State and Federal Communications is excited to be a sponsor of the Women In Government 18th Annual Western Regional Conference on May 14-16, 2015, in Denver, Colorado.

Take a look at the amazing agenda here.

Missouri House Speaker John Diehl is resigning from the state Legislature; his resignation is effective today. Diehl is stepping down and acknowledging a serious error in judgment after exchanging sexually suggestive text messages with a college student serving as a Capitol intern. He admits the mistake calls into question his ability to lead.

Republican House members met Thursday night and chose House Majority Leader Todd Richardson to succeed Diehl as Speaker. Richardson is expected to be elected by the full House Friday morning.

National:

Amid Gridlock in D.C., Influence Industry Expands Rapidly in the States
Washington Post – Reid Wilson | Published: 5/11/2015

A Washington Post review shows lobbyists reported spending at least $2.2 billion on activity aimed at influencing legislators in 28 states where data was available during the 2013-2014 biennium, with virtually every state seeing dramatic growth over the last decade. At the same time, total spending on federal lobbying activities has fallen. Watchdog groups say state ethics laws have not kept up to date with the explosion in new spending. While most states make lobbying activity reports available online, some do not, and even some that do are not listed by subject area or sponsor. For practical purposes, that means citizens in many states would not be able to find just who is lobbying in support of or opposition to any given measure without combing through thousands of records.

The Great Democratic Crack-Up of 2016
New York Times – Robert Draper | Published: 5/12/2015

In many states, progressive groups have moved to promote what they hope will be populist candidates in the Elizabeth Warren mold while weeding out those judged to be ideologically tepid. Progressives believe Democrats lost their way by obsessing over what President Bill Clinton once termed “the vital center.” That fixation, they say, has rendered the party brand incomprehensible and raised the question as to what exactly Democrats stand for. Moderates believe the only remedy is for Democrats to refashion themselves as pragmatists who care more about achieving results than ideological purity. Observers say the problem is that neither wing can muster an entirely airtight case that theirs is the road map to electoral success.

Federal:

10 Members of Congress Took Trip Secretly Funded by Foreign Government
Washington Post – Scott Higham, Steven Rich, and Alice Crites | Published: 5/13/2015

Ten members of Congress and their aides accepted gifts and airfare to Azerbaijan that were secretly paid for by that country’s state-owned oil company, according to a report from the Office of Congressional Ethics given to The Washington Post. Expenses totaled more than $125,000, including airfare. The lawmakers were lavished with gifts ranging from crystal tea sets, silk scarves, and Azerbaijani rugs that were valued at between $2,500 and $10,000 each. The funding for the airfare and gifts was hidden through Texas-based nonprofits, which filed false statements saying they were paying for the trip.

Jeb Bush Leans on Nonprofit Group as He Prepares Likely Presidential Run
Washington Post – Ed O’Keefe and Matea Gold | Published: 5/12/2015

At least four people with expertise on energy issues, foreign affairs, and communications are working with Right to Rise Policy Solutions, a nonprofit advocacy group allied with Jeb Bush that can accept secret, unlimited donations from individuals and corporations. Bush’s reliance on the non­profit as he prepares for a likely presidential bid puts him on untested legal ground, cloaking who is paying the salaries of his expected advisers. But a polarized FEC is unlikely to scrutinize the maneuver.

The New Office Politics: Funding boss’s political causes
The Times Record – Michelle Conlin and Lucas Iberico Lozada (Reuters) | Published: 5/11/2015

Employers are increasingly approaching workers to fundraise, lobby, and campaign in ways they never have before, according to a Reuters analysis of FEC filings and data compiled by the Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC). For years it was unions and trade associations that were the politically powerful workplace players, operating PACs. But since the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed for unlimited political spending by corporations, the number of companies engaged in this sort of activity – be it nudging employees to write letters, donate, campaign, or vote – has risen 45 percent to 7,317, according to BIPAC’s internal research.

From the States and Municipalities:

Indiana – Lawmakers Flock to Downtown Gambling Parlor for Fundraisers
Indianapolis Star – Tony Cook | Published: 5/13/2015

The Winner’s Circle in Indianapolis, an off-track betting facility, has hosted more than 30 fundraisers over the past two years for state lawmakers, helping them to rake in several thousand dollars over the course of a single afternoon. But the practice is raising questions about whether the events comply with a state ban on campaign contributions from casinos. Questions about the fundraisers are particularly relevant because the owner of the Winner’s Circle, Centaur Gaming, has lobbied intensely at the Capitol during the past two years for permission to have card games with live dealers at its two horse-track casinos in the state.

