Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced the dates for a special election Wednesday, and Genesee County Clerk John Gleason is pleased with his choice. The special election for the 49th District House seat will take place on Election Day, November 5, with the primary, if needed, to be conducted on August 6.

Gleason had said he was hoping Snyder would save the county money and schedule the special election on the normal election days, but he was not sure it would actually happen. “I’m tickled about that. I’m so glad. [He] never contacted us, but it worked out all right. The most important thing is that they got it right. It’s good for the taxpayers.”

Gleason started the run of special elections for Genesee County when he left the 27th District Senate seat after winning the November election for county clerk. Jim Ananich won the special election for the vacant Senate seat in May, leaving his House seat open.

Two people have already announced their intentions to run for the seat. Kyle McCree, manager of Community Outreach for the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, announced earlier this week he plans to run and Phil Phelps, former special advisor for Richard Hammel and former chief of staff for Pam Farris, has been campaigning since April.

The Legislature adjourned late Tuesday, May 14, 2013, after passing a $1.4 billion budget bill.

Other hallmark legislation of the session included decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana, assisted suicide, and driver’s licenses for migrant workers, but the legislature failed to pass a major campaign finance reform bill.

Supporters of campaign finance reform vowed to revisit the issue in January 2014.

Photo of Vermont State House by Decumanus on Wikipedia.

Lobbying

“Lobbying and Contributions by High Frequency Traders” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

“K Street worries over spread of IRS scandal amid push for tax reform” by Erik Wasson and Peter Schroeder in The Hill.

New York: “When Campaign Aides Are Lobbyists, Questions Mount” by Ross Barkan in City Limits.

Tennessee: “Tennessee Ethics Commission to meet on Ingram lobbying case” by Andy Sher in the Times Free Press.

Campaign Finance

“SEC nears decision on requiring businesses to disclose donations” by Ben Goad in The Hill.

“States’ Seek to Limit Undisclosed Political Donations” by Matea Gold, Chris Megerian and Mark Z. Barabak in Governing.

“IRS mess adds to campaign finance free-for-all” by Byron Tau, Tarini Parti and Kelsey Snell in Politico.

“Pelosi Injects Campaign Finance Debate Into IRS Scandal” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

Nebraska: “Nebraska Attorney General fined $19,000 by FEC” by The Associated Press in the Beatrice Daily Sun.

Texas: “House set to send disclosure bill to Gov. Perry” by Will Weissert (Associated Press) in the Houston Chronicle.

Vermont: “Vt. lawmakers drop campaign finance reform” by The Associated Press in New England Cable News.

From the State Legislatures

Arizona: “Lawmakers to see cut in daily pay this week” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Capitol Times.

Utah: “Utah Lawmakers Back to Capitol to Prep for Next Year” by The Associated Press in KUTV News.

Washington: “Washington lawmakers return to Capitol for special session” by The Associated Press in The Oregonian.

Washington: “Washington Gov. Inslee narrows priorities for legislative special session” by The Associated in The Oregonian.

Elections

“Which States Saw Voter Turnout Jump, Decline Most Last Year?” by Mike Maciag in Governing.

Social Media

“Social Advocacy & Politics: A Virtual Political Debate Via Twitter” by Alan Rosenblatt in Social Media Today.

A special election for the Massachusetts Sixth Bristol Representative District has been called to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative David B. Sullivan.

The office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on August 13. The special general election will follow on September 10.

Sullivan resigned his position two weeks ago to become the executive director of the Fall River Housing Authority, according to The Herald News.

State and Federal Communications is proud to be a speaker sponsor for the Women in Government Relations Spring Reception, which will be held at Union Station’s Columbus Club in Washington, D.C. The theme of the reception will be “New Heights for Women Leaders” and will be happening on Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

According to the WGR website: The Spring Reception brings together Members of Congress, Hill staff and the government relations and public affairs community to honor Congressional leaders who embody the vision of WGR – to advance and empower women in our field. This year we will be honoring two outstanding Members of Congress, Senator Mary Landrieu and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, as well as our very own Distinguished Member, Angel Riley.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Federal Compliance Associate Rebecca South, and Marketing Manager Melissa Coultas will be attending the event.

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic offers his congratulations to State and Federal Communications on its 20th Anniversary! We thank the mayor, who is a longtime friend of Elizabeth Bartz, for taking a moment amid a busy schedule to offer his thoughts:

It was very nice to see Laura Brelin from United Way of Summit County last week. Laura dropped by to present a framed “Excellence Award” to State and Federal Communications.

Excellence Awards are presented to those organizations whose employees demonstrate outstanding excellence with at least 75% participation and either $100 per capita or a 35% increase over last year’s campaign. We are proud to say that in 2012 we had 100% participation and $835 per capita giving!

State and Federal Communications is a proud supporter of United Way of Summit County. Aside from working hard each year on our annual campaign, we have had staff participation in the Day of Action, the Corporate Challenge Soap Box Derby, the Corporate Volunteer Council, and the Account Executive program.

Thank you, United Way! We look forward to a long partnership.

Lobbying

“Lobbying registrations for April return to numbers not seen since 2011” by Catherine Ho in the Washington Post.

“Taxpayers footing $3 million lobbying bill for local governments” by Andrew Doughman in the Las Vegas Sun.

“Do lobbyist spending reports measure influence?” by Andrew Doughman in the Las Vegas Sun.

New York: “Lobbying group donations fall off with new NY rule” by The Associated Press in Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Tennessee: “Lobbying still thriving business in Nashville” by Tom Humphrey in the Knoxville News.

Campaign Finance

Alabama: “Legislators’ to-do list for final day includes bills on guns, campaign finance, drug testing welfare applicants” by Mike Cason in the Birmingham News.

