State and Federal Communications was very honored this morning to be one of the recipients of the 2013 Pinnacle Awards of Summit County. The company received the award in the “Private Sector, Small Company” category.

According to the United Way of Summit County website, “The Pinnacle Awards of Summit County is Summit County’s exclusive opportunity to honor those individuals and organizations that are serving the greater good.”

The event was sponsored by Cohen & Company and Summa Health System and was hosted by Inside Business Magazine and United Way of Summit County at the Hilton Fairlawn.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, and all of the company’s staff would like to thank everyone for this honor. We are very pleased to live and work in such a great community, and we consider it a privilege to get out into the community and work for the greater good as best we can!

Lawmakers adjourned for the year just after midnight on Friday, September 13, 2013.

Hundreds of bills were passed in the last week of the session including a minimum wage increase, changes to the California Environmental Quality Act, and a bill permitting undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses.

Photo of the California State Capitol Building by Sascha Brück on Wikipedia.

Federal:

Firm Asks for Disclaimer Exemption for Mobile Political Advertising

Huffington Post – Paul Blumenthal | Published: 9/11/2013

A digital media firm is asking the FEC to exempt mobile ads from the traditional disclosure statements that apply to political ads. Revolution Messaging said most ads produced for the mobile platforms do not have enough pixels to reasonably include more than a dozen words required to identify who paid for the spot. The firm said disclosures would take up more than 40 percent of the available space for a mobile advertisement.

From the States and Municipalities:

Arizona – Opponents Go to Court to Stop Higher Campaign Limits

Arizona Daily Sun – Howard Fischer (Capitol News Services) | Published: 9/11/2013

A judge is considering whether to block a new Arizona law increasing limits on campaign contributions. The Citizens Clean Elections Commission contends the statute violates constitutional restrictions on changing voter-approved laws. Under the law, which takes effect on September 13, the cap on some donations would rise to $4,000.

California – Hansen Agrees to $50,000 Fine, Says He Doesn’t Want His Signatures Used in Anti-Arena Effort

Sacramento Bee – Ryan Lillis | Published: 9/9/2013

Hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and two political consultants have agreed to pay a $50,000 fine for failing to disclose a campaign contribution to a group seeking to block a new Sacramento sports arena. Hansen was accused of making an anonymous $100,000 donation in June to a signature-gathering effort to require a citywide vote on public subsidies for sports facilities.

California – Three Fined for Covert Lobbying in California

Sacramento Bee – Laurel Rosenhall | Published: 9/9/2013

Three partners in a public affairs firm will pay fines for trying to influence state government decisions without registering as lobbyists. The Fair Political Practices Commission accused the employees of California Strategies of crossing “the line which separates policy consultants from lobbyists.” The settlement with Jason Kinney, Rusty Areias, and Winston Hickox requires all three to register as lobbyists and, along with their firm, pay a combined fine of $40,500.

District of Columbia – D.C. Executive Linked to Secret 2008 aid to Hillary Clinton

Washington Post – Ann Marimow and Philip Rucker | Published: 9/12/2013

Federal prosecutors say marketing executive Troy White received $600,000 in illicit funds to do unsolicited campaign work for Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential election. White pleaded guilty for failing to file tax returns reflecting the amount his company was paid. Court documents outlined an elaborate scheme and said White worked with District of Columbia businessperson Jeffrey Thompson to help Clinton during several primaries.

Florida – Execution Rescheduled to Accommodate Pam Bondi Fundraiser

Tampa Bay Times – Adam Smith | Published: 9/9/2013

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi persuaded Gov. Rick Scott to postpone an execution because it conflicted with her campaign fundraising reception. Shortly before a scheduled execution, the state attorney general typically phones the governor to inform him or her there is no legal basis for delay. After Scott had rescheduled the execution for September 10, the date of Bondi’s “hometown campaign kickoff,” her office asked that it be postponed; the new date is October 1.

