State and Federal Communications, Inc. will host a reception for David Greene, host of NPR’s Morning Edition, on June 18. The reception in honor of the nationally renowned journalist and commentator will take place at the State and Federal Communications offices located at 80 South Summit Street, Suite 100 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Immediately prior to this event, Mr. Greene will address attendees of the Akron Roundtable Luncheon.

Since 2012, Mr. Greene has been host of NPR’s Morning Edition along with Steve Inskeep and Renee Mantagne. Prior to this role he was an invaluable NPR foreign correspondent based in Moscow covering the region from Ukraine and the Baltics, east to Siberia. During President George W. Bush’s second term he served as NPR’s White House correspondent, detailing White House visits across the globe.

Mr. Greene has proven himself to be an extraordinarily talented professional in his field, covering historic events such as the 2008 Presidential election, Hurricane Katrina, and the NATO bombing of Tripoli – just to name a few.  He has received the 2011 Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize from WBUR and Boston University for his coverage of the Arab Spring, and the White House Correspondents Association 2008 Merriman Smith award.

Lobbying

“Did Obama’s Pick to Head Navy Break Lobbying Law?” by Austin Wright and Philip Ewing for Politico

Louisiana: “What Good Do Lobbyist Reporting Laws Do without Enforcement” by the Editorial Board for New Orleans Times-Picayune

Pennsylvania: “Bill to Ban Contingent-Fee Lobbying Advances” by Staff for Chadds Ford Live

Campaign Finance

“How Democratic or Republican Is Your Job? This Tool Tells You.” by Philip Bump for Washington Post

“Shaun McCutcheon Blew Up Campaign-Finance Law and Became a GOP Hero. Then He Set His Sights on Paris Hilton.” by Luke Mullins for Washingtonian Magazine

Alaska: “Alaska Campaign Finance Watchdog Drops Charlo Greene Investigation” by Suzanna Caldwell for Alaska Dispatch News

California: “Ethics Panel Orders S.F. Supervisor to Pay $181,000 Fine” by John Wildermuth for San Francisco Chronicle

California: “Azano Says Finance Law Unconstitutional” by Kristina Davis for San Diego Union Tribune

Ethics

“Hastert Allegations Cast New Light on His Speakership” by Todd Purdum for Politico

“Dennis Hastert Pleads Not Guilty in Chicago Court” by Monica Davey for New York Times

New York: “Schneiderman’s Evolution on Ethics” by David King for Gotham Gazette

Elections

“Pollsters Fret Looming Robocall Restrictions” by Mario Trujillo for The Hill

The New Mexico Legislature ended a one-day special session yesterday, June 8, 2015.

It took lawmakers just four hours to resolve issues with a $295 million public works funding bill.

The next regular session of the legislature is scheduled to convene in January, typically on the third Tuesday of the month.

Photo of the New Mexico State Capitol by Urban on Wikimedia Commons.

Just days after stating he would not step down before the November election, interim Akron Mayor Garry Moneypenny has announced his resignation.

Moneypenny admitted on Friday, June 5, to inappropriately touching a city employee before being sworn in. Upon reflection, he now believes he will not be able to operate effectively for the next seven months and it is not in the citizens’ best interests for him to stay on as interim mayor.

His resignation is effective at midnight on Wednesday, June 10, 2015.

Lobbying

California: “Businesses with Stake in California Politics Utilize Capitol Grounds” by Jeremy White for Sacramento Bee

Campaign Finance

“Two FEC Officials Implore Agency to Curb 2016 Election Abuse” by Fredreka Schouten for USA Today

“Why So Many Women Are Raising Money for Hillary Clinton” by Matea Gold for Washington Post

Delaware: “Bill Would Increase Campaign Donation Limits” by Jonathan Starkey for Wilmington News Journal

Massachusetts: “Baker, State GOP’s Use of Federal Funds Questioned” by Frank Phillips for Boston Globe

New York: “Carl Heastie’s Campaign Spending Blurs Line between Political and Personal” by Russ Buettner for New York Times

Ethics

“Dennis Hastert Rushed to Make Money as Payouts Grew” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

New Jersey: “Ex-Official Says Chris Christie Broke Grand Jury Law” by Kate Zernike for New York Times

Pennsylvania: “Fourth Defendant in Sting Case Pleads Guilty” by Angela Couloumbis and Craig McCoy for Philadelphia Inquirer

Legislative Issues

“Divided Legislatures Produce Gridlock, Not Compromise” by Alan Greenblatt for Governing

Indiana: “House Lawmakers Move to Shield Communications from Public” by The Associated Press for Indianapolis Business Journal

The Iowa Legislature adjourned on Friday, June 5, 2015, after the Senate approved a state budget of $7.3 billion, effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015.

