December 9, 2011 •
Georgia Ethics Commission Member Resigning
Chan Caudell is accepting an appointment as a judge.
A member of Georgia’s Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission said he is stepping down from the panel after just three months to accept an appointment as a judge. Chan Caudell said he would submit his letter of resignation to Governor Nathan Deal. The Georgia constitution bans individuals from serving simultaneously in two branches of government.
Caudell’s sudden departure is the latest challenge for the five-member panel overseeing campaign finance and lobbying in the state.
The ethics panel has been hit hard with funding cuts that some say have undermined its ability to perform its duties. Earlier this week an open records request revealed that fines for late campaign finance reporting were reduced by millions of dollars because the panel could not afford to send out the required late notices.
December 9, 2011 •
Highlighted Site of the Week – The Hawaii Ethical Lobbying Association
Hawaii Senator Ihara shared about an organization promoting ethical lobbying.
One of the remarkable moments I had at the 2012 COGEL Conference in Nashville was visiting with Hawaii State Senator Les Ihara, Jr. We spoke about COGEL and I had to put in a plug that the conference will be held in Columbus next year! He spoke about NCSL and other things coming in the next year.
Senator Ihara was interested in sharing about the Hawaii Ethical Lobbying Association and so that is our Highlighted Site of the Week. The website has the organization’s pledge of ethics, as well as listing news about an Ethical Lobbying and Campaign Spending Workshop.
Senator Ihara, who was named co-chair of NCSL’s Legislative Effectiveness Committee, has received the Good Government Angel Award from the Hawai‘i Pro-Democracy Initiative, Lawmaker of the Year from Small Business Hawai‘i, the Good Government Award from Common Cause Hawai‘i, and many other awards. The Hawaii State Legislature site offers an interesting list of the measures the senator has introduced.
Have a great weekend!
December 8, 2011 •
Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics Issues Gifts Reminder for Holidays
Affects All County and Municipal Employees in the County
The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics has issued a reminder concerning holiday gifts to county and municipal officials and employees. The Commission noted that holiday gifts given by lobbyists and vendors are still impermissible if the gift exceeds the aggregate $100 per calendar year limit or the gift is given to influence or reward the employee.
The Commission issued the reminder to employees and officers of the county and the 38 municipalities within the county after several requests for advisory opinions were received concerning the subject-matter.
After hearing an explanation of the rules, Ethics Commission Chairman Edward Rodgers questioned whether the rules went a bit far, asking “Are we not serving as a grinch for Christmas?”
Aerial photo of Palm Beach, Florida by Michael Kagdis on Wikipedia.
December 8, 2011 •
Rahm Emanuel Creates Ethics Reform Task Force
City Ethics Ordinance to be Redrafted
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced the creation of an ethics reform task force charged with overhauling and strengthening the city’s ethics ordinance.
The task force will be given four months to rewrite the city’s ethics ordinance.
December 8, 2011 •
Georgia Special Election for House Seat
Rep. Len Walker expected to resign at year-end.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal is expected to call for a special election in January to replace Georgia House Representative Len Walker who has accepted a ministerial position with a north Georgia chapel.
Tom Kirby will campaign for Walker’s District 107 seat. Kirby said Walker is expected to resign his term at the year-end and the governor will then call for a special election.
The seat will have to be contested again in November 2012 under the new District 114.
The change is a result of redistricting.
December 6, 2011 •
Los Angeles City Council Responds to Citizens United
Vote on Proposed Resolution Scheduled for Today
The Los Angeles City Council will vote today on a proposed resolution which calls on the U.S. Congress to pass a constitutional amendment declaring only living persons, not corporations, have constitutional rights and money is not the same as free speech.
The resolution, proposed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, further declares the Citizens United decision supersedes state and local efforts to regulate corporate political activity.
If the resolution passes, Los Angeles will join other municipalities such as Missoula, Montana and Boulder, Colorado which have passed similar resolutions.
Seal of the City of Los Angeles by Mysid on Wikipedia.
December 2, 2011 •
Campaign Contributions by Text Message Coming to Maryland
Contributions would be limited to $10 per text message.
Following in the footsteps of California, the state of Maryland will be allowing political campaign contributions via text messages on mobile devices. Jared DeMarinis, Maryland State Board of Elections’ Director of Candidacy and Campaign Finance, says this will open the process up to more people giving smaller donations.
For the full story, read “Rule would allow campaign donations by text message” by Annie Linskey in the Baltimore Sun.
According to the article: “Maryland’s General Assembly passed legislation this year authorizing campaign contributions by text message and directing the Board of Elections to implement the change. The board has drafted regulations, which are subject to public comment before they can go into effect.”