Arizona: “Director of Arizona campaign finance agency leaving” by The Associated Press in KTAR.

Vermont: “Galbraith angers Vt. Senate colleagues” by The Associated Press in the Boston Globe.

Ethics

“FEC revolving door spins ever so slowly” by Byron Tau in Politico.

New York: “N.Y. court upholds ethics commission subpoena power” by The Associated Press in the Albany Times Union.

Political Advertising

“Shedding light on anonymous ads” editorial by Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Politico.

Form the State Legislatures

Minnesota: “Minn. lawmakers enter homestretch of 2013 session” by The Associated Press in the Brainerd Dispatch.

North Carolina: “Dome: Jam-packed action expected in legislature for Crossover Week” by Mary Cornatzer and Lynn Bonner in the News & Observer.

North Carolina: “NC House wants many closed sessions recorded” by The Associated Press in the Winston-Salem Journal.

Redistricting

Florida: “Florida Supreme Court hears redistricting case” by Steve Bousquet in the Miami Herald.

Government Tech and Social Media

“What’s Your City Watching on YouTube?” by Eric Jaffe in Nextgov.

Bergen County, New Jersey County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan has vetoed the Board of Chosen Freeholders’ new pay-to-play ordinance that passed on May 1.

This is the second pay-to-play ordinance vetoed by the county executive in the last eight months. On October 5, 2012, Donovan had vetoed a prior pay-to-play measure passed by the Board.

In her press release, the county executive called the newer legislation “an ill-conceived attempt to weaken what has been described as one of the strongest ordinances banning pay-to-play in the State of New Jersey.” Among the reasons cited by Donovan for the veto of Freeholder Ordinance 13-06 are the increase in contribution limits and the weakening of penalties for those found in violation of the pay-to-play law.

Because the new ordinance initially passed by a 6-1 vote, the veto could be overridden by the Board in a future vote.

National:

States Try to Tackle ‘Secret Money’ in Politics

Federal:

Campaign Contribution Limits Broken Repeatedly In 2012 Election with No FEC Oversight

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama – Campaign Finance Law Revisions Pass House; Headed Back to Senate

Georgia – Gov. Deal Signs Law capping Georgia Lobbyist Spending at $75 a Go

Hawaii – How One Lawmaker Blocks Hawaii’s Ethics Reforms Year after Year

Kansas – Seventy-Four Percent of Lobbyist Spending on Kansas Lawmakers Unaccounted For

New Jersey – Judge Approves $728,300 in Bonuses for Employees of Engineering Firm Accused of Campaign Finance Violations

New York – Senator in Corruption Case Spoke of Silencing Witnesses, Prosecutors Say

North Carolina – Private Conservative Group ALEC Carries Sway in Legislature

Pennsylvania – Orie Melvin Must Write Apology Letters to Pennsylvania Judges on Photos of Herself

South Carolina – South Carolina Sends Mark Sanford Back to House

Tennessee – Tom Ingram Faces Heat over Lobbying Pay

Texas – Lobby Disclosure of Consulting Ties Passes the Senate

Vermont – House OKs Cap on Donations to Super PACs

Washington – Lobbyists Spend Big Bucks on Dinners, Other Tabs for Lawmakers

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.

A bill requiring lobbyists to disclose work as campaign consultants passed in the Texas Legislature on May 9.

House Bill 1422 requires individuals registering as lobbyists with the state to include the full name and address of each person who compensates or reimburses the registrant, or person acting as an agent for the registrant, for services, including political consulting services, rendered by the registrant from:

• A political contribution;
• Interest received from a political contribution; or
• An asset purchased with a political contribution.

The legislation has been sent to Governor Rick Perry. If not vetoed, the bill will become law with or without his signature.

Q. My company is involved in an event where a meal and other gifts may be provided to public officials.  How do I know if this is permissible?

A. You must consider a number of issues any time you want to provide a gift to a public official.  In addition to consulting your company’s policies, you should answer the following questions:

• Is it a gift?  States often have exceptions to the definition of gift.  Arizona does not consider an expenditure for food, beverage, travel, or lodging to be a gift under state law.  A number of states do not consider things of value provided on the basis of a personal relationship or items of de minimis value to be gifts.
• Who is the giver?  Lobbyists are often subject to more stringent gift restrictions than non-lobbyists.  Florida prohibits any gifts from lobbyists to state officials and employees with very few exceptions.  However, if you are not registered as a lobbyist, you are permitted to give any gift if it is not given to influence any official action.  California imposes different gift limits; the limit is $10 or less per month for lobbyists and $440 or less per year for non-lobbyists.  Additional restrictions could apply if your company is a state contractor.  Connecticut does allow limited gifts from lobbyists and non-lobbyists.  However, state contractors must certify no gifts were made under certain circumstances.
• Who is the recipient?  The permissibility of a gift can depend on the branch of government or the seniority of the official or employee.  Maryland legislators may only accept food and beverage from lobbyists in very limited circumstances.  Executive branch officials may accept food and beverage if they are in the presence of the lobbyist. Delaware only restricts cabinet secretaries, division directors, and the governor’s professional staff from accepting gifts from lobbyists.

If you are anything less than 100% sure a gift is permissible, consult the state’s ethics agency.  Do not ask the official or employee involved!  He or she may not be familiar with the nuances of the state’s gift law.

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.

Governor Mike Pence has signed a bill to change legislative lobbying regulations. Enrolled Act 1222 expands the definition of lobbying to include communications with any employee of the legislative branch and requires lobbyists to file registration statements and activity reports electronically.

The bill also increases the annual lobbyist registration fee from $100 to $200 and makes the lobbyist registration year match the current lobbyist reporting periods. Lobbyist registration statements issued for 2013 will expire November 1, 2013.

Most of the bill’s provisions become effective July 1, 2013.