reports on behalf of candidates and certain committees.

Previously, the disclosures were required twice a month. The bill also mandates the OCPF establish regulations concerning social media and its use by appointed public employees.

Additionally, the bill establishes a commission to study the use of campaign funds for family and child care.

State Senator Viriato deMacedo announced he will resign from office within the next few weeks.

Sen. deMacedo will begin employment as the Director of Regional Partnerships with Bridgewater State University.

Sen. deMacedo, who has been serving in the Senate for the Plymouth and Barnstable District since 2015, was first elected to the state legislature as a representative in 1998. He held that seat until his move to the Senate.

“I’ve done this for 21 years and it’s been phenomenal, but everything has a season,” deMacedo told the Cape Cod Times.

A date for a special election to fill the upcoming vacancy has not yet been determined.