A revolving door bill introduced in the U.S. House would hold congressional salaries in escrow unless a fiscal budget is passed this week.

House Bill 1951, The No Ongoing Perks Enrichment Act (NOPE ACT), which would establish a uniform five-year post-employment ban on lobbying by former members of Congress, also requires the salaries of members of a House be held in escrow if the House has not agreed to a concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018 by April 15, 2017.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Tom O’Halleran, additionally eliminates automatic pay adjustments for members of Congress and prohibits the use of funds provided for the official travel expenses of members of Congress and other officers and employees of the legislative branch for first-class airline accommodations. “Congress must act to restore confidence in our government, and that starts by cutting special privileges and promoting transparency,” O’Halleran said in his press release.

Campaign Finance

Connecticut: “Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, A Felon, Says He Deserves Public Funding for Campaign” by Christopher Keating for Hartford Courant

Mississippi: “Bryant Signs Campaign Finance Reform into Law” by Geoff Pender for Jackson Clarion-Ledger

Missouri: “Pay to Play? Missouri Senate Leader Faces Questions About Consumer Protection Bill” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Elections

“Can Democrats Cuss Their Way Back to the White House?” by Alex Roarty for McClatchy DC

“FBI Obtained FISA Warrant to Monitor Trump Adviser Carter Page” by Ellen Nakashima, Devlin Barrett, and Adam Entous for Washington Post

Ethics

“Trump’s Trademark Continues Its March Across the Globe, Raising Eyebrows” by Sharon LaFraniere and Danny Hakim for New York Times

New York: “On Ethics, Cuomo Budget Entered Like a Lion and Emerged Like a Lamb” by Lisa Foderaro for New York Times

Oklahoma: “State Officials Disclosing Fewer Facts Than Ever About Their Personal Finances” by Mollie Bryant for Oklahoma Watchdog

Lobbying

“Foreign Influence in the U.S. Cloaked in Unnecessary Obscurity, Watchdog Groups Say” by Stephanie Akin for Roll Call

Women in Government Relations (WGR) recently completed its Leadership in the 21st Century program, Cohort 7, with leadership coach Paulette Pidcock. The program was billed as “an experiential, transformational leadership development program designed to expand leadership capabilities and to create and nurture personal and business relationships.”

Participating in this program was a great opportunity for me to get out of my comfort zone and really take some time to think about how I view myself, and how others view me as well; particularly as it relates to a business environment.

It really taught me a great deal about myself, my leadership capabilities, and overall just what makes me “tick” in my personal and professional life. I would definitely recommend the program, especially for women who have been working for awhile, but might be wondering “am I truly living up to my full potential?”

Thank you so much to Elizabeth Bartz for encouraging me and allowing me to take this class! I would highly recommend this class because it makes you do some deep digging and sometimes there are some uncomfortable conversations, but in the end you come out on the other side with a greater perspective on everything!

Gamble Hayden (center) pictured with her fellow WGR leadership program classmates

Lobbying

Missouri: “Limit on Lobbyist Gifts Clears Missouri Senate Committee” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Campaign Finance

California: “Anti-Pot Group Faces Campaign Finance Violations from Its Work Opposing Marijuana Legalization in California” by Patrick McGreevy for Los Angeles Times

New York: “Investigations into De Blasio Spurred City Reform, Renewed Calls for State Changes” by Samar Khurshid for Gotham Gazette

Ethics

“Secret A.T.F. Account Paid for $21,000 Nascar Suite and Las Vegas Trip” by Matt Apuzzo for New York Times

Michigan: “Michigan Sen. Bert Johnson Indicted by Grand Jury” by Paul Egan and Kathleen Gray for Detroit Free Press

South Carolina: “New SC Ethics Law Does Not Go Far Enough, Critics Say” by Avery Wilks for The State

Elections

Texas: “Federal Judge Says Texas Voter ID Law Intentionally Discriminates” by Manny Fernandez for New York Times

Legislative Issues

Oklahoma: “LGBTQ Group’s Capitol Visit Prompts Mass Email About ‘Cross-Dressers in the Building’” by Randy Krehbiel for Tulsa World

Procurement

California: “Feds: Well-known Oakland contractors conspired to cheat government” by Malaika Fraley for East Bay Times

The 2017 regular session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned sine die right before midnight on April 10, 2017.

The General Assembly revamped criminal justice policies, but failed to pass long overdue income tax breaks for Maryland residents.

As a result, a potential special session may be required to approve a tax relief plan.

On April 10, 2017, Gov. Robert Bentley resigned as the 53rd governor of Alabama.

The resignation follows the Alabama Ethics Commission finding probable cause he violated state ethics laws.

Kay Ivey was sworn in as the 54th governor of Alabama immediately following Bentley’s resignation. Ivey is the second woman to serve as governor of Alabama.

