August 15, 2011 •
New York City Lobbying Commission Release Preliminary Report
Recommends Expanding Definition of Lobbying and Increasing Registration Threshold
The New York City Lobbying Commission has released its recommendations to update and enhance the city’s lobbying laws.
In its preliminary report, the commission recommends expanding the definition of lobbying to include efforts to influence legislation prior to a bill’s introduction, efforts to keep a bill from being introduced, or efforts to shape or stop executive orders by the mayor. The commission also recommends raising the threshold for lobbyist registration from $2,000 to $5,000. The commission rejected suggestions to move regulation of lobbying from the city clerk’s office to another office.
The commission’s final report will be submitted to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council who, if they agree with the recommendations, can introduce legislation incorporating the changes.
Photo of the Manhattan Municipal Building by Momos on Wikipedia.
August 1, 2011 •
News You Can Use Digest – August 1, 2011
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Crossroads GPS, Priorities USA Violate Tax Laws, Reform Groups Allege in IRS Petition
Oregon Congressman, Named in Sex Case, to Resign
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Bob Riley’s PAC Admits Taking PAC-to-PAC Donation in Violation of Law Riley Pushed
California
Judge Ready to Strike down San Jose Law Barring Last-Minute Campaign Contributions
District of Columbia
D.C. Council Member Thomas to Repay D.C. $300,000
Florida
Judge Hears Challenge to Florida Campaign Law
Florida
Press Group in Talks to Take Over State Lobbyist Registration
Georgia
Ethics Commission Could See Major Reorganization
Illinois
Emanuel Ethics Reforms Back on Track at City Council
Massachusetts
GOP’s Winslow Uses On-line Coupon to Promote Fundraiser
New York
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz Fined $20,000 for Taking Free Foreign Trips for His Wife
Rhode Island
Twenty Politicians Owe $800,000 in Election Fines
Tennessee
Some Advocacy Avoids Tennessee Lobbying Label
Virginia
For Virginia Companies, Campaign Donations to Lawmakers Just another Cost of Doing Business
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.
Jim Sedor is editor of News You Can Use.
July 28, 2011 •
State and Federal Communications Expands Coverage
In a continuing effort to better serve the needs of its clients, State and Federal Communications, Inc. is expanding coverage of laws and regulations in more municipalities.
We now provide information on lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying for Gilbert, Arizona; Savannah, Georgia; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Springfield, Missouri; and Syracuse, New York on our website.
The image of North America by Bosonic dressing on Wikipedia.
July 5, 2011 •
News You Can Use Digest – July 5, 2011
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Colbert Declares Victory at FEC
FEC Limits Lawmakers’ Fundraising for Super PACs
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Gambling Trial Highlights Fees Paid to Legislators
Arizona
Justices Strike Down Arizona Campaign Finance Law
Florida
Judge Strikes Down Florida Campaign Finance Matching Law
Illinois
Jury Finds Blagojevich Guilty of Corruption
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Special Education Director Said to Siphon $10 Million
Missouri
Missouri Lawmakers Eat for Free
Nevada
Tougher Nevada Campaign Money Laws Come into Play
New York
New Contribution Rule Limits Assignments to Elected Judges
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Ethics Commission Reprimands NRA Lobbyist
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Justices in Altercation
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.
Jim Sedor is editor of News You Can Use.
June 27, 2011 •
New York Assembly Session Concluded
Regular session ended on June 24.
Legislators concluded the 2011 regular session Friday evening after reaching agreement on a number of bills.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has 10 days upon transmittal of a bill to sign or veto legislation that reaches his desk.
Photo of the New York Assembly Chamber by UpstateNYer on Wikipedia.
Bill Creates Joint Commission on Public Ethics and New Disclosure Requirements
The New York Governor’s Office has released the ethics bill created by the agreement between legislators announced last Friday. The bill, which had previously been titled the Clean Up Albany Act of 2011, will be known as the Public Integrity Reform Act.
Chiefly, the bill establishes an independent Joint Commission on Public Ethics and enhances disclosure requirements by requiring state employees to disclose income from outside sources and names of clients. The Joint Commission on Public Ethics will have jurisdiction over all elected state officials and their employees in the executive and legislative branches, as well as lobbyists.
The bill provides the Joint Commission on Public Integrity must create an online ethics training course for registered lobbyists with a specific curriculum regarding the public officers’ law and ethics to be completed every three years. Additionally, the bill requires the disclosure by lobbyists of any reportable business relationship of more than $1,000 with public officials.
The definition of “widely attended” event is altered to include any event where 25 or more people other than legislators, officials, or government employees attend and which is related to the attendee’s duties or which allows the public official to perform a ceremonial function. The bill also allows officials to accept food or beverage valued at $15 or less.
The bill increases penalties for violations of the filing requirements and contribution limits and provides for a special enforcement proceeding in the Supreme Court.
The bill must age three days after its introduction and then can be voted on by the Legislature. The Legislature will recess today until next Monday, making adoption possible next week.
June 6, 2011 •
“Clean Up Albany Act of 2011” Announced
Governor Cuomo and Legislative Leaders Reach Agreement on Comprehensive Ethics Reform Package
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and General Assembly leaders have reached an agreement regarding comprehensive ethics reform. The agreement titled the “Clean Up Albany Act of 2011,” creates a joint commission on public ethics to investigate violations of law by members of both the executive and legislative branches, oversee their financial disclosure requirements, and oversee lobbyists with newly expanded disclosure rules and definition of lobbying.
