The Wyoming Legislature adjourned sine die in the early hours of February 28.

The House spent the final day of its 2019 legislative session overriding four of Gov. Mark Gordon’s 14 vetoes, but the Senate decided to only override two of those four.

Earlier this month, Gov. Gordon signed Senate File 18 into law, which requires any candidate, political action committee, and candidate’s campaign committee to file an itemized statement of contributions and expenditures at least seven days but not more than 14 days before an election.

A proposed House bill relating to campaign reports is progressing through the Legislature, passing its third reading and arriving in the Senate.

House Bill 165 would require candidates who do not intend to receive or spend more than $1,000 in an election period to notify the Campaign Spending Commission of this intention by June 30 of an election year.

The bill further provides that noncandidate committees that do not receive or spend more than $1,000 in an election period must notify the commission of this intention by the fifth day before the due date of the preliminary report.

The proposed bill would take effect upon its approval.

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Regulators Now Have the Votes to Subpoena Utility’s Political Spending Records” by Howard Fischer (Arizona Daily Star) for Arizona Daily Star

Texas: “Most Dallas City Council Members’ Campaign-Finance Reports Show Violations – But No One Enforces Rules” by Corbett Smith for Dallas News

West Virginia: “W.Va. Senate Passes Bill to Change to Campaign Finance Law, Opponents Say It Lacks Transparency” by David Mistich for West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Elections

Illinois: “Chicago Poised to Elect first African-American Female Mayor After Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle Advance” by Bill Ruthhart for Chicago Tribune

North Carolina: “Bladen County Operative at Center of NC Election Fraud Investigation Indicted, Arrested” by Ely Portillo and Jim Morrill for Raleigh News and Observer

Ethics

National: “House Democrats Forge Ahead on Electoral Reform Bill” by Zach Montellaro for Politico

Pennsylvania: “Pa. Audit Says Officials Took Freebies from Voting Machine Firms” by Liz Navratil and Angela Couloumbis for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lobbying

New Hampshire: “NH Lobbyists Paid Record Fees in 2018 But Info Hard to Track” by Kevin Landrigan for Manchester Union Leader

Illinois introduced legislation to create a small donor campaign contribution matching fund for candidates for certain offices, including governor, State Treasurer, and Secretary of State.

House Bill 3712 introduced by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy would require the General Assembly to appropriate no more than $50 million to the small donor matching fund in any election cycle.

The bill also establishes penalties for violations by participating candidates in the form of a fine in an amount equal to twice the value of the funding unlawfully accepted or spent.

If passed, the bill would become effective immediately.

On February 26, legislation aimed at reforming U.S. campaign finance, lobbying, and ethic laws advanced in committee. The House Administration Committee approved of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, by a party-line vote of six to three.

In the sweeping 571-page bill, corporate PACs would be required to make certifications annually with the Federal Election Commission. Those certifications would include affirming under penalty of law no foreign national participated in any way in the decision-making processes of the PAC; corporate board members who are foreign nationals abstained from voting on matters concerning the corporation’s PAC; and the PAC did not solicit or accept recommendations from any foreign national.

The legislation expands the definition of foreign national to include any corporation, limited liability corporation, or partnership that is not a foreign national but is owned or indirectly controlled by foreign nationals meeting statutory thresholds of ownership or voting. The threshold is five percent of voting shares if the foreign national is a foreign country, a foreign government official, or a corporation principally owned or controlled by a foreign country or foreign government official. The threshold is 20 percent if the foreign national is any other type of foreign national. Corporations not considered foreign nationals would fall under the definition when a foreign national has the power to direct, dictate, or control the decision-making process of the corporation with respect to its interests in the United States or with respect to activities in connection with federal, state, or local elections.

Additionally, the bill restructures the Federal Election Commission, amends the federal conflict of interest law, and expands the revolving door provision by prohibiting Members of Congress from serving on corporate boards. Introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes, the bill requires any organization involved in political activity to disclose its largest donors, creates a multiple matching system for small donations for political campaigns, and amends rules governing super PACs.

If passed, the bill also requires presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns, prohibits partisan gerrymandering, increases oversight over election vendors, creates an automatic voter registration across the country, and changes registration requirements for lobbyists and foreign agents.

