Compliance Now

E-News from State and Federal Communications, Inc.
August 2019

Myra Cottrill—Thank You

I have been in denial. Myra Cottrill, who has been at State and Federal Communications for 11 years, left to open Cottrill Law and assist a retiring attorney with his family practice.

We will all miss Myra. She joined State and Federal as a Research Associate and quickly moved to Compliance as an associate. She developed a great relationship with our clients needing assistance with procurement lobbying and pay-to-play laws, and provided education seminars to sales associates who needed to know to keep the company protected. She was promoted to client specialist and devoted almost half her career here keeping our clients aware of the procurement issues that affect so many companies.

Last month, she came in to speak with me about starting her own firm—just as her husband did—and knew an attorney retiring and looking for someone to take over the firm. She felt it was time to take this risk and opportunity.

There is a lot to being self-employed and building a business. I admire Myra for knowing she wanted to make a change in the community and taking the plunge to start a firm. She will always have a home at State and Federal Communications, and she will be back in October for a photo we are taking of the graduates of State Government Relations Professional Lobbying Certificate. Plus, her office is in downtown Akron, and there is always a lot going on in town.

All the best, Myra. You will rock this opportunity.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Quebec Amends Lobbying Transparency
and Ethics Act

George Ticoras, Esq.
Research Associate

A bill amending Quebec’s Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Act was assented to on June 19. Bill 6 requires verification of return information, modifies penalty provisions, and transfers to the lobbyists commissioner in 2021 the responsibility for maintaining the lobbyist registry.

Parts of the bill came into force on June 19, including a requirement that current registered consultant lobbyists and, in the case of an enterprise lobbyist or organization lobbyist, the senior officer of the enterprise or group, make sure the information contained in the returns and notices filed by him or her is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. He or she must verify and, if necessary, complete or amend the registry information by August 18. The new legislation allows the lobbyists commissioner to extend the August 18 deadline if more time is needed for the lobbyist or senior officer to complete or amend the information or for other reasons the commissioner believes appropriate.

Also coming into force on June 19 is a three-year statute of limitations for the prosecution of lobbying violations, starting from the time a prosecutor becomes aware of a violation. A prosecution would be prohibited if the offense occurred more than seven years earlier. The bill specifies the statute of limitations does not apply to circumstances where an individual is hindering the work of the lobbyists commissioner or of a person authorized by the commissioner conducting an inquiry.

On December 19, 2021, the bill also amends the province’s lobbying law by transferring responsibility for keeping the registry of lobbyists to the lobbyists commissioner. Currently, paperwork filed by lobbyists is processed with the Ministry of Justice. The information currently contained in the registry of lobbyists will be kept by the Register of Personal and Movable Real Rights until June 19, 2020, or for a longer period if the Government of Quebec determines it necessary.

[The details for this article have been updated on our website in the Registration, Reports Required, and Penalties and Remedies sections of the Canadian Lobbying and Procurement Lobbying Compliance Laws for Quebec.]

Summary of Changes UPDATE
Note Recent Changes to Compliance Regulations

Michael Beckett, Esq.,
Research Manager

ARIZONA: State utility regulators at the Arizona Corporation Commission approved a new code of ethics prohibiting commissioners from ruling on issues involving interested parties that have given them direct campaign donations. Only commissioners that publicly finance their campaigns may make rulings on issues regarding interested parties with employees or owners that gave them personal donations.

MAINE: Gov. Janet Mills held legislation limiting the influence of lobbyists by expanding the prohibition on accepting political contributions. Current law prohibits a lobbyist, lobbyist associate, or employer from contributing to the governor, members of the Legislature, constitutional officers, or their staff or agents while the Legislature is convened in session. Legislative Document 54 extends application of that prohibition year-round, regardless of whether the Legislature is in session. Mills is expected to act on the bill at the beginning of the next session.

MISSOURI: Gov. Mike Parson signed procurement legislation bringing changes to the state’s bid solicitation process. House Bill 1088 requires solicitations and subsequent purchases to be publicly advertised only if a contract is worth more than $100,000. The previous threshold was $25,000. The threshold for competitive bid procedures is also increasing from $3,000 to purchases in excess of $10,000. Information technology purchases estimated not to exceed $150,000 may be completed under an informal process, doubling the previous threshold of $75,000. The bill becomes effective on August 28, 2019.

NEW YORK: The New York State Joint Commission of Public Ethics (JCOPE) announced an extension for the submission of bimonthly reports for the May to June reporting period until July 31. JCOPE extended the deadline due to ongoing technical difficulties with the online Lobbying Application. This extension corresponds with the previously announced extension for client semiannual reports and source of funding disclosures. The commission is working to fix the issues and further updates will be announced on the JCOPE website.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Voters will have a chance in November to increase the restrictions on political contributions in the latest campaign finance proposal aimed at pay-to-play. The Sunlight on Dark Money ballot initiative requires greater disclosure of who is behind campaign advertisements paid for by PACs. The measure requires the top three largest donors of the committee paying for the advertisement to disclose the name and amount contributed to the committee. If any of the three belong to another committee, they must disclose the top two donors of that committee as well. The measure would also prohibit top executives in development companies from contributing to candidates or current officeholders of the Board of Supervisors, mayor, and city attorney while a project they have financial interest in is pending approval or for 12 months after the city makes a final decision on the project. The measure will also close a loophole allowing LLCs and LLPs to contribute to candidates despite an existing ban on those donations from corporations. If passed, the measure would take effect 10 days after the election results are certified.

Legislation We Are Tracking

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications' digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly email updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

	Total bills	Number of Jurisdictions	Passed	Died	Carried over to 2020
Lobbying Laws	297	50	49	83	73
Political Contributions	559	56	80	167	145
Procurement Lobbying	325	48	46	89	70

Our website features extensive coverage of individual jurisdictions while also providing quick access to common information many of our subscribers want to know. These Quick Reference Charts can be found by clicking on the three bars on the right-hand side of the red publication bars you use to choose the publication you wish to view. Clicking on the buttons will bring up the list of Quick Reference Charts specific to that publication. Here, you can view answers to a specific question in available jurisdictions all on a single page.

ASK THE EXPERTS

State and Federal Communications’ Experts
Answer Your Questions

Here is your chance to “Ask the Experts” at State and Federal Communications, Inc. Send your questions to experts@stateandfed.com. (Of course, we have always been available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or email us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies are not legal advice, just our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

The company I work for is organized as an LLC and would like to make political contributions to New York state candidates. What should I know about the recent changes in the law?

Beginning January 31, 2019, new laws govern how much limited liability companies (LLCs) may contribute to political candidates and certain committees in New York State.

LLCs are now limited to an aggregate $5,000 annual contribution limit to all candidates and committees, with the exception of housekeeping, independent expenditure, and ballot proposition committees...

Read the full article here

Nola R. Werren, Compliance Specialist

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State and Federal Communications, Inc.
Scrapbook - August 2019


Celebrating their 10th Anniversary - Rebecca South [standing left] and Ken Kelewae [seated right] with Joe May [standing right] and Sue Kelewae [seated left].	US Conference of Mayors Luau, Honolulu, HI with John Chames, Jean Cantrell, and Elizabeth Bartz.

Staff Anniversaries

Recently we celebrated several anniversaries of our staff. Each staff member is integral to the success of
State and Federal Communications, Inc. Photographed with Elizabeth Bartz are the following:
Becky Campbell [8 years], Amber Fish Linke [14 years], Carlo Aguja [1 year], Nola Werren [22 years], and Adrienne Borgstahl [3 years]. Not photographed: Nicolette Koozer [18 years]

2019 Intern Update

Interns assisted in preparations for our team
attending the 2019 NCSL Legislative Summit held
in Nashville in August.

Interns displayed the number of meals State and Federal Communications contributed to the
Harvest for Hunger Program.

It's that time of year where the interns are making plans on moving back to school.
Every once in a while we get to hire former interns into positions at State and Federal Communications, Inc. This fall our sixth former intern will become a permanent
member of our staff.

Plan to say hello at future events where State and Federal Communications, Inc.
will be attending and/or speaking regarding compliance issues.

August 4, 2019	NCSL Executive Committee Summit, Nashville, TN
August 5-8, 2019	NCSL Legislative Summit, Nashville, TN
August 15, 2019	Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH
August 15, 2019	United Way of Summit County - Knight Breakfast, Akron, OH
August 29, 2019	Akron Press Club - State of the County, Akron, OH

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The Mission of State and Federal Communications is to make sure that your organization can say, "I Comply."

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