We had a great time at COGEL 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We enjoyed four days of expert sessions on campaign finance, lobbying, and government ethics. Plenary speakers included Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto; political reporter Dave Davies; Jeff Smith, professor of politics and advocacy at the New School; and Paul Liebman, Chief Compliance Officer for the University of Texas at Austin.  It was great to see everyone. We hope you enjoy these photos from the conference:

In its December 11, 2014, meeting, the New York City Campaign Finance Board approved rules implementing Local Law 116 of 2013, which permits candidates receiving public matching funds to receive contributions via text message.

The rules permit public funds to match the text message contribution once those contributions are paid via the contributor’s phone bill. The rules further establish record keeping requirements for text message contributions and a process to certify the identity of the contributor.

The rules will take effect 30 days after final publication in The City Record.

The limits for political contributions to federal political parties may increase with the passage of the current federal omnibus bill. Included as a rider is an amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 allowing additional contributions to political parties for presidential nominating conventions, for preparation for and the conduct of election recounts and contests and other legal proceedings, and for the construction, purchase, renovation, operation, and furnishing of one or more buildings for party headquarters.

An individual would be able to contribute $97,200 a year to a national political party beyond a committee’s existing limit of $32,400 per year. For an example of combined contributions made possible by the proposed legislation, see “Campaign contribution limits are about to go way up. Here’s what that looks like, in one massive graph” by Philip Bump in The Washington Post.

City Council passed the Oakland Government Ethics Act towards the end of an eight-hour meeting during the early hours of December 10.

In November, voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to strengthen the city’s Public Ethics Commission (PEC). Measure CC, a charter amendment, gives the PEC authority to enforce the city’s lobbying laws and to levy fines in excess of $1,000 for violations.

The Oakland Government Ethics Act compliments the charter amendment by providing a new set of ethics rules including a revolving-door provision and a new lower annual gift limit of $250. Gifts from persons who do business or seek to do business with the city are further limited to $50 annually.

The legislation is effective immediately.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“Top 10 lobbying victories of the year” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“How often do former members of Congress lobby? Not as often as you might think.” by Philip Bump in The Washington Post.

Hawaii: “Hawaii Monitor: The Problem With Lobbyists — and Their Regulators” opinion piece by Ian Lind in the Honolulu Civil Beat.

Massachusetts: “Weld registers as a State House lobbyist” by Frank Phillips in The Boston Globe.

Texas: “Two ex-Perry aides among latest to swing through lobbying revolving door” by David Saleh Rauf in the Houston Chronicle.

Campaign Finance

“Parties cut deal to open spigot of campaign cash” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Campaign contribution limits are about to go way up. Here’s what that looks like, in one massive graph.” by Philip Bump in The Washington Post.

“Fundraising expansion slipped into spending deal could power financial bonzana for parties” by Matea Gold in The Washington Post.

“A shutdown deal with extras: light bulbs, campaign finance and fishing tackle” by Domenico Montanaro, Lisa Desjardins, and Simone Pathe in PBS NewsHour.

“ʹThe Most Corrupting Campaign-Finance Provisions Ever Enactedʹ” by Russell Berman in The Atlantic.

“Democrats’ Discontent on ‘Cromnibus’ Bubbles to Surface” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

“Outside Groups Set Spending Record in Midterms” by Derek Willis in The New York Times.

“Hedge Fund Founder Steve Cohen Gave Big to Boost Republican Governors” by Brody Mullins in The Wall Street Journal.

Massachusetts: “State heightens focus on cash in local campaigns” by Christian M. Wade in The Daily News of Newburyport.

Ethics

“The Year in Government Ethics | A Question of Ethics” by C. Simon Davidson in Roll Call.

“House Ethics: An Isolating Gavel to Hold” by Hanna Hess in Roll Call.

Florida: “Judge Lets Lawsuit Allege Florida Governor Intentionally Violated Law” by Mary Ellen Klas in Governing.

Florida: “Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagan admits to ethics violations” by Rich Shopes in the Tampa Bay Times.

New Jersey: “David Samson seeks to block state ethics investigation” by Michael Symons in Asbury Park Press.

South Carolina: “SC House panel: Let State Ethics Commission investigate lawmakers” by Cassie Cope in The State.

Tech and Social Media

“A 2015 Federal Technology Forecast” eBook on NextGov.

Massachusetts: “Boston Overhauls Licensing and Permitting System with Civic Tech” by Jason Shueh in Government Technology.

Republican Rep. Kris Crawford has vacated his seat in House District 63, a month after being elected unopposed to a fifth term.

Crawford said the commute to the state capital and his professional duties as a physician were wearing him out.

The primary will be February 24, 2015, followed by a special election on April 14.

A state House study panel considering ethics reforms has endorsed legislation to remove lawmakers’ ability to police themselves on legal issues. A similar bill failed in the Senate during the last legislative session.

The draft proposal unanimously approved by the panel would create a new independent commission to investigate allegations against public officers. Opponents to last year’s proposal believed the measure to be unconstitutional since the state constitution explicitly requires the House and Senate to discipline their own members.

Additional ethics bills have been prefiled to increase lobbying fees, change reporting dates, and remedy the unconstitutional definition of “committee” for campaign finance purposes. The decision to push several separate bills rather than an overall ethics reform measure is a significant difference from last session.

On December 9, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario passed an omnibus bill that includes changes to the province’s Lobbyists Registration Act, 1998.