Florida – Senate Prez Wants to Start Auditing Lobbying Reports

Orlando Sentinel – Aaron Deslatte | Published: 9/9/2013

Florida Senate President Don Gaetz wants the Legislature to make good on a never-enforced requirement that lobbying firms be subjected to random audits. He said he had asked the Senate’s general counsel to work with the House to determine how to kick-start the audits. Gaetz said the main holdup may be whether the Legislature has budget authority to begin the audits, or whether it would have to wait until the next fiscal year to launch them.

Indiana – Should Indiana Regulators Raise Money from Utility Trade Groups to Pay for Conference?

Indianapolis Star – John Russell | Published: 9/11/2013

The state ethics agency approved a request from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to solicit donations from utility trade groups to fund a conference of regulators from 14 states to be held in Indianapolis. Watchdogs say such a move could give utility groups a chance to curry favor with regulators, who make decisions on whether companies can raise rates or build new plants.

Missouri – Missouri House Speaker’s Side Business Raises Ethical Issues

Kansas City Star – Jason Hancock | Published: 9/6/2013

In addition to his job as a legislator and his position with a law firm, state House Speaker Tim Jones also earns money from the Missouri Freedom Alliance. Jones has offered conflicting explanations of what type of work the group does. First, he said it was legal consulting on basic legislative process. Jones later said it had nothing to do with legislative issues and instead focused on private legal matters.

New Jersey – Christie Vetoes Bill to Move General Election to October

Newark Star Ledger – Matt Friedman | Published: 9/9/2013

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have moved the November 5 general election to the date of the special U.S. Senate election on October 16. Christie also vetoed a bill that would let voters who go to the polls in October to also vote early for the November election, when the governor and all 120 seats in the Legislature are being contested.

New Mexico – Donald Duck, New Mexico Lobbyist

New Mexico Watchdog – Rob Nikolewski | Published: 9/12/2013

New Mexico Watchdog found “Donald Duck” on the list of registered lobbyist in the state. According disclosure reports, Donald spent $200 on dinner for “Senator Mickey Mouse” at The Bull Ring, a popular restaurant in Santa Fe.

New York – Forgive? No, a Night to Forget for Scandal-Tarred Candidates

New York Times – Michael Grynbaum | Published: 9/11/2013

Election Day was sobering for a peculiar brand of politician that emerged in the New York City election season: the scandal-tarred scoundrel seeking a second chance. The results reflected the mood of an electorate whose tolerance for the well-trod path of political repentance may have reached its limits.

Pennsylvania – Pa. Lawmakers Eye Bills to Thwart Corruption

PhillyBurbs.com – Natasha Lindstrom | Published: 9/9/2013

More than three dozen public officials in Pennsylvania have faced corruption charges since 2007. The House State Government Committee held a recent hearing to take testimony on ways the ethics law can be strengthened in hopes of restoring public confidence in state government.

Tennessee – TN Ethics Commission Opts Not to Fine Tom Ingram

The Tennessean – Chas Sisk | Published: 9/12/2013

The Tennessee Ethics Commission voted to dismiss a complaint filed against Gov. Bill Haslam that said he failed to disclose how much he paid Tom Ingram, his former chief campaign strategist, for political advice. The commission also declined to fine Ingram on for failing to disclose a lobbying relationship with a company hoping to win permission to mine on public land.

Washington – Ethics Rules Limit Freebies

Spokane Spokesman-Review – Jim Camden | Published: 9/6/2013

With college football season just starting up, Washington’s Legislative Ethics Board clarified that state lawmakers are not permitted to accept free tickets for themselves and family members. But it is all right for a legislator to attend a game as the guest of the university president and sit in the president’s box.

State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 80 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.

News You Can Use is a news service provided at no charge only to clients of our online Executive Source Guides, or ALERTS™ consulting clients.

September 17, 2013   National Press Club – Guest Speaker, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Washington, D.C.

September 18, 2013   Ohio Birthday Party, Washington, D.C.

September 18, 2013   PAC Making a Name for Yourself: Branding Advocacy Campaigns, Washington, D.C.

September 19, 2013   Advanced Learning Institute Social Media for Government and NonProfit Communications, Washington, D.C.

September 19-22, 2013   CSG National Conference, Kansas City, Missouri

September 25-27, 2013   PAC State and Local Government Relations Seminar, Washington, D.C.

September 30 – October 1, 2013   PLI Corporate Political Activities Conference, Washington, D.C.

Q. I am a registered lobbyist in five jurisdictions and just moved into a new house.  Is there anything I need to do to stay in compliance?

A. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all of the tasks associated with a move.  However, it is important to notify the jurisdictions in which you are registered of your new address as soon as possible as this affects both your lobbyist registration and reports.

For example, in Florida, a lobbyist must amend his or her registration within 15 days of a change. Additionally, registration renewal must occur on forms distributed by the state directly to the address listed on the lobbyist registration on file.  Without amending the registration to include a current address, the lobbyist will not receive the registration renewal materials.

In some states, a lobbyist can face penalties for failure to amend a registration upon a change of address.  In Arizona, a registrant must notify the secretary of state within five business days after any change to the information in the registration statement. If the state determines a violation has occurred, and the lobbyist fails to comply with the request to amend the registration, a hearing will occur and the state may issue a fine of up to $1,000.

To avoid facing penalties, know the registrations provisions of your jurisdictions.  In most cases, the jurisdiction will require you to provide an updated address.  Whether this process requires a phone call or amendment to your existing registration will vary. When in doubt, contact the overseeing agency to clarify the requirements.

You can directly submit questions for this feature, and we will select those most appropriate and answer them here. Send your questions to: marketing@stateandfed.com.

(We are always available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or e-mail us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies to your questions are not legal advice. Instead, these replies represent our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

Lobbying

New Mexico: “Donald Duck, New Mexico lobbyist” by Rob Nikolewski in the New Mexico Watchdog.

Tennessee: “TN Ethics Commission opts not to fine Tom Ingram” by Chas Sisk in The Tennessean.

Campaign Finance

“Donors flooded state level PACs with big checks” by Anupama Narayanswamy on the Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group.

“D.C. executive linked to secret 2008 aid to Hillary Clinton” by Ann E. Marimow and Philip Rucker in The Washington Post.

New Hampshire: “NH House panel reviews push poll, voter registration, campaign finance bills” by John DiStaso in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Ethics

“Ethics drops 1 case, won’t fully review 3 others” by John Bresnahan in Politico.

Alaska: “Panel: Ex-Alaska legislator violated ethics rules” by Becky Bohrer (Associated Press) in the Anchorage Daily News.

Minnesota: “Campaign agency weighs in on Dayton’s political use of the state plane” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger in the Star Tribune.

State Legislatures

“More Lawmakers are Getting Pink Slips from Voters” by Jacob Gershman in The Wall Street Journal.

Louisiana: “Louisiana business group releases 2013 legislative score card” by Lauren McGaughy in the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers start overriding vetoes” in the Kansas City Star.

Government Tech and Social Media

New Jersey: “State websites offline again” by Salvador Rizzo in The Star-Ledger.

Several members of city council announced the introduction of legislation to reform independent expenditures made in the city. The legislation would close a “loophole” in state campaign finance law allowing limited liability companies to give at the individual aggregate contribution limit of $150,000 instead of the corporate aggregate limit of $5,000. Such a change would only apply to city elections.

The legislation would also require the disclosure of the top donors to independent expenditure communications.

Finally, the legislation would force any independent expenditure communication to inform voters the communication was not subject to the city’s campaign finance laws.

Photo of the New York City Hall by Momos on Wikipedia.

The Legislature convenes its annual veto session on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. Among the vetoed bills eligible for an override vote are House Bill 110 and Senate Bill 29.

House Bill 110 requires a special election to fill the lieutenant governor’s office if there is an early vacancy due to resignation, death, or impeachment. Senate Bill 29 requires certain public labor unions to obtain annual consent from members before withholding dues and fees from their paychecks for political contributions or expenditures.

Gov. Jay Nixon has declined to call a special session to allow lawmakers to craft a new version of a vetoed income-tax bill. Override votes require a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

Photo of the Missouri State Capitol by RebelAt on Wikipedia.

