LobbyComply Blog

Campaign Finance

Maine: “State Ethics Board Fines Mills’ Inaugural Committee for Late Fundraising” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

Massachusetts: “A Career Spent Helping People ‘Do Things Right’: State’s campaign finance chief is retiring” by Matt Stout for Boston Globe

Michigan: “Audit Pings State Bureau of Elections on Voter File, Training, Campaign Finance Oversight” by Beth LeBlanc and Craig Maurer for Detroit Free Press

Ethics

National: “Rick Gates Gets 45 Days of Weekend Jail, 3 Years of Probation” by Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein for Politico

National: “Behind the Ukraine Aid Freeze: 84 days of conflict and confusion” by Eric Lipton, Maggie Haberman, and Mark Mazzetti (New York Times) for MSN

Maryland: “Cheryl Glenn, Recently Resigned Democratic State Delegate from Baltimore, Is Charged with Bribery, Wire Fraud” by Pamela Wood and Kevin Rector for Baltimore Sun

New Jersey: “#MeToo Was Supposed to Fix Things. But Women in N.J. Politics Say They’ve Been Groped, Harassed – and Worse.” by Susan Livio and Kelley Heboyer (NJ Advance Media) for Newark Star Ledger

Lobbying

Florida: “A Place for Progressives: People’s Advocacy Center in Tallahassee is made for citizen-lobbyists” by James Call for Tallahassee Democrat

Campaign Finance

National: “Warren Embraced the High-Dollar Fundraiser Circuit for Years – Until Just Before Her Presidential Campaign” by Annie Linskey and Michelle Ye Hee Lee for MSN

Elections

Georgia: “Federal Judge Will Not Reverse Georgia’s Decision to Purge 100,000 Voters” by Hannah Knowles (Washington Post) for Seattle Times

Ethics

Hawaii: “Free Lunch from a Contractor Is Annual Tradition at Honolulu Hale” by Christina Jedra for Hololulu Civil Beat

Illinois: “State Senator Who Wore Wire on Fellow Lawmaker Failed to Report $50,000 Condo Sale Profit, Records Show” by David Heinzman and Jason Meisner for Chicago Tribune

New York: “New York Ethics Agency Votes Down ‘Self-Assessment’ of Its Operations” by Chris Bragg and Brendan Lyons for Albany Times Union

Washington: “G.O.P. Lawmaker Had Visions of a Christian Alternative Government” by Mike Baker (New York Times) for MSN

Lobbying

Illinois: “City Council Approves Ban on Aldermen Lobbying State, Local Governments” by Fran Spielman for Chicago Sun-Times

Massachusetts: “Ex-Speaker Sal DiMasi’s Latest Bid to Be a Lobbyist Is Denied” by Matt Stout for Boston Globe

Gov. Andy Beshear called a special election to fill two open seats in House District 67 and House District 99.

Rep. Rocky Adkins, a Democrat from Sandy Hook resigned to become Beshear’s senior adviser.

Rep. Dennis Keene, a Democrat from Wilder, resigned to become commissioner of the Department of Local Government.

The elections will be held February 25, 2020.

On May 4, 2020, several key changes of British Columbia’s lobbying law come into effect, including changing the name of the Lobbyist Registration Act to the Lobbyist Transparency Act. The legislation making the changes, Bill 54, Lobbyists Registration Amendment Act, 2018, received royal assent on November 27, 2019.

Other coming changes include:

• Reducing the time threshold for requiring in-house lobbyists to register from 100 hours to 50 hours annually
• Adding the requirement for lobbyists to complete a monthly return containing details of actual lobbying activities in the previous month by the 15th of each subsequent month
• Declarations in those returns of what code of conduct the lobbyists has undertaken and where it is available for public viewing

Additionally, a newly enacted prohibition on gifts from lobbyists is included in the bill. However, the prohibition does not apply if the gift is given under the protocol or social obligations normally accompanying the duties of a public office holder and the total value of the gift given, directly or indirectly, is less $100 in a 12-month period.

Beginning in May, the registrar will also have the power to impose a prohibition on lobbying for up to 2 years.

Presently, a new online Lobbyists Registry is in development to replace the current Lobbyists Registry and is scheduled to launch on May 4, 2020.

Also effective on May 4, 2020, the Lobbyists Registration Regulation is repealed and the Lobbyist Transparency Regulation is enacted.

The city of Chicago announced a three-month delay for the effective date of an ordinance expanding the definition of lobbyist.