Louisiana – Lobbyists Spent $3 Million on Louisiana Officials, but Seldom Named Them
New Orleans Times-Picayune – Lee Zurik (WVUE) and Ben Myers | Published: 5/13/2015

Registered lobbyists in Louisiana reported a total of $2.9 million in expenditures between 2009 and 2014, which included nearly 30,000 disclosures. Almost 80 percent of expenses reported did not name which public official benefited, according to a review by The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Lobbyists are required to file monthly reports listing how much they spend on individuals, but they are free to pay for receptions and other group gatherings without disclosing the names of officials who attend. In some cases, those tabs were in the tens of thousands of dollars. The administrator for the Louisiana Board of Ethics, Kathleen Allen, said state laws do not provide a way to randomly audit the disclosures.

Massachusetts – Brian Joyce Thrives at the Edge of a Fuzzy Boundary
Boston Globe – Andrea Estes | Published: 5/3/2015

A review by The Boston Globe shows Brian Joyce, the assistant majority leader in the Massachusetts Senate, has frequently blurred the lines between his public duties and his private business. While other lawyer-legislators take pains to separate their two jobs, Joyce seems to freely mix the two. He aggressively seeks legal work from cities and towns that rely on the Legislature for funding, and he rarely discloses clients to the state Ethics Commission, which is required if a lawmaker sees potential for conflicts-of-interest in his votes.

Missouri – Free Food Fills Missouri Capitol’s Hallways as Ethics Bill Dies
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Virginia Young | Published: 5/13/2015

Missouri imposes no limits on lobbyist-provided meals or gifts, and that appears unlikely to change when the legislative session ends on May 15. An ethics bill has languished in a conference committee since early April. The sticking point is whether to impose a $25 cap on individual meals, tickets, and trips that legislators receive from lobbyists. The bill’s sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard, opposes the cap, saying it could be easily circumvented. The committee appointed to iron out the differences has never met, though negotiators have traded drafts. They say they have resolved all issues in the bill except the gift limit.

Missouri – Missouri House Speaker John Diehl Admits Sexually Charged Relationship with Intern
Kansas City Star – Jason Hancock | Published: 5/13/2015

Missouri House Speaker John Diehl exchanged sexually charged text messages with a freshman college intern. He is married with three sons. Richard Miller, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Missouri Southern State University, said the school pulled its four interns out of the Capitol this spring after an unspecified incident.

Missouri – Republican Legislator Faces Ethics Complaint over Comments to Reporter about Gifts
PoliticMo – Eli Yokley | Published: 5/12/2015

An ethics complaint has been filed against Missouri Rep. Craig Redmon, who says he has helped other lawmakers hide lobbyist gifts from required public reporting. Redmon said he sometimes has told people to put under his name expenses that actually were made for others. He says that shields other legislators, particularly those concerned with reporting any lobbyist gifts. Progress Missouri said that practice would be deceptive and wrong. It is unclear whether lobbyists actually have reported expenses made on behalf of other lawmakers as if they were for Redmon.

New York – Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader, Vacates Post
New York Times – Thomas Kaplan and Susanne Craig | Published: 5/11/2015

Dean Skelos resigned his leadership post in the New York Senate after his arrest on federal corruption charges and was quickly replaced by Sen. John Flanagan. Skelos, who intends to keep his legislative seat, became the latest leader to lose his grip on power in a state government marred by corruption. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stepped down from his leadership position early this year. Skelos is fighting charges he used his position to extort payments for his son, who is also charged in the case. Both men say they are innocent.

New York – Scarborough Pleads Guilty Twice
Albany Times Union – Brendan Lyons | Published: 5/7/2015

New York Assemblyperson William Scarborough pleaded guilty to federal theft and fraud charges, admitting he submitted at least $40,000 in false expense vouchers for days he did not actually travel to Albany. In state court, Scarborough later pleaded guilty to grand larceny, admitting he took $38,000 in unauthorized cash withdrawals from his campaign fund for personal use. The felony convictions automatically remove Scarborough from the Assembly.

Rhode Island – State of R.I. Drops 38 Studios Lobbying Cases
Providence Journal – Jennifer Bogdan | Published: 5/13/2015

Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea is dismissing cases against three people accused of lobbying violations in the 38 Studios deal, including ex-Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. Former 38 Studios Director Thomas Zaccagnino and attorney Michael Corso had been ordered to file retroactive reports or face a fine. Corrente says both orders would likely be overturned in court because of procedural deficiencies in existing lobbying statutes. In the wake of the dismissal, Gorbea has proposed a new lobbying reform bill.