Gov. Nathan Deal has issued writs of election to fill vacancies in House Districts 100, 104, 127, and Senate District 14.

The special elections will be held on November 5, 2013. House Districts 100, 104, and Senate District 14 became vacant due to resignations.

House District 127 became vacant due to the passing of Representative Quincy Murphy.

The number of municipalities and regional governments our research associates track continues to grow. We now cover more than 230 municipalities and local governments. This is part of a continuous effort to better serve the needs of our clients.

We recently added seven municipalities for which our clients will find comprehensive, timely, and accurate information that includes: complete calendars of reporting deadlines; critical statutory citations; extensive directories of contact information; summaries of each state law; detailed reference charts on goods and services contributions; highlights of every statute; copies of all required forms; and much more.

The new municipalities are:

Surrey, BC
Lancaster, CA
Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FL
Pinellas County, FL
DuPage County, IL
Hilliard, OH
York County, PA
Sioux Falls, SD

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications’ digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying, and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly e-mail updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

Lobbying

“Lawmakers allege lobbyist intervention during hearing” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Tennessee: “Ethics Commission stalemates on whether to penalize Tom Ingram” by Tom Humphrey in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Campaign Finance

A press release from the National Press Club: “Campaign Finance Experts Potter and Wertheimer to Discuss New Supreme Court Case Focusing on Donation Limits to Candidates” in the Rock Hill Herald.

Ethics

Delaware: “Developer pleads guilty to illegal contributions” by Randall Chase (Associated Press) in the Connecticut Post.

Virginia: “Cuccinelli donates $18,000 value of Star chief’s gifts” by Laura Vozzella in The Washington Post.

Wisconsin: “Lawmakers approve first audit of Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board”  by The Associated Press in the Star Tribune.

State Legislatures

Minnesota: “Special sessions: How often and how long?” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger in the Star Tribune.

Redistricting

“Time to tackle 2020” by Markos Moulitsas in The Hill.

Texas: “Court: Texas can use exiting election maps in 2014” by The Associated Press in the Las Vegas Sun.

Wisconsin: “Bipartisan group pushing for redistricting reform” by The Associated Press in WAOW News.

Lobbying

“Lobbyist league says mission will remain the same” by Byron Tau in Politico.

California: “FPPC fines Kinney, Areias and Hickox for covert lobbying” by Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee.

Massachusetts: “Top ten lobby shops each netted more than $600K in first half of 2013” by Andy Metzger in the Patriot Ledger.

Campaign Finance

West Virginia: “State: Mingo County PAC didn’t violate law” by The Associated Press in the Charleston Gazette.

Ethics

Arkansas: “Arkansas Ethics Commission says in letter it’s investigating lt. gov. over campaign reports” by Andrew DeMillo (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Minnesota: “Minn. campaign regulators elect new chairwoman” by The Associated Press in WQOW News.

New York: “NY effort to reveal pols’ law clients has backing” by The Associated Press in The Wall Street Journal.

Pennslvania: “State House panel considers strengthening the state ethics law” by Jan Murphy in the Patriot-News.

Pennsylvania: “State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe calls for investigation into whether Attorney General Kathleen Kane violated the state ethics law” by Jan Murphy in the Patriot-News.

State Legislatures

Hawaii: “Hawaiian governor calls for special session to legalize gay marriage” by Tim Gaynor in Reuters.

Minnesota: “Minnesota legislators OK disaster relief; tax talks delayed” by Jim Ragsdale and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger in the Star Tribune.

Oregon: “Education groups to Kitzhaber: Special session would help stabilize Oregon school funding” by Hannah Hoffman in the Statesman Journal.

On September 9, 2013, the Oklahoma Legislature adjourned its special session sine die.

Gov. Mary Fallin had called the special session to address the issue of how lawsuits are filed, which became a problem after the Oklahoma Supreme Court invalidated a law on that topic. The special session, which began on September 3, produced 23 bills related to lawsuit reform.

In her press release, Fallin stated, “These measures will help to keep jobs in Oklahoma and further our reputation as a business friendly state.”