One Virginia special election has been scheduled and another may be on the horizon. Governor Bob McDonnell set the special election to replace Del. Onzlee Ware in House District 11 for January 7.

Another election could follow soon after to replace attorney general-elect Mark Herring, currently serving as senator for the 33rd District. Although the State Board of Elections declared Sen. Herring the winner, a recount was requested by his opponent, Sen. Mark Obenshain. The recount is expected to be completed sometime in December.

Carol Carson is the executive director of the Connecticut Office of Government Accountability. In September she provided her Top 10 Tips at the Practising Law Institute’s Campaign Finance and Lobbying program in Washington, DC.

10.   Register. Register. Register.

9.     In Connecticut, you are required to wear your lobbying badge… So wear your lobbying badge.

8.     Keep contemporaneous records.

7.     Get advice from the agency. We are here to help.

6.     If you mess up, fess up.

5.     Don’t play us.

4.     Work with us.

3.     Lobbying is a self-policing industry.

2.     Video surveillance is everywhere.

1.   We would rather help you get it right then catch you doing it wrong.

We are huge fans of Carol Carson because she is out there working with the registered community to file accurate and timely reports. Everyone should use her Top 10 Tips to manage compliance.

It is a busy time of the year. Make sure your 2014 registrations are in order. Need help, call us. We Comply.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Bartz

President and CEO

@elizabethbartz

The 2014 Massachusetts state primary has been moved up a week from September 16 to September 9 due to the passage of House Bill 3764.

This bill only changes the 2014 primary date and does not affect future state primary dates. The bill was introduced and passed by the House on November 18, passed by the Senate the following day, and signed by the governor a week later.

Legislators are meeting today, Monday, December 2, 2013, for a special session to consider a package of tax breaks designed to give Boeing a reason to bring thousands of jobs to the state. Gov. Jay Nixon called the special session and asked legislators to approve a $150 million incentive package with extensions of existing economic development programs.

Nixon hopes the package will attract Boeing’s 777X program after a machinists union in Washington State rejected the company’s long-term contract proposal earlier this month.

Prior to the union vote, Washington legislators passed a package of incentives with the largest tax breaks any state had ever offered to a corporation.

Photo of the Missouri Capitol courtesy of RebelAt on Wikimedia Commons.

A special primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, December 3 to fill the vacancy in House District 31.

There are four Republicans and no Democrats on the ballot.

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals expedited a key ballot access case on November 27.

The case, Hall v. Secretary of State of Alabama, was brought by independent candidate James Hall, the only minor party candidate who submitted any signatures to be on the ballot of the December 17 special election in Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.

The Ohio Ethics Commission issued a new rule clarifying when another party may pay or reimburse a public official or employee for travel expenses. A public official or employee may accept a thing of value if it “is not of such a character as to manifest a substantial and improper influence on the traveler with respect to that person’s duties.”

A two-prong test has been put in place for determining whether travel expenses or reimbursements are of such character.

The rule overturns portions of two previously issued Ohio Ethics Commission Advisory Opinions. It also requires public officials or employees to disclose the source and amount of all travel expenses and reimbursements.

The Ethics Commission has approved a regulation providing a method for candidates and campaign committees to comply with due diligence requirements of the pay-to-play restrictions.

Code section 1.126 prohibits a city or county contractor from contributing to a candidate who can determine whether a contract is awarded.

Regulation 1.126-7 will require the contributor to certify he or she is not an not an owner, director, officer, or named subcontractor of any entity currently negotiating or recently awarded a contract with the city, county, or other covered agency.

The regulation is effective January 24, 2014.

A Texas Ethics Commission rule delineating the state’s document retention policy for treasurers of political committees takes effect today.

Rule §20.18, which was adopted on October 31, 2013, spells out the records needed to be kept for at least two years. The rule also outlines what documentation and actions are needed by a treasurer in order to remain in compliance with the state’s retention law.

Two other rules passed by the commission dealing with the reporting of contribution pledges and political expenditure disclosures take effect on January 1, 2015.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has called a special election to fill the vacant House District 25 seat.

The special election will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2014.

At present, there are two Republican candidates and no Democrats.

The ethics board in Iowa issued an advisory opinion allowing political candidates in the state to use campaign funds to attend a presidential inauguration.

The board’s reasoning for its decision centered around the value to a candidate’s campaign of attending an inauguration event.

Under the opinion, a campaign committee can pay for the candidate’s travel and lodging, but cannot pay such expenses for anyone else.

The Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board is developing new auditing procedures for political committees receiving donations from entities. This action was likely prompted by the recent controversy over the funding of prominent PAC Iowans for Tax Relief, which was almost exclusively funded by trusts whose identities remained unknown until recently.

The ethics board also proposed legislation to be introduced when the legislature goes into session in January. The bill includes a $1,000 reporting threshold, and would allow campaigns to collect anonymous donations of up to $25. The bill would also require all campaign committees to file electronically by 2015.

Gov. Scott Walker has called a special session of the Legislature to address the implications of the troubled federal launch of the Affordable Care Act.

The special session will begin on December 2, 2014.

Walker hopes lawmakers will agree to delay the transfer of over 77,000 Medicaid cases from BadgerCare to health exchanges.

Photo of the Wisconsin State House courtesy of Dori on Wikimedia Commons.

The New Hampshire Legislature adjourned its special session on November 21, 2013.

Gov. Maggie Hassan had called for the extra legislative session to consider the Medicaid Expansion Study Commission’s report recommending the state accept $2.5 billion in federal funds to expand Medicaid. However, the Legislature did not follow her recommendation and did not pass any health care legislation.

In her press release Hassan expressed her disappointment and assigned blame, stating, “Today, members of the Senate Republican caucus let down the people of New Hampshire by refusing to compromise to develop a health care expansion plan that would actually work.”

Photo of the New Hampshire State House courtesy of Alexius Horatius on Wikimedia Commons.