Campaign Finance

Idaho: “Sunshine Bill on Electioneering Stalls in Committee, Amid Nonprofits’ Concerns Over ‘Donor Privacy’” by Savannah Cardon for Idaho Press

Rhode Island: “Ex-GOP Candidate for Congress in R.I. Charged in Fraud” by Patrick Anderson for Providence Journal

Elections

National: “U.S. Cyber Command Operation Disrupted Internet Access of Russian Troll Factory on Day of 2018 Midterms” by Ellen Nakashima (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

Maryland: “Md. Lawmaker Apologizes for Allegedly Using N-Word with Her Colleagues” by Ovetta Wiggins for Washington Post

Legislative Issues

California: “California Lawmakers and Lobbyists Hustle to Write Hundreds of Bills, Many Not Fully Cooked” by John Myers (Los Angeles Times) for San Diego Union Tribune

Lobbying

Kentucky: “Kentucky Senate OKs Bill to Reveal Executive Branch Lobbying” by The Associated Press for Miami Herald

Michigan: “Lobbyist Spending Topped the Charts in Michigan Last Year, Reports Show” by Carol Thompson for Lansing State Journal

State & Federal Communications was a proud platinum sponsor of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s annual Harvest for Hunger Campaign Kick-off Breakfast at the John S. Knight Center on February 26.

Harvest for Hunger, the Foodbank’s largest fundraising campaign, helps support food distribution across 21 counties in Northeast Ohio.

President & CEO Dan Flowers of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank said the organization’s 2019 goal is to provide more than 5.3 million meals to neighbors in need.

Campaign Finance

Pennsylvania: “How Philly’s Electricians Union and Johnny Doc Converted Payroll Deductions into Political Influence” by Chris Brennan and Dylan Purcell for Philadelphia Inquirer

Elections

National: “Russian Spy or Hustling Political Operative? The Enigmatic Figure at the Heart of Mueller’s Inquiry” by Kenneth Vogel and Andrew Kramer (New York Times) for MSN

Ethics

Arkansas: “Arkansas Grapples with Ethics Cleanup Amid Federal Probes” by Andrew DeMillo (Associated Press) for 4029tv

Ohio: “Even After FBI Probe of Ohio Speaker, Tracking Lawmakers’ Travel Remains Challenging” by Jessie Balmert for Cincinnati Enquirer

Legislative Issues

Illinois: “At Chicago City Hall, the Legislative Branch Rarely Does Much Legislating” by Mick Dumke for ProPublica

Oregon: “2 Oregon Lawmakers Demoted for Rude Behavior” by Sarah Zimmerman (Associated Press) for Portland Oregonian

Lobbying

California: “The Political Playbook of a Bankrupt California Utility” by Thomas Fuller and Ivan Penn (New York Times) for MSN

Louisiana: “Louisiana Cap on Legislative Wining and Dining Grows to $62” by The Associated Press for Tacoma News Tribune

New Mexico State Reps. Joy Garratt and Elizabeth Thomson introduced House Bill 551 earlier this month.

If passed, the bill would require lobbyists to participate in a sexual harassment training lasting at least four hours.

The program must be sponsored by the secretary of state, an employer of the lobbyist and conducted by a person qualified to conduct the training, or by a certified human resources professional.

On October 21, 2019, the fixed date for federal elections, the election for the now-vacant seat in the House of Commons representing Kings-Hants (Nova Scotia) will be held.

Because this vacancy occurred less than nine months before October’s fixed-date general election, no by-election will be held.

On February 20, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Kings–Hants (Nova Scotia) became vacant following the resignation of Scott A. Brison, who left office on February 10 to take a position working for the Bank of Montreal.

The Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, released new campaign contribution limits adjusted for inflation each odd-numbered year.

The changes include an increase in the amount PACs and individuals may contribute to statewide candidates from $12,707.79 to $13,292.35 per election period.

The new limits are effective today, February 25, 2019, through February 24, 2021.

New Gift Laws, Campaign Finance, Elections and Ethics; four stories from around the country you don’t want to miss!

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die on February 24.

During the 47-day session, lawmakers failed to pass bills creating campaign contribution limits for candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, or state legislators.

A gift notification is due three weeks after the adjournment of the regular legislative session and will be due March 17.

Campaign Finance

New Jersey: “NJ Senate Approves Legislation Requiring ‘Dark Money’ Groups to Reveal Donors” by David Levinsky for Burlington County Times

Oregon: “Polluted by Money” by Rob Davis for Portland Oregonian

Elections

North Carolina: “After Harris Admissions, a New Election in 9th District” by Travis Fain for WRAL

Ethics

National: “Judge Broadens Gag Order Against Roger Stone After Instagram Post” by Darren Samuelsohn, Josh Gerstein, and Matthew Choi for Politico

Florida: “The SWAT Team Showed Up at a Florida Mayor’s Door. Then He Started Shooting, Police Say.” by Reis Thebault and Eli Rosenberg for Washington Post

Tennessee: “Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Regrets Wearing Confederate Uniform in College” by Jonathan Matisse and Scott Stroud for AP News

Lobbying

Canada: “Ontario Lobbyists Fear Loss of Access Unless They Sell Ford Fundraiser Tickets” by Jill Mahoney and Adam Radwanski for The Globe and Mail

Nevada: “Law Would Alter Nevada Financial Disclosure, Lobbyist Rules” by Bill Dentzer for Las Vegas Review-Journal