Virginia – Lobbyists Take Changes to Gifts Law in Stride
The Virginian-Pilot – Patrick Wilson | Published: 5/11/2015

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed a new law in April that caps gifts to public officials, including travel or meals, at $100. It also forbids officials from accepting more than $100 in a calendar year from any one lobbyist or company, although gifts valued at less than $20 do not count toward the limit. Getting comfortable with the new law will be an “evolving process” for many lobbyists, said Whitt Clement, a former delegate and state transportation secretary who lobbies for the firm Hunton & Williams.

State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 60 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.

New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has resigned following his arrest on federal corruption charges. John J. Flanagan was formally elected to succeed Skelos on May 11, 2015.

Skelos’ resignation comes just weeks after the resignation of Sheldon Silver, former Speaker of the Assembly, following Silver’s arrest on similar charges. Skelos will keep his seat in the Senate even as his prosecution is ongoing.

Lobbying

Missouri: “Free Food Fills Missouri Capitol’s Hallways as Ethics Bill Dies” by Virginia Young for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Missouri: “Republican Legislator Faces Ethics Complaint over Comments to Reporter about Gifts” by Eli Yokley for PoliticMo

New York: “Group Supporting de Blasio’s Agenda Is Said to Draw Interest of Ethics Panel” by Michael Grynbaum and William Rashbaum for New York Times

Campaign Finance

“Obama Foundation Walks Fine Line in Efforts to Raise $500 Million” by Josh Gerstein for Politico

New York: “NY Assembly Votes for Closing Campaign Finance Loophole” by Michael Virtanen (Associated Press) for Bradenton Herald

Rhode Island: “Providence Rep. Almeida Admits to Personal Use of Campaign Funds” by Katie Mulvaney for Providence Journal

Ethics

“Former Energy Department Official Wins Huge Pay Raise after Moving to Firm with Deep Ties to DOE” by Douglas Birch and Alexander Cohen for Center for Public Integrity

“10 Members of Congress Took Trip Secretly Funded by Foreign Government” by Scott Higham, Steven Rich, and Alice Crites for Washington Post

South Carolina: “South Carolina May Get Small Ethics Reform Package This Year” by Jeffrey Collins (Associated Press) for Washington Times

Texas: “Powerful Republican Slams ‘Superficial’ Ethics Reform” by Jay Root for Texas Tribune

Sherill Huff, Elections Director for King County, Washington, announced she will not seek re-election after six years in office.

Huff cited personal and health reasons for the decision.

The elections director position will appear on the November 3, 2015 general election ballot.

City Council President Darrell Clarke introduced a measure to increase the transparency of money donated to city elections. With the mayoral race hitting its stride, independent expenditure PACs are making their presence known, donating millions to support their candidate of choice.

The bill, while unable to limit these contributions, seeks to increase disclosure of the source of PAC funds by moving the first report from 11 days before a primary election to six weeks before the primary and every two weeks thereafter. This requirement would apply to donations of $5,000 or more on communications mentioning a candidate in any way.

Though the bill was introduced too late to apply to the primary on May 19, Clarke is hoping the changes will be in effect prior to the general election in November.

Gov. Larry Hogan has signed 350 bills during a two part bill-signing ceremony on May 12, 2015. Among the bills signed are two bills clarifying and simplifying contribution disclosure requirements for lobbyist employers and persons doing public business.

Senate Bill 767 modifies the reporting threshold amount for lobbyist employers to include contributions in the aggregate amount of $500 or more, in order to match disclosure requirements of persons doing public business.

House Bill 769 clarifies that companies having a pre-2015 qualifying contract of $200,000 or more with the state are covered by the disclosure law, but not required to file an initial statement.

Both bills change semiannual reporting dates to May 31 and November 30, matching reporting dates for registered lobbyists. Since the bills are effective June 1, 2015, this year’s dates have been modified to August 31 and November 30.

Some modifications to Utah’s lobbying laws came into effect on May 12, including linking the reporting threshold for food and beverages provided to covered officials to the state employee food reimbursement rate. The current food reimbursement rate is a total of $39 a day, divided as $10 for breakfast, $13 for lunch, and $16 for dinner.

Additionally, a quarterly report will no longer be required for a lobbyist who has not made an expenditure during a quarterly reporting period. A lobbyist who is not required to file any quarterly reports for a calendar year must still file an annual financial report.

Definitions have also been added or amended. For example, publications having a cash value not exceeding $30 have been excluded from the definition of expenditure.