Campaign Finance

Montana: “Montana Considers Raising Political Campaign Donation Limits” by Matt Volz (Associated Press) for Washington Times

New Mexico: “Governor Vetoes Campaign Finance Reform” by Trip Jennings  for New Mexico In Depth

Ethics

“Who’s Visiting the White House? Watchdog Groups Are Suing to Find Out” By John Wagner for Washington Post

“How Bannon’s Multimedia Machine Drove a Movement and Paid Him Millions” by Shawn Boburg and Robert O’Hara Jr. for Washington Post

Alabama: “Alabama Governor Resigns, Pleads Guilty to Charges Tied to Allegations He Tried to Cover Up Affair with a Top Aide” by Amber Phillips for Washington Post

California: “Los Angeles County D.A.’s Office Sees a Big Drop in the Number of Public Corruption Prosecutions” by Ben Poston and Kim Christensen for Los Angeles Times

Maryland: “In Session Bookended by Corruption, Maryland Lawmakers Re-Write Ethics Laws” by Erin Cox for Baltimore Sun

Nevada: “What Is a Conflict of Interest? Lawsuit against Reno Lawmaker Might Decide” by Seth Richardson for Reno Gazette-Journal

Lobbying

Oregon: “Aiming for Openness, Oregon House Passes Bill to Make Lobbyists Say What They Influence” by Gordon Friedman for Portland Oregonian

South Carolina: “South Carolina Statehouse Corruption Probe Investigating Whether Richard Quinn & Associates’ Campaign Work ‘Bled into’ Lobbying” by Andrew Brown for Charleston Post and Courier

A state ban on political contributions to candidates by businesses was upheld by a Suffolk Superior Court judge last week. Massachusetts campaign finance law prohibits contributions from businesses but allows contributions from labor unions.

Two businesses active in a fiscally conservative advocacy group challenged the law hoping for a change in favor of businesses wishing to contribute, asserting the same political contribution rules should apply to businesses and unions.

The Office of Campaign and Political Finance argued businesses are different from unions and the state is within its rights to regulate each entity differently, maintaining the state’s interest in preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption.

Under the upheld law, individuals can contribute $1,000 per year to candidates and labor unions can contribute up to $15,000.

On April 9, the West Virginia Legislature wrapped up its regular legislative session.

The House and Senate passed a spending plan prior to adjournment; however, the governor is expected to veto the bill and call a special session after further negotiations to finalize a more acceptable budget bill.

The fiscal year begins July 1 and a special session would need to be called prior to that date.

Campaign Finance

“Those Prized Small Donors? They May Not Be as Small as You Think” by Andrew Mayersohn for Center for Responsive Politics

Canada: “Liberals Promise to Begin Holding Fundraisers in Public, Share Details Online” by Laura Stone for The Globe and Mail

Florida: “State Attorney Clears Donald Trump, Pam Bondi on Campaign Donation” by Arek Sarkissian for Naples Daily News

Massachusetts: “Massachusetts Judge Upholds Ban on Corporate Contributions to Politicians” by Shira Schoenberg for MassLive.com

New Jersey: “N.J. Election Watchdog: State needs pay-to-play reform” by Nicholas Pugliese for Bergen Record

Washington D.C.: “Audit Finds D.C. Council Member Cannot Substantiate $100K in Contributions” by Aaron Davis for Washington Post

Ethics

“The U.S. Government Has Withdrawn Its Request Ordering Twitter to Identify a Trump Critic” by Hayley Tsukayama and Craig Timberg for Washington Post

“Kushner Omitted Meeting with Russians on Security Clearance Forms” by Jo Becker and Matthew Rosenberg for New York Times

Alabama: “Alabama Governor Faces Impeachment Hearing in Scandal of Sex and Power” by Alan Blinder for New York Times

Missouri: “After Repeal, Ethics Law Supporters to Push Ballot Amendment” by James Nord (Associated Press) for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Elections

Missouri: “Ferguson Re-Elects White Mayor 2 Years After Mike Brown Incident” by John Eligon for New York Times

Lobbying

New Mexico: “Martinez Vetoes Bill to Close Lobbyist Loophole” by Sandra Fish for New Mexico In Depth

Gov. Hickenlooper recently signed House Bill 17-1051, modernizing the Colorado Procurement Code.

Among other changes, the bill exempts grants from the state bidding requirements and makes the Procurement Code of Ethics and Guidelines applicable to state procurement officials, end users, vendors, contractors, and interested third parties.

If the Legislature adjourns sine die on May 10, 2017, the bill will be effective August 9.

Photo of Gov. Hickenlooper By U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons

Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed ethics and campaign finance bills.

Senate Bill 393 would have required lobbyists to report expenses on lawmakers and other public officials under $100. Martinez stated she supports transparency, but thought the bill was unclear and could have several unintended consequences.

Additionally, Martinez vetoed Senate Bill 96 which would have required disclosure of “dark-money” campaign spending by nonprofit groups. Martinez vetoed the legislation because it may discourage charities from advocating for their causes.

The group Represent South Dakota announced plans to lead efforts for a ballot measure in 2018 to amend South Dakota’s constitution to tighten ethics laws.

The Voter Protection and Anti-Corruption Amendment would ban lobbyist gifts to politicians, lower campaign contribution limits, and restrict the ability of lawmakers to overturn laws passed by voters.

Represent South Dakota has already filed the proposal with the Legislative Research Council and expects to start collecting signatures in June 2017.

The push for the new constitutional amendment comes in response to the recent repeal of Initiated Measure 22. Initiated Measure 22 was the voter approved ethics and campaign finance overhaul that established various lobbying and campaign finance restrictions.