December 1, 2011 •
New Campaign Finance Website for the Maryland State Board of Elections
Training on using the new site will be offered December 12.
The Maryland State Board of Elections has launched a new campaign finance website that provides easier searches and greater transparency of campaign finance reports. The new website upgrades and further automates reporting and disclosure of campaign contributions. The new site replaces one run on outmoded software.
Previously, campaign finance reports had to be manually uploaded to the website, often delaying public disclosure until the next day. With the new site, reports are automatically uploaded and can be accessed immediately. The public now has more ways to search campaign finance documents and more comprehensive information about committees, including any violations.
The State Board of Elections will start offering training on how to use the new software on December 12, targeting current and future candidates and fundraising committees. The training will be offered on several dates around the state.
November 29, 2011 •
32 Rhode Island PACs and Groups Owe Fines to the State
Candidates owe even more
There are 32 political action committees and political party groups that owe campaign finance fines to the state of Rhode Island, according to a news item in GoLocalProv.com. The fines for the groups amount to more than $40,000, compared to political candidates who owe about one million dollars.
You can find the full story at “PACs & Political Parties Owe Tens of Thousands” by Dan McGowan in GoLocalProv.com. The article lists the groups that owe and details the steps the Rhode Island Board of Elections will be taking in order to collect the fines.
November 28, 2011 •
New Campaign Finance Rules Proposed in Colorado
Secretary of State Seeks Better Organization, Clarity with Proposed Changes
Secretary of State Scott Gessler has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in regards to the Colorado Secretary of State Rules Concerning Campaign and Political Finance, 8 CCR 1505-6. Gessler has proposed a recodification of the rules in their entirety in an effort to improve organization and readability, clarify existing laws and regulations, and address questions arising under Colorado campaign and political finance laws.
Among the more notable changes, the proposed rules would limit fines for late or incomplete campaign finance reports to no more than $50 a day for 180 days, maximized to $9,000. The rules would also continue to utilize the $5,000 threshold at which issue committees would need to register and report, created by Gessler’s adoption of Campaign and Political Finance Rule 4.27, despite a recent state district court ruling that Gessler did not have the authority to increase the threshold from the constitutionally-mandated figure of $200 despite a finding of the threshold to be too burdensome in the recent Colorado case of Sampson v. Buescher.
A hearing regarding these proposed changes is scheduled for December 15, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Blue Spruce Conference Room on the second floor of the Secretary of State’s Office.
November 28, 2011 •
Connecticut Governor Sets Special Election Date
House District 24 Seat to be Filled January 10, 2012
Governor Dannel P. Malloy has issued a writ of special election setting January 10, 2012 as the date to fill the vacant seat in Connecticut’s 24th house district.
The seat became vacant after former state representative Timothy O’Brien left the position November 15, 2011. O’Brien, who had represented the district since 2003, resigned his seat after he was elected to the position of mayor in the city of New Britain, Connecticut during the 2011 general election held on November 8.
November 28, 2011 •
Fair Lawn New Jersey to Amend Pay-to-Play Ordinance
Final Vote in December
The Fair Lawn, New Jersey Borough Council passed an amendment to close a loophole in the borough’s pay-to-play ordinance.
The amendment, to receive a final vote in December, removes the “fair and open bidding process” exception to the pay-to-play rule. The exception allows vendors to make political contributions over $300 without being barred from borough contracts.
An additional modification to the ordinance would include limiting political donations to election cycles rather than calendar years.
Map of Bergen County, New Jersey by Arkyan on Wikipedia.
November 28, 2011 •
North Carolina Session Convenes
Session to Adjourn Tuesday
NORTH CAROLINA: A special session of the North Carolina General Assembly convened Sunday evening.
The session is scheduled to adjourn on Tuesday, November 29, 2011.
The session was called to consider bills vetoed by Governor Bev Perdue, revise redistricting plans, and address election law bills.
Photo of the North Carolina State Legislative Building by Jayron32 on Wikipedia.
November 23, 2011 •
Lawsuit Brought against Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission
Suit alleges the commission used funds to promote itself.
The Arizona Republic reports that the group No Taxpayer Money for Politicians has brought a lawsuit against the Citizens Clean Elections Commission in Arizona.
Former state Sen. Jonathan Paton is quoted in the article as saying, “They’re using this [public money] for electioneering purposes and not for educating voters.”
The commission’s Executive Director Todd Lang called the suit a “wrong-headed” attempt to eliminate the agency’s education fund.
For the full story, read the article “Suit: Clean Elections agency misused tax dollars” by Mary Jo Pitzl.
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