Schedule 8 of Bill 8, the Accountability and Transparency Act, gives the Ontario Integrity Commissioner as Lobbyist Registrar more enforcement power for violations. Individuals found in violation can be prohibited from lobbying for up to two years. Among other changes, the bill creates a 50 hour per year threshold of lobbying activity to meet the Act’s definition of in house lobbyists.

Schedule 8 comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.

Photo of the Ontario Legislative Assembly Building by Andrijko Z. on Wikimedia Commons.

On December 5, a federal judge declared Arizona’s definition of political committee “vague, overbroad, and consequently unconstitutional in violation of the First Amendment.” In Galassini v. Town of Fountain Hills, Senior District Judge James A. Teilborg of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, relied on his prior determination finding A.R.S. §16-901(19) unconstitutional.

In 2011, Gina Galassini emailed 23 friends and neighbors to organize a rally opposing a bond proposal in the town of Fountain Hills. The town clerk informed Galassini her planned rally would require she “file a statement of organization before accepting contributions, making expenditures, distributing literature or circulating petitions.” However, Galassini was still able to hold her rally without registering after the District Court issued a preliminary injunction and the Town of Fountain Hills agreed to not enforce the campaign finance laws.

Friday’s decision granting declaratory relief to the plaintiff did not provide any future injunctive relief. According to the Arizona Daily Star, Deputy Secretary of State Jim Drake said his office will ask the Court to delay the effect of the ruling while an appeal is considered.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

California: “Groups merge to form big California biotech lobbying group” by Stephanie M. Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle.

North Carolina: “Former GOP official joins lobbying firm” by Craig Jarvis in the News & Observer.

North Carolina: “NC League of Municipalities has new top lobbyist” by Colin Campbell in the News & Observer.

Campaign Finance

“McConnell Pushes Campaign Finance Changes” by Niels Lesniewski in Roll Call.

Arizona: “Judge tosses key Arizona campaign finance law” by Mary Jo Pitzl in The Arizona Republic.

Missouri: “Koster urges Missouri lawmakers to take up ethics reform” by Alexandra Stuckey in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Missouri: “Attorney General of Missouri Denies Doing Favors for Lobbyists” by Eli Yokley in The New York Times.

Ethics

Missouri: “Lawmakers to weigh new rules on lobbyist’s gifts, donations” by Collin Reischman in The Missouri Times.

Utah: “Utah Government Launches New Ethics Website” by Bob Bernick in Utah Policy.

Political Campaigns

“GOP senator introduces bill to ban political robocalls” by Kathy Kiely in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Open Government

“Rockefeller Opposes Leahy FOIA Bill” by Humberto Sanchez in Roll Call.

Lobbying

“Hill, K Street: Grab a Drink, Get Your Party On” by Kate Ackley and Rebecca Gale in Roll Call.

“Watchdogs brace for surprises in massive $1.014T spending bill” by Rebecca Shabad in The Hill.

“Meat lobby to vegeterians: You’ll be back” by Lydia Wheeler in The Hill.

Texas: “New Texas House Rules Require the Press to Pledge Not to Lobby” by The Texas Tribune in Governing.

Washington: “New rules limit lobbyist meals for Olympia legislators” by The Associated Press in KGMI.

West Virginia: “Thursday deadline for lobbyists to register in WVa” by The Associated Press in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Campaign Finance

“Obama Fundraising Goal: $225,000-Per-Day for Presidential Library” by John McCormick in Bloomberg.

“Should Judges Be Allowed to Court Campaign Donors?” by Daniel C. Vock in Governing.

Michigan: “Spending in Grand Rapids term limits election came from out of state and big local donor” by Matt Vande Bunte in MLive.com.

New York: “After Ethics Panel’s Shutdown, Loopholes Live On in Albany” by Thomas Kaplan, William K. Rashbaum and Susanne Craig in The New York Times.

Ethics

“House Lawmakers Exempt From Ethics Training in Emerging Rules Package” by Hannah Hess in Roll Call.

Arkansas: “Arkansas lawmakers to discuss new ethics rules” by The Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Georgia: “State ethics agency faces more changes” by Christina A. Cassidy in the Gainesville Times.

Tech and Social Media

“$6.9 Billion to be Spent on Civic Tech in 2015, Report Says” in Government Technology.

Hawaii: “Hawaii Adopts ‘Cloud-First’ Policy for IT Projects” by Brian Heaton in Government Technology.

The first regular session of the 127th Maine Legislature convened on December 3, 2014. Legislators were sworn in by Gov. Paul LePage, including Republican Cathy Manchester.

Manchester was given a provisional seat in the Senate pending the resolution of the disputed election results from state Senate District 25. A special committee will review the results next week and determine the true victor.

In closing the swearing in ceremony, LePage said, “Sharpen your pencils and let’s get to work.”

Photo of the Maine State House by Albany NY on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Terry Branstad has called a special election on January 6, 2015 to fill the state House District 4 seat formerly held by Dwayne Alons.

Alons passed away recently after serving in the Iowa Legislature since 1999.

The timing of the special election will allow the newly elected lawmaker to be present for 2015 legislative session, which convenes January 12, 2015.

State and Federal Communications has a team of 10 leaving tomorrow to attend the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) 36th Annual Conference! It will be held from December 7-10 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

COGEL always  offers great sessions concerning lobbying, campaign finance, governmental ethics, and election laws and best practices.

It will be good to see many familiar faces and meet new members.