Campaign Finance

National: “Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction” by William Rashbaum, Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess, and Jim Rutenberg (New York Times) for MSN

National: “GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter and Wife Indicted on Charges of Misusing Campaign Funds” by John Bresnahan and Rachel Bade for Politico

California: “L.A. Ethics Commission Tables Proposed Ban on Developer Donations” by Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser for Los Angeles Times

Idaho: “Idaho Panel: Implement fines for campaign finance violations” by Kimberlee Kruesi (Associated Press) for Twin Falls Times-News

New Mexico: “Another Year in Prison for Griego” by Dan Boyd for Albuquerque Journal

Washington D.C: “Trayon White Paid Back Constituent Fund for ‘Inappropriate’ Nation of Islam Donation” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Elections

North Carolina: “Court Blocks 2 Amendments From North Carolina Ballot After Governor’s Lawsuit” by Lynn Bonner (Tribune News Service) for Governing

Ethics

National: “Mueller Wins More Than a Conviction in Manafort Case” by Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein for Politico

Kentucky: “Loophole Allows Organizations to Pay for Legislators’ Out-of-State Travel Without Disclosing Amounts” by Joe Sonka for Insider Louisville

The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance has issued an emergency regulation requiring independent expenditure disclosure prior to the primary election on September 4.

“Due to the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 3, the statute would not require independent expenditures made on Aug. 23, 24 and 25 to be disclosed prior to the Sept. 4 primary election. However, independent expenditures made between Aug. 26 and Sept. 2 would be disclosed before the election.”

This emergency regulation will eliminate the gap in disclosure, and now independent expenditures must be disclosed within 24 hours if they are utilized on August 23, 24, or 25.

Campaign Finance

National: Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction by William Rashbaum, Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess, and Jim Rutenberg (New York Times) for MSN

Florida: “After a Florida Democrat Said She’d Take Donations from the Marijuana Industry, Wells Fargo Closed Her Bank Account” by Christopher Ingraham for Washington Post

Elections

National: “New Russian Hacking Targeted Republican Groups, Microsoft Says” by David Sanger and Sheera Frenkel (New York Times) for MSN

Ethics

National: “After Collins Indictment, House Members Seek to Crack Down on Lawmakers’ Board Service” by Mike DeBonis (Washington Post) for Connecticut Post

New York: “Cuomo Signs Bill Banning Use of Paid Intermediaries to Win State Pension Fund Business” by Kenneth Lovett for New York Daily News

West Virginia: “How One West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Gave Natural Gas a Big Victory and Shortchanged Residents” by Ken Ward Jr. for ProPublica

Lobbying

National: “Elizabeth Warren Unveils Plans to Root Out Corruption in Washington, Ensure Federal Government Works for Americans” by Shannon Young for MassLive.com

Canada: “Lobbying Czar Calls for Federal Investment after Decade of Stagnant Funding” by Nicholas Russell for Richland Standard

California: “Female Lobbyist Lodges Complaint That State Sen. Joel Anderson Threatened to Hit Her” by Melanie Mason for Los Angeles Times

Attorney James Bopp, Jr. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Montana’s contribution limits, arguing they are an unconstitutional limit on free speech.

Bopp was an attorney in the well-known Citizens United case, which led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling corporations cannot be prohibited from spending on elections.

Montana’s limits were struck down in 2012 and again in 2015, but the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last October the limits are constitutional.

The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet said if it will take up the case.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed Assembly Bill 3137 into law on August 21, 2018.

The bill bans the use of placement agents by the New York State Common Retirement Fund.

The bill codifies existing policies into law, as the State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli banned the use of placement agents in 2009.

On August 21, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is introducing a 289-page bill with various changes to federal lobbying and ethics laws.

Among the changes included in the “Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act” are an expanded definition of “lobbyist”. The new definition covers individuals employed for compensation making at least one lobbying contact or engaging in lobbying activities that do not include making lobbying contacts. The bill creates the definition of “corporate lobbyist”, which are lobbyists compensated by for-profit entities and 501(c)(6) organizations like chambers of commerce, but does not include other 501(c) entities or political organizations.

Reporting by lobbyists would expanded to include disclosure of specific bills, policies, and governmental actions attempted to be influenced, meetings with public officials and documents provided to those officials.

The bill permanently bans all foreign lobbying by both foreign actors and American lobbyists. American lobbyists would be prohibited from accepting money from foreign governments, foreign individuals, and foreign companies to influence United States public policy.

Other changes include a life-time ban on lobbying by former presidents, vice presidents, cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, and federal judges. All other federal employees would be banned from lobbying their former office, department, agency, or Congress after leaving their position until the end of the Administration, but for no less than two years or at least six years for corporate lobbyists. The bill prohibits companies from immediately hiring senior government officials from an agency or office recently lobbied by that company. The law similarly would prohibit large companies, measured by annual revenue or market capitalization, from hiring former senior government officials for four years after they leave the government.