The expansion would include persons acting on behalf of a nonprofit if they undertake those efforts as a matter of professional engagement, regardless of pay or compensation.

Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305, originally scheduled to be effective January 1, 2020, will provide exceptions to the registration requirements for persons who, either as a member of, or on behalf of, a not-for-profit entity conduct nonpartisan analysis or research, provide technical advice, or examine broad social and economic problems.

The campaign finance overhaul unveiled in New York last month by the Campaign Finance Reform Commission is now law.

This happened automatically when the Legislature missed a December 22 deadline to convene and vote to block or amend the proposal.

The changes include:

• Steep drops in state contribution limits
• Stricter ballot qualification criteria
• The creation of a new regulatory agency called the Public Campaign Finance Board
• Public financing of elections

Many of the new rules become effective at the start of the new year.

However, the public financing will not kick in until 2026.

The 100th Legislature adjourned sine die at noon on December 19 after more than 100 legislative days in session.

During the session, lawmakers voted to pass a bill to revise the rules on the governor transferring funds appropriated by the legislature to a different purpose than the one originally specified.

The legislature also voted to pass a bill to exempt equipment owned by a data center business from local special assessment levies, and some school property tax levies.

Per the state constitution, any business, bill, or joint resolution pending at the final adjournment of a regular session held in an odd-numbered year will carry over with the same status to the next regular session.

The 2020 session is scheduled to begin on January 8, 2020.

The Utah Legislature approved a sweeping tax-change bill during the one-day special session on December 12.

The bill cuts state income taxes and hikes the sales tax on food, gas, and a list of other services.

The tax bill did not reach a two-thirds majority in either the House or Senate, subjecting it to challenge by a citizen referendum on December 16.

In order to qualify, the referendum must collect more than 115,869 validated signatures across the state by January 21.

Lawmakers also passed a bill to fund behavioral health services, moving $3.9 million from unused appropriations to provide health treatment.

The behavioral health bill passed with no opposition.

Co-chairs Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. and Rep. Greg Harris called the first hearing of the new Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform.

The hearing will take place Monday, December 23 at 10 a.m. in Room 16-503 of the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago.

The hearing will include a discussion about the commission’s framework of rules, protocols, and future meetings.

The commission was established to review and make recommendations for changes to the State Official and Employees Ethics Act, the Lobbyist Registration Act, the Public Officers Prohibited Activities Act, and Article 50 of the Illinois Procurement Code.

Chicago City Council voted to pass a lobbying ordinance on December 18.

The ordinance prohibits city elected officials and employees from lobbying state or local government on behalf of private clients.

Ordinance 2019-8541 also precludes elected officials anywhere in Illinois from lobbying on behalf of private clients in Chicago.

In both circumstances, the ordinance carves out an exception for elected officials who are attorneys providing legal representation in certain administrative or legislative actions.

Ordinance 2019-8541 will become effective 90 days after passage and publication.

State Rep. Kristine Reeves, a Federal Way Democrat, resigned from the Legislature Monday.

Reeves, who represented the 30th Legislative District, implied she may run for the U.S. Congress next year.

There will not be a special election to fill the vacancy. Instead, the state Democrat party will call a meeting of the 30th District Precinct Committee officers to choose three candidates.

King and Pierce county council members will then host a joint meeting to choose Reeves’ successor.

Special elections for the 32nd Middlesex House District and Plymouth and Barnstable Senate District have been scheduled by their respective legislative bodies.

Both seats were vacated when their officeholders left for executive positions.

Rep. Paul Brodeur, a Democrat, resigned after winning the Melrose mayoral election.

Sen. Vinny DeMacedo, Republican from Plymouth, stepped down to become director of regional partnerships at Bridgewater State University.

The 32nd Middlesex primary election will be held on February 4, and a general election will be held on March 3.

The Plymouth and Barnstable primary election will be held on March 3, and a general election will be held on March 31.

House Speaker Mike Turzai announced a special election for House District 190.

The seat became vacant when Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, a Philadelphia Democrat, resigned.

Johnson-Harrell was indicted for allegedly embezzling over a half million dollars from her charity, Motivations Education and Consultation Associates (MECA).

The special election will be held on February 25.

Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea has announced special election dates for Rhode Island House District 56.

The seat became vacant when Rep. Shelby Maldonado, a Providence Democrat, resigned to be Hispanic Outreach Director for the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Assuming more than one candidate from either major party qualifies for the ballot, the special primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 4.

The general election will be held on Tuesday, March 3.