Gov. Terry Branstad now has 30 days to approve or reject the budget.

Photo of the Iowa State Capitol by Carol M. Highsmith on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Susana Martinez has called for a special session to begin today, June 8, 2015.

Lawmakers will reconvene to continue work on a public works package they were unsuccessful in passing during the regular legislative session.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez is hopeful the session will only last one day.

The number of municipalities and regional governments our research associates track continues to grow. We now cover almost 300 municipalities and local governments. This is part of a continuous effort to better serve the needs of our clients.

In that effort, we have recently added abridged jurisdictions to our website. These entries, condensed due to the limited number of relevant local laws, provide the core information our clients need for their government relations work.

The new jurisdictions are:

Fairbanks, Alaska

Roanoke, Virginia

San Luis Obispo County, California

Lobbying

“Senator Would Limit Lobbyist Money That Fueled Liberal Allies” by Carrie Levine and Michael Beckel for Center for Public Integrity

Illinois: “Rauner Tells Agency Heads to Give Lobbyists the Boot” by Rich Miller for Reboot Illinois

Campaign Finance

“Kevin McCarthy’s Flair for Fundraising Fuels His Swift Rise to Power in House” by Noah Bierman and Evan Halper for Los Angeles Times

Arizona: “Secretary of State to Fight Clean Elections over Fine” by Bob Christie (Associated Press) for Arizona Daily Star

California: “Ex-L.A. Council Candidate Fined for Fraudulent Bid for Matching Funds” by Jean Merl for Los Angeles Times

Ethics

California: “Industry Sues Former Mayor, Alleging ‘Extensive Public Corruption’” by Frank Shyong for Los Angeles Times

New York: “A Political Survivor under Investigation” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Oregon: “Ethics Reform: House OKs bill declaring governor’s partner a public official” by Denis Theriault for Portland Oregonian

Texas: “Abbott Wants Lawmakers Willing to ‘Fight for Ethics’” by Dave Montgomery for Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Virginia: “Lawmakers Need a Raise, Governor’s Ethics Panel Says” by Alan Suderman (Associated Press) for Washington Times

Elections

“O’Malley Attacks Big Banks, Political Dynasties in Launching Uphill 2016 Bid” by John Wagner for Washington Post

“Rick Perry, Shrugging Off 2012, Announces He Will Run Again for President” by Manny Fernandez for New York Times

“Lincoln Chafee to Run for President” by David Jackson for USA Today

Gov. Susana Martinez and leaders of the House and Senate have agreed to a special session.

The session will focus on three pieces of legislation, including funding for state highways, senior centers, and higher education.

The governor will officially announce the special session soon, but the expected start date is June 8, 2015.

The first regular session of the 121st South Carolina General Assembly adjourned Thursday, June 4, without reaching an agreement on a budget for the state’s next fiscal year.

The legislature will return to Columbia for a three-day special session starting June 16.

It is also expected to return later in June for a second special session to deal with vetoes and to determine how to use more than $300 million in state surplus funds.

The Alabama Legislature adjourned sine die Thursday, June 4, 2015. However, Gov. Robert Bentley is likely to call a special session because there is no state budget in place for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2015.

The state Senate approved a budget but Bentley termed the Senate’s plan ‘unworkable’ and thus vetoed it. The House overrode the veto, but the Senate had adjourned for the summer before an override vote could be taken.

Just days after being sworn in to office, interim Akron Mayor Garry Moneypenny announced he will not be seeking election this fall after admitting to an inappropriate encounter with a city employee. In his last week as president of City Council, he crossed a professional boundary during a good-bye hug when the employee came to wish him well in his transition to mayor.

In a statement made Friday, June 5, Moneypenny apologized to the citizens of Akron and acknowledged the incident calls into question his character and trustworthiness.

Moneypenny became Akron’s 60th mayor on Sunday, May 31, in the wake of the resignation of long-term mayor Don Plusquellic.