The act expands lobbying disclosure requirements, including the disclosure by lobbyists of reportable business relationships of more than $1,000 with public officials. It also expands the definition of lobbying to include advocacy to affect the introduction of legislation or resolutions. Additionally, the act calls for the state board of elections to issue new regulations clarifying disclosure requirements for independent expenditures.
Photo of Governor Cuomo by Pat Arnow on Wikipedia.
February 15, 2011 •
New York Bill Requires Disclosure by Political Consultants
Lobbyist Acting as Political Consultants Required to Disclose Retainers
New York Assembly Bill 04933, which is currently before the Assembly Election Law Committee, seeks to impose disclosure requirements upon lobbyists who act as political consultants.
The bill defines political consultants as any person receiving compensation for providing professional services relating to advising clients on political activities, political advertising, campaign strategies, campaign publicity, or campaign management.
Political consultants would be required to disclose the identities, telephone numbers, and addresses of all clients.
New York Coat of Arms by One Salient Oversight on Wikipedia.
January 27, 2011 •
New York City Council Confirms Appointments to Lobbying Commission After Three Year Wait
Commission to Improve Lobbying Laws
City Council has confirmed the appointments of Herbert Berman, Margaret Morton, Lesley Horton, and Jamila Ponton Bragg to the New York City Lobbying Commission. Berman, a lobbyist and former Council Finance Committee Chair, was selected to be the Lobbying Commission Chair.
Formation of the Lobbying Commission had stalled for three years as suitable candidates were sought. The Lobbying Commission is an advisory body charged with making recommendations to improve New York City’s 2006 lobbying laws.
Photo of the New York City Hall by Momos on Wikipedia.
January 19, 2011 •
Bill Seeks to Curtail Lobbyist Political Contributions
New York Bill Proposes to Limit Contribution Amounts and Timing
Senate Bill 37, introduced by Senator Daniel Squadron, proposes to curtail political contributions by lobbyists. The bill limits lobbyist political contributions to $250 per candidate, per election and contributions may only be made between the first of July and the end of the year.
The bill further bars lobbyists from soliciting or transmitting a contribution or a request for a contribution from any person, including a political committee, for the benefit of a public official or party committee.
Photo of New York State Capitol courtesy of UpstateNYer on Wikipedia.
December 22, 2010 •
Commission Eases Restrictions on Former State Employees
New York Commission on Public Integrity Loosens Revolving Door Restrictions to Benefit Laid-off State Employees
The New York State Commission on Public Integrity has released an advisory opinion making it easier for state employees targeted by layoffs to gain new employment. The commission announced that the 30-day recusal period set forth in Advisory Opinion No. 06-01 has been suspended as it applies to state officers or employees who have been targeted for layoffs or state employees who may opt for relocation or layoff because their position will be eliminated.
State employees who pursue potential post-government employment opportunities must still recuse themselves from any matters pertaining to that private entity for the duration that the employee remains employed by the state agency, if targeted for layoff.
Flag of New York image courtesy of Wikipedia.
December 10, 2010 •
Chairman of New York Commission on Public Integrity Resigns
Commission Chair Resigns and Express Concerns Regarding the Operation of the Commission on Public Integrity
Michael Cherkasky resigned as chairman of the New York Commission on Public Integrity sighting personal conflicts of interest. Cherkasky explained in his resignation letter that the recent acquisition of Altegrity Inc., where he is chief executive officer, could create future conflicts of interest with him functioning as commission chair.
Cherkasky also identified several concerns he has for the future of the commission including the lack of resources allocated to the commission, the lack of enforcement over the legislative branch, and issues with the commission having too many members and being overly partisan. Cherkasky’s resignation is effective January 1, 2011.
November 4, 2010 •
Voters Approve Changes to New York City Charter
New York City Voters Approve New Law Requiring Disclosure of Independent Expenditures
New York City voters supported, by a vote of 83 percent to 17 percent with 87 percent of precincts reporting, a referendum item which called for several changes to the city charter. The changes include requiring disclosure of campaign contributions by independent groups and raising the maximum fine for violating conflicts of interest law. Currently, people and organizations that spend money independently of any candidate to support or oppose political candidates or to influence votes in a referendum are not required to report those expenditures publicly.
The new voter approved law requires any individual or group that spends $1,000 or more to support or oppose a candidate or referendum to disclose the expenditure to the city’s Campaign Finance Board and include in any literature the name of any individual or organization that paid for it. The law also requires any group spending $5,000 or more to support or oppose a candidate to disclose any organizations that made contributions to that group and any individual who contributed $1,000 or more during the 12-month period preceding the election.
Photo of the New York City Municipal Building by Momos on Wikipedia.
October 25, 2010 •
Inspector General Report Forwarded to Prosecutors and Ethics Officials
New York Inspector General Finds Potential Ethics Violations in Video Lottery Terminal Bidding Process
New York State Inspector General Joseph Fisch has released a report that criticizes New York State leaders for failing to fulfill their public duty in the January 2010 selection of Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) to operate video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. The 300-page report concludes that AEG should have been disqualified, and that the chaotic process resulting in AEG’s multi-billion dollar award was a “political free-for-all” marked by unfair advantages and more than $100,000 in campaign donations.
The report found that Governor Paterson, Senate Democratic Conference Leader Sampson, Senate President Pro Tempore Smith, and Assembly Speaker Silver each contributed to the multi-million dollar debacle. The report strongly recommends that the bidding process used to select AEG never be repeated and that New York State impose stringent procurement restrictions on all major contracts to ensure that they are competitive, transparent and fair.
The Inspector General’s Office is forwarding the report to United States Attorney and New York County District Attorney, for appropriate action and referring Senators Sampson and Smith to the Legislative Ethics Commission.
Map of New York by Huebi on Wikipedia.
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