Additionally, lobbyists would be prohibited from making political contributions to candidates or members of Congress, giving gifts to the executive and legislative branch officials being lobbied, and from working for any contingency fee.

The bill also contains changes to the federal rule-making process, expands the open record laws, creates ethics requirements for the judicial branch, including the Supreme Court, and creates an independent U.S. Office of Public Integrity for enforcement. An additional part of the bill addresses conflict of interest laws for federal office holders and employees, including a ban on stock ownership, while in office or employed, by members of Congress, federal judges, and White House staff and senior agency officials.

Also, the legislation includes the “Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act”, which requires sitting presidents and vice presidents to place conflicted assets into blind trusts to be sold.

Campaign Finance

National: “Tax Cuts Are a Hit with One Pivotal G.O.P. Group: Rich donors” by Jim Tankersely and Michael Tackett (New York Times) for MSN

National: “Contractor Scrutinized for Giving $10K to James Super PAC” by Melissa Nann Burke for Detroit News

National: “Inside a Super PAC That Spends on Everything but Winning” by Brian Slodysko for Associated Press

Ethics

National: “Collins Indictment Spotlights Lawmaker Legal Defense Spending” by Elizabeth Olson for Bloomberg Law

National: “GOP Fundraiser Broidy Under Investigation for Alleged Effort to Sell Government Influence: Sources” by Carol Leonng, Devlin Barrett, Ellen Nakashima, and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) for Chicago Tribune

California: “Developer Whose Wife Sat on Ethics Commission Faces $15,000 Fine Over Political Donations” by Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser for Los Angeles Times

Pennsylvania: “Former Reading Mayor Vaughn Spencer Faces Trial Monday in FBI Case That Snagged Ed Pawlowski” by Peter Hall for Allentown Morning Call

Rep. Dillon Bates resigned today after being accused of manipulating students into sexual relationships while he was a teacher.

After learning of the investigation by the Portland Police Department, Speaker Sara Gideon called for his immediate resignation.

Bates denies the allegations and said he resigned because there are few hours of work left as a legislator this year, and he wants to spend this time clearing his name.

Birmingham, Alabama City Council President Jay Roberson announced he is resigning on September 10.

Roberson’s wife received a promotion at Alabaster City Schools to be a career coach, so the family will be moving to live in the school district.

Due to a lack of funds to hold a special election, Council will make an appointment to fill the remainder of Roberson’s term.

Gov. Ralph Northam signed a proclamation calling Virginia lawmakers into a special session on August 30.

The purpose of the special session is to redraw districts of the House of Delegates.

A U.S. District Court ruled on June 26 that House of Delegates districts were racially gerrymandered to concentrate black voters.

The court ordered new boundaries to be drawn by October 30 for use in next year’s elections.

Indianapolis Councilor Jeff Miller has plead guilty to four felony counts of battery on a person less than 14 years old.

The plea deal triggers Miller’s resignation from the City-County Council.

A special election is not required as the Republican Party will call a caucus and choose Miller’s replacement.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has stated he will call a special election to fill U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter’s term.

Slaughter served as a U.S. Rep. for New York’s 25^th District for over three decades and passed away on March 16, 2018.

The special election will coincide with the general election on November 6, 2018.

Gov. Phil Bryant announced a special session to convene on August 23.

The session will address infrastructure funding for state roads and bridges.

Lawmakers have proposed funding infrastructure projects by diverting internet sales taxes, sports betting revenue, and creating a state lottery.

Campaign Finance

National: Despite Year-of-the-Woman Buzz, Female Candidates Lag Behind Men in Pulling in Campaign Cash by Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Anu Narayanswamy for Washington Post

Alabama: Obscure Names, Big Dollars: How Alabama chain PACs power campaigns & veil donors by Brian Lyman for Montgomery Advertiser

Missouri: Ethics Commission Says Greitens Campaign Broke the Law. Prosecutor Won’t File Charges by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Montana: Montana’s Campaign-Contribution Limits Appealed to U.S. Supreme Court by Mike Dennison for KXLH

Elections

Georgia: Georgia Voting Rights Activists Move to Block a Plan to Close Two-Thirds of Polling Places in a Majority Black County by Vanessa Williams (Washington Post) for Chicago Tribune

Ethics

National: White House Counsel, Don McGahn, Has Cooperated Extensively in Mueller Inquiry by Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman for New York Times

National: Commerce Faces Scrutiny for Investments, Not Selling Certain Holdings by Steven Mufson for Washington Post

Lobbying

New York: A Corrupt Lobbyist’s Influence in the Cuomo Administration Is Revealed in Newly Disclosed Emails by Jesse McKinley for New York Times