The Ethics Commission adopted a resolution stating it will not enforce the aggregate limit on contributions to city candidates in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.

The San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code imposes an aggregate limit of $500 multiplied by the number of city elective offices to be voted on in the election. The McCutcheon decision found federal aggregate limits to be a violation of constitutional free speech.

The city’s $500 limit on contributions from an individual to a single city candidate remains in full force.

The resolution is available here.

Targets of a John Doe investigation by the Government Accountability Board (GAB) have countered by filing suit against GAB. Conservative activist Eric O’Keefe, his Wisconsin Club for Growth, and “others similarly situated” filed the lawsuit in the Waukesha County Circuit Court.

The plaintiffs allege GAB does not have the statutory authority to appoint and pay special investigators to probe conservative organizations suspected of illegally coordinating with Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign during the state’s partisan recall elections.

The lawsuit follows a U.S. District Court decision effectively ending the John Doe investigation and a 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision declaring the state’s campaign laws restricting issue advertising unconstitutional.

Today, the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) announced it will continue to enforce the $5,000 aggregate limit an individual may contribute to political party committees during a calendar year.

In response to U.S. Supreme Court’s decision of McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, in which the Court found aggregate limits on campaign contributions unconstitutional, the OCPF had previously announced it would no longer enforce the state’s aggregate limits for the amount an individual could contribute to candidates. At the time, the OCPF stated it would review the decision more closely before deciding whether the $5,000 aggregate contribution limit to party committees could remain standing.

In affirming that limit today, the OCPF “determined that, because the federal statutory provisions that were analyzed in McCutcheon differ substantially from the law in Massachusetts, this office will continue to enforce the $5,000 aggregate limit.”

A bill restricting the political activities of lobbyists registered with the county is set for public hearing on June 2, 2014. Bill No. 39-14 would prohibit registered lobbyists from soliciting campaign contributions, serving on a fundraising committee, acting as a treasurer for a candidate, establishing a political committee, or forwarding tickets to fundraising events.

The bill would also comply with a 2010 state law requiring local ethics laws to be at least as strong as state standards.

Proposed amendments to the bill include delaying the effective date till after the general election and allowing former lobbyists to participate in campaigns without any lapse in time after termination.

On May 29, Natalia Luna Ashley was named the new executive director by the Texas Ethics Commission. Ashley had been serving both as its interim executive director and its special counsel. She has also held the positions of assistant general counsel and assistant director of enforcement with the commission.

Photo of the Texas State Capitol Dome courtesy of Ed Uthman on Wikimedia Commons.

Former Doral mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez has been appointed as a commissioner to the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. Bermudez is one of Doral’s founders and previously served as president of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities.

Marcia Narine, an assistant professor of law at St. Thomas University, was also sworn in as a new commissioner.

Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms.

On May 29, the Arizona Legislature adjourned its special session sine die. Two bills were passed creating and funding the Department of Child Safety. Gov. Jan Brewer immediately signed both bills.

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

The New York State Board of Elections will no longer enforce the $150,000 yearly aggregate limit on political contributions from individuals. In its May 2014 meeting, the board determined the limit can no longer be enforced in light of recent federal court decisions.

New York campaign finance law imposes a similar aggregate limit of $5,000 on a corporation’s yearly contributions. The board made no ruling with regard to the corporate limit; however that limit is currently being challenged in federal court.

The Government Accountability Board (GAB) is seeking comment on new guidelines for lobbyist campaign contributions. Following changes to campaign fundraising rules pursuant to 2013 Wisconsin Act 153, GAB concluded a lobbyist may deliver or convey a campaign contribution on behalf of a political action committee, conduit, or other person to a candidate for any office at any time.

The draft changes to GAB guidelines 1249 and 1250 are available here. Comments should be sent to Division Administrator Jonathan Becker at jonathan.becker@wi.gov or (608) 267-0647 by June 2, 2014.

The Ethics Commission has issued an opinion for organizations accepting campaign contributions electronically. Advisory Opinion 2014-EC-002 permits organizations to accept electronic donations without requiring the donor to submit personal information if the information is already recorded.

The commission issued the opinion at the request of ActBlue, a political action committee for Democratic candidates across the country. The ActBlue website requires personal information of the donor to be submitted, but not resubmitted for subsequent contributions.

The committee asked if this practice complied with a statutory requirement for electronic records to include the donor’s name, address, place of business, employer, and occupation “at the time of making the contribution.” The commission concluded even if some of the required donor information was provided prior to a contribution, the record would comply with the statute.

The Board of Supervisors will soon vote on ethics legislation introduced last year by City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. Ordinance 130374 would amend the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code to expand the definition of lobbyist and require random audits of lobbying reports.

The lobbying exemption for contractors and their attorneys would be limited to in-house officers and employees. Meeting the definition of a lobbyist would depend on the number of contacts with officials rather than the previous measure of compensation. Outside consultants communicating with public officials regarding contract bidding and negotiating would be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of lobbying.

The ordinance will likely be decided at the board meeting on June 10, 2014.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed two bills unanimously passed by the legislature designed to restrict his ability to solicit gifts and campaign contributions. The identical bills would have prevented the governor, his campaign committee, and any PAC established on his behalf from soliciting or accepting gifts or contributions exceeding $50 from any person or entity seeking loans or grants from the Governor’s Development Opportunity Fund.

The governor sent the bills back with amendments extending the rules to members of the General Assembly, but both houses rejected the amendments to their bills.

The governor argued the restrictions should extend to the General Assembly because, although he awards loans and grants from the fund, the money is appropriated by the General Assembly. Legislators responded it would be impractical to include them in the bills, because they are not privy to such high-level economic development talks or information about the parties involved.

Photo of Gov. Terry McAuliffe courtesy of Kate Wellington on Wikimedia Commons.

Today Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer called for a special session of the Legislature to convene on May 27.

According to Brewer’s press release, the purpose of the special session will be to “overhaul the state’s child safety system” by creating and funding an entity called the Department of Child Safety, “a new, stand-alone agency whose sole focus is the safety of Arizona’s children.”

If passed, the state child welfare programs would be removed from the authority of the Department of Economic Security.

The regular session adjourned on April 24.

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

The Government Accountability Board (GAB) voted to allow lobbyists to pass along donations from political action committees and clients to state lawmakers at any point during the year.

GAB previously concluded recently signed Senate Bill 655 removed the ability of lobbyists to deliver anyone else’s contribution at any time.

The change in interpretation was supported by Republican legislative leaders, lobbyists, and attorneys for the Legislature.