The Citizens Ethics Advisory Board has levied a $10,000 penalty against a lobbyist for accepting illegal contingency fees. Robert M. Silverberg had a contract with Clean Power Public of New Haven paying him 15 percent of the gross value of contracts he obtained from the state governments of Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Silverberg did not disclose any administrative lobbying from January 2013 to January 2014, stating he was unaware his activities were subject to lobbying laws. He believed he was only engaging in sales activities.

The fine will be suspended pending Silverberg’s compliance with a consent order requiring him to attend annual training for five years and

The electronic filing system of the Public Integrity Commission, the Public Integrity Reporting System, is being moved. As a result of the change, filers will be required to update their passwords after the system is moved.

The system will be down for the transfer from 11:00 p.m. on February 7 to 6:00 a.m. on February 9.

The first time a filer logs in after the system is moved, he or she will be prompted to create a new password. The commission has not released the web domain of the new system but is scheduled to do so in the near future.

A bill creating a revolving door for lawmakers seeking to lobby after leaving office was approved by the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions, and Ethics Committee by a 7-0 vote.

The bill requires state lawmakers to wait two years after leaving office before working as lobbyists. It also bans out-of-state travel paid by lobbyists and limits when a lobbyist can report spending on a group of legislators instead of on individual members.

If passed, the bill would have an effective date of January 2017.

Susan Yoza, Associate Director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, testified in support of House Bill 180 before the House Committee on Judiciary on Friday, January 30. HB 180 clarifies reporting requirements for lobbyists and organizations engaging in lobbying activities during a special legislative session.

Last year, Act 224 required lobbyist reporting within 30 days of adjournment sine die of any special session. The Commission believes the legislature did not intend to require filing of reports following such a session if lobbyists and organizations did not lobby on any matters considered during the special session.

HB 180 clarifies the legislative intent and provides for special session reports only for those persons who engage in lobbying activities relating to matters considered during the session. Furthermore, it would prevent duplicative reporting, as those activities reported on a special session report will not need to be reported on any subsequent lobbying reports.

State Rep. Sheldon Silver will no longer be speaker of the New York State Assembly beginning Monday, February 2, 2015. Silver was arrested on federal corruption and bribery charges earlier this month. It is not clear whether Silver is resigning voluntarily or being forced out by a vote.

Silver said, “I won’t hinder any succession process . . . [but] I will be a member of this house. I was elected by my constituents and I do not intend to resign my seat in this house.”

Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle will serve as the acting speaker until an election for a new speaker is held on February 10, 2015.

Today we will be visiting the Alaska capitol and learning about its history.

The first Alaska statehouse was located in Elks Lodge Hall in Juneau, the current capital. Legislators started meeting there in 1913 after Alaska became a territory of the United States. Juneau was chosen as the capital over much debate. The cities of Sitka and Anchorage were favored by those in south-central, western, and interior Alaska because Juneau was difficult to access in the winter. However, Juneau had superior communication with the federal government and was an established mining town.

It took another 18 years after the choosing of Juneau for a statehouse to be built. The federal government was short on funds because of World War I, but the people of Juneau raised the rest of the amount in time for the statehouse to be completed in 1931.

The statehouse sits on almost 5 acres in Juneau near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It was built in Art Deco style. The main material in the building is limestone from Prince of Wales Island in the southeastern part of the state. There is a replica of the Liberty Bell in the front of the building. In fact, every state was given one in 1950 in a campaign to promote federal savings bonds. The lobby has carvings depicting the abundance of natural resources, a crucial source of economic stability for Alaska.

There are designs in the works for a new statehouse. It will have an egg-shaped dome and a number of public spaces to encourage visitors. The new statehouse will be more environmentally friendly and inclusive of Alaskan motifs, such as the use of local stone and wood. It will even be constructed to preserve the views from other buildings. You can take a video tour of the Capital Building with Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell in this video.

Thanks for joining us once again on yet another statehouse tour.

Photo of the Alaska State Capitol by Jay Galvin on Wikimedia Commons.

The contribution limit for Maine gubernatorial candidates has been increased by $75, from $1,500 to $1,575 per election.

The contribution limit for county and municipal offices has been increased by $25, from $750 to $775 per election.

The contribution limit for state legislative candidates remains unchanged at $375 per election.

The foregoing adjustments were effective for any election held on or after January 23, 2015.

State Rep. Elizabeth Dickerson of House District 93 resigned from the Maine House of Representatives, saying she has decided to move to another state.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap set a special election to fill Dickerson’s seat for March 10, 2015.

Candidates must be nominated by February 9, 2015.

The Ethics Commission has voted to approve legislative amendments to update, simplify, and improve the city’s Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance during a meeting on January 26, 2015.

The amendments repeal aggregate contribution limits, simplify reporting requirements for corporations and committees, and clarify disclaimer requirements for campaign communications.

The amendments will become law only if approved by two-thirds of the Board of Supervisors.

Bills have been filed in both chambers of the North Dakota Legislature advocating for annual legislative sessions.

Senate Bill 2247 would permit a 50-day session in odd-numbered years and mandate a 30-day session in even-numbered years. House Bill 1342 would permit a 60-day session in odd-numbered years, followed by a recess and a 20-day remainder session in the following year.

Currently, sessions begin in January of every odd-numbered year and are limited to 80 days.

In a statement regarding the impact of a recent district court order, the Arizona Office of the Secretary of State said it is not currently enforcing the compliance provisions of campaign finance law.

In December, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona ruled A.R.S. §16-901(19), the definition of political committee, unconstitutional. A motion to stay the case, Galassini v. Town of Fountain Hills, was filed by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to maintain the current application of campaign finance law while an appeal is being filed with the Ninth Circuit, according to the secretary of state.

However, the secretary of state “strongly encourages all political committees to adhere to the statutory requirements until a final resolution is obtained to prevent any unforeseen challenges if the appeal is successful”.

Assemblyman Sheldon Silver, speaker of the New York State Assembly, was arrested on federal corruption charges. He is accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes. Mr. Silver, a Democrat, has served as speaker for more than 20 years.

According to the New York Times, the corruption charges stem from accusations of using his position to obtain corrupt payments misrepresented as referral fees from a law firm; funneling state research funds and other benefits to a doctor who in return referred asbestos claims to the law firm where the speaker worked; and secretly helping real estate developers win tax breaks.

In New York, state legislators who are charged with crimes can continue to serve unless and until convicted of a felony, at which point the legislator must leave office.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board’s newly approved rules permitting candidates enrolled in the public matching funds program to receive contributions via text message took effect January 20, 2015.

The rules permit public funds to match the text message contribution once those contributions are paid via the contributor’s phone bill.

The rules further establish record keeping requirements for text message contributions and a process to certify the identity of the contributor.

Photo of Manhattan courtesy of AngMoKio on Wikipedia.

Rep. Debbie McCune Davis has introduced a bill in the statehouse requiring lobbyists registered in Arizona to report their compensation.

House Bill 2136 amends the Arizona lobbying law by requiring every lobbyist, including a lobbyist for compensation, authorized lobbyist, authorized public lobbyist, designated lobbyist, and designated public lobbyist, to file a statement of compensation paid to the lobbyist for lobbying activities at the same time quarterly expenditure reports are due. Currently a lobbyist’s salary is not reported.

Photo of the Arizona State Capitol by Jeff Dean on Wikimedia Commons.