Lobbying

“Amid Gridlock in D.C., Influence Industry Expands Rapidly in the States” by Reid Wilson for Washington Post

Florida: “Legislators Approve Water Farming Funding after Copter Rides, Donations” by Craig Pittman and Michael Van Sickler for Tampa Bay Times

Florida: “Voters Won’t Get Say on Lifting Gift Ban” by Brittany Wallman for South Florida Sun Sentinel

New Mexico: “Lobbyists, Groups Spend Large on New Mexico Lawmakers” by Sandra Fish (New Mexico In Depth) for Las Cruces Sun-News

Texas: “Wendy Davis Fined $5,000 for Ethics Violation” by Terri Langford for Texas Tribune

Virginia: “Lobbyists Take Changes to Gifts Law in Stride” by Patrick Wilson for The Virginian-Pilot

Campaign Finance

“Bill Shuster Aided Virgin Islands – Then Asked for Cash” by Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, and John Bresnahan for Politico

“Jeb Bush Leans on Nonprofit Group as He Prepares Likely Presidential Run” by Ed O’Keefe and Matea Gold for Washington Post

Montana: “New Campaign Finance Law Praised, but Some Say It Needs to Be Toughened” by Charles Johnson for The Missoulian

New York: “The New Office Politics: Funding boss’s political causes” by Michelle Conlin and Lucas Iberico Lozada (Reuters) for The Times Record

Ethics

Nebraska: “Common Cause Files Complaints on Activity Surrounding Niobium Bill” by Joanne Young for Lincoln Journal-Star

“Bill Clinton’s Lucrative Speeches Got Fast Approval at State” by Lisa Lerer and Stephen Braun (Associated Press) for Fresno Bee

“Politics Is a Dirty Business. It Should Stay That Way.” by Chris Cillizza for Washington Post

New Jersey: “Report: Christie racked up $82,594 bill at sports stadium” by Karey Van Hall for Politico

Ohio: “Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic Resigns: The Big Story” by John Harper (Northeast Ohio Media Group) for Cleveland Plain Dealer

Vermont: “Vermont Lawmaker Accused in Sex-for-Rent Scheme” by Paris Achen, Zach Despart, and Adam Silverman (Burlington Free Press) for USA Today

Virginia: “Appeals Judges Pepper McDonnell Defense with Skeptical Questions” by Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

Elections

“Study: State elections becoming less competitive” by Reid Wilson for Washington Post

“The Great Democratic Crack-Up of 2016” by Robert Draper for New York Times

Legislative Issues

New York: “Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader, Vacates Post” by Thomas Kaplan and Susanne Craig for New York Times

The Ethics Commission will be considering a number of proposed amendments to the city’s Election Campaign Control Ordinance (ECCO) and Lobbying Ordinance at a meeting on May 14, 2015.

The proposed changes to ECCO involve non-substantive amendments to several definitions and will make surplus funds rules more consistent with state law. The proposed changes to the Lobbying Ordinance include updating the list of city officials and requiring lobbying entities to disclose contributions made by sponsored committees.

The proposed lobbying amendments are available here.

The 28th Hawaii State Legislature adjourned sine die on May 7, 2015.

Lawmakers passed a range of bills this year, including a 100 percent renewable energy goal for the state and a bill to establish a system of statewide medical marijuana dispensaries by next summer.

The legislature is expected to reconvene next January.

Lobbying

Illinois: “In Illinois Capitol, Lobbying Is a Growing Business” by Kurt Erickson for Quad City Times

Nevada: “Bill Imposes Cooling-Off Period for Ex-Lawmakers” by Sandra Chereb for Las Vegas Review-Journal

Vermont: “House Oks Bill Limiting Lobbyist Contributions during Session” by Erin Mansfield for VTDigger.org

Campaign Finance

“Hillary Clinton Embraces a ‘Super PAC,’ Trying to Erode a Republican Edge” by Maggie Haberman and Nicholas Confessore for New York Times

“The FEC’s ‘Non-Partisan’ Whistleblower” by Tarini Parti for Politico

Ethics

Florida: “Politicians Send Millions to Charity of Lobbyist’s Daughter” by Francisco Alvarado (BrowardBulldog.org) for Miami Herald

Indiana: “Expanded Disclosure, Ethics Rules Now Law” by Olivia Covington for WFYI

Massachusetts: “Brian Joyce Thrives at the Edge of a Fuzzy Boundary” by Andrea Estes for Boston Globe

New York: “Scarborough Pleads Guilty Twice” by Brendan Lyons for Albany Times Union

Texas: “Government Contract Disclosure Bill Advances” by Jay Root for Texas Tribune

West Virginia: “‘Trinkets’ Defined as Ethics Commission Prepares for New WV Law” by Joel Ebert for Charleston Daily Mail

Legislative Issues

Hawaii: “Hawaii Lawmakers Quietly Dole Out Millions of Dollars in Grants” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat