Ethics

“Jeff Sessions Testifies: Refuses to say whether he spoke to Trump about Comey’s handling of Russia investigation” by Sari Horwitz, Devlin Barrett, and Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

“Religious Liberals Sat Out of Politics for 40 Years. Now They Want in the Game.” by Laurie Goodstein for New York Times

“COVFEFE Act Would Make Social Media a Presidential Record” by Joe Uchill for The Hill

Arizona: “Now Under Indictment, Gary Pierce Was Known for Unpopular Decisions as Utility Regulator” by Ryan Randazzo for Arizona Republic

Florida: “No Charges Filed in Mysterious Autism Charity Case” by Monique Madan for Miami Herald

Montana: “Anger Management but No Jail in Gianforte Body-Slam Saga” by Bobby Caina Calvan and Amy Beth Hanson (Associated Press) for KWWL

Oregon: “Oregon Bill Will Set Public Records Deadlines” by Hillary Borrud for Portland Oregonian

Elections

“Russian Cyber Hacks on U.S. Electoral System Far Wider Than Previously Known” by Michael Riley and Jordan Robertson for Bloomberg.com

Legislative Issues

“Senate Republicans Back Off Proposed Restrictions on Media” by Alexander Bolton for The Hill

South Carolina: “Lack of Guidance from South Carolina Lawmakers on Lieutenant Governor’s Role Clouds Start of 2018 Elections” by Maya Prabhu for Charleston Post and Courier

The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission’s electronic filing systems will be offline for system maintenance from June 20, 2017, to June 22, 2017.

During this time, new candidate and noncandidate committees will not be able to register electronically. Existing committees will not be able to enter campaign spending data or electronically file disclosure reports.

Currently registered noncandidate committees will also not be able to import contribution and expenditure data into the NCFS Import System.

Lobbying

“Lobbyists’ Foreign Agent Filing Raises Questions” by John Hudson for BuzzFeed.com

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “What Happens When One of Your Financial Backers Is Indicted?” by Ronald Hansen and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez for Arizona Republic

Florida: “It’s the End for the Miami Beach Mystery PAC – a Political Whodunit” by Nicholas Nehamas and Joey Flechas for Miami Herald

Michigan: “How Bingo Games Led to $500K Fine for Mich. Democratic Party” by Kathleen Gray (Detroit Free Press) for USA Today

New Mexico: “Audit Reveals Questionable Campaign Spending” by Dan Boyd for Albuquerque Journal

Ethics

“Role of Trump’s Personal Lawyer Blurs Public and Private Lines” by Rebecca Ruiz and Sharon LaFraniere for New York Times

“D.C. and Maryland Sue President Trump, Alleging Breach of Constitutional Oath” by Aaron Davis for Washington Post

Idaho: “Idaho Legislature to Re-Examine Ethics, Campaign Finance Laws” by Betsy Russell for Spokane Spokesman-Review

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Ethics Commission Hikes Fee $50 on All Filers” by William Savage III for NonDoc.com

Redistricting

“Supreme Court Could Tackle Partisan Gerrymandering in Watershed Case” by Robert Barnes for Washington Post

The Kansas Legislature adjourned the 2017 regular session on June 10, 2017. The session went 13 days beyond the scheduled 100 days, but lawmakers finally approved a two-year budget.

Lead by a group of moderate Republicans and Democrats, a $1.2 billion tax increase will reverse spending cuts spearheaded by Gov. Sam Brownback in 2012. Many on both sides of the aisle believe these cuts failed to kick-start the state’s economy as promised.

Lawmakers could be called into a special session in July, however, if a funding formula for public schools does not satisfy the state’s supreme court.

On June 8, the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut adjourned for the summer.

Legislation considered by lawmakers this session included amendments to the Legal Profession Act, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the Inuit Language Protection Act.

The Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on September 12 and to adjourn on September 19.

Puerto Ricans went to the polls Sunday to vote on whether Puerto Rico should become America’s 51^st state. Voters chose between remaining a commonwealth, becoming a state, or gaining sovereignty with an official affiliation with the United States.

Critics viewed the election as flawed, arguing the ballot language was skewed to favor the pro-statehood New Progressive Party. Ninety-seven percent of ballots cast were in favor of statehood.

However, on an island averaging roughly 80 percent voter turnout, only 23 percent of registered voters participated in Sunday’s election.

Nevertheless, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló plans to take the referendum results to Washington, D.C. and speak with Congress, the White House, and various agencies regarding admitting Puerto Rico to the union.

James Yates and Marvin Ray Raskin have been appointed to the Joint Commission of Public Ethics (JCOPE).

Yates previously served the state Supreme Court and served as counsel to ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Raskin has served as the president of the Bronx County Bar Association and is a former assistant district attorney.

There are 14 members of JCOPE and each member serves a five-year term.

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission announced the start of a comprehensive review of the lobbying ordinance. The review will focus on lobbyist registration requirements.

The commission is accepting feedback on the current registration requirements prior to June 26, 2017 to help guide the commission’s discussion of proposed changes at the August 15, 2017 meeting.

Comments can be e-mailed to ethics.policy@lacity.org.

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission voted last week to increase registration fees by $50 for all filers, including political action committees, lobbyists, and lobbyist principals.

The fee hike is expected to generate roughly $95,300, enough to cover its appropriation loss and address unmet software cost needs.

The new fee structure will take effect July 1, 2017.

Lobbying

New York: “Uber Reaches $98K Settlement Over Millions in Unreported Lobbying” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Ohio: “Ohio Lobbyists Fail to Report $55,000 in Legislative Gifts for First 4 Months of 2017” by Jane Morice for Cleveland Plain Dealer

Campaign Finance

Florida: “$200K War Chest Isn’t Mine, Beach Commissioner Says. But the Handwriting Is.” by Nicholas Nehamas and Joey Flechas for Miami Herald

Maine: “Attorneys for Maine Casino Referendum Backers Refuse to Accept Ethics Panel’s Subpoenas” by Michael Shepherd (Bangor Daily News) for Lewiston Sun Journal

Wisconsin: “Wisconsin Democrats Join Good-Government Groups in Push for Campaign Finance Reform” by Louis Weisberg for Wisconsin Gazette

Ethics

“GOP Lawmaker Talked Stocks with Colleagues” by Scott Wong for The Hill

Canada: “Trudeau Having Trouble Finding Replacements for Ethics, Lobbying Watchdogs” by Joan Bryden (Canadian Press) for National Post

California: “City Council Backs Boosting Experience for Future Ethics Commission Members” by Debbie Sklar (City News Service) for Times of San Diego

Pennsylvania: “Ex-Pa. Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Lying to the FBI” by Angela Couloumbis for Philadelphia Inquirer

On June 6, the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada, adjourned for the summer.

Legislation passed during the 3^rd Session of the 29^th Legislature include Bill 8, entitled An Act to Strengthen Municipal Government and Bill 11, Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Amendment Act, 2017.

The Legislative Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on October 30, 2017, and to adjourn on December 7, 2017.

On June 8, Quebec’s Commissioner of Lobbying François Casgrain, scheduled to retire this month, urged lawmakers to pass lobbying law reform.

According to the Montreal Gazette, Casgrain, who is leaving the position after eight years due to health reasons, is disappointed with the lack of progress in updating the lobbying laws. Casgrain has pushed for the passage of Bill 56, the Lobbying Transparency Act, which was first introduced in 2015. The legislation would expand the scope of the definition of lobbyists to include shareholders lobbying for an entity as well as directors and officers of a nonprofit. The bill would also expand the types of activity considered to be lobbying and impose stricter penalties and higher fines on violators of the law.

Casgrain will step down as Commissioner of Lobbying on June 30.

Wisconsin State Sen. Chris Larson is introducing eight bills aimed at amending state campaign finance laws.

The bills would restore lower contribution limits, amend the definition of political action committee, require transparency in political communications, limit coordinated campaign expenditures, expand reporting requirements for committees receiving a contribution exceeding $100 from an individual, and prohibit corporations and labor unions from contributing to segregated funds established by political parties or legislative campaign committees.

Larson says the proposed changes reflect common sense and would not drastically overhaul the current campaign finance system.

 Becky Campbell is here to deliver all the government relations and ethics news you can use from around the country in this weeks video digest!