Lobbying

Florida: “Florida lawmakers weigh bill to tweak lobbyist gift ban” by Jim Saunders in the Miami Herald.

Georgia: “New lobbyist law leaves possible loopholes” by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Chris Joyner and James Salzer in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Kentucky: “Ethics Commission reports $4.2M spent on lobbying in Frankfort in January, February” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

New York: “Lobbying spending in N.Y. dropped to $205M in 2012” by Jon Campbell in the Democrat and Chronicle.

New York: “Pro-Cuomo Group Repeats as Top Spender on Lobbying” by Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times.

Oregon: “State, colleges lobbying costs top $1M” by Raju Chebium in the Statesman Journal.

Campaign Finance

Connecticut: “Boosting public financing for campaigns is off the table” by Mark Pazniokas in the Connecticut Mirror.

Nebraska: “Measure repeals Neb. campaign finance law but seeks to put campaign spending reports online” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

New York: “New Ads to Press Albany on Campaign Financing” by Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times.

Vermont: “Campaign finance reform bill in jeopardy” in the Rutland Herald.

West Virginia: “W.Va. House seeks anti-Citizens United amendment” by The Associated Press in WTRF.com.

Ethics

“Larry Craig Loses Major Battle in Fight Against FEC” by Steven T. Dennis in Roll Call.

“STOCK Act Endangers National Security, Report Says” by Niels Lesniewski in Roll Call.

North Dakota: “Gov. Dalrymple’s energy stocks, contributions raise questions” by Amy Dalrymple in InForum.

Ohio: “Jimmy Dimora files federal appeal claiming innocence” by James F. McCarty in the Plain Dealer.

From the State Legislatures

Georgia: “Ga. lawmakers take flurry of votes on final day” by The Associated Press in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Redistricting

Texas: “Texas redistricting fight resumes” by Tim Eaton in the Austin American-Statesman.

Open Government

“Which States Aced the Spending Transparency Test?” in Government Technology.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Internal Website HouseNet Gets a Makeover” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

“NASA Becomes The Most-Followed Government Twitter Account, Nominated For Second Shorty Award” by Benny Luo in NewMediaRockstars.com.

Hawaii: “Bill would require state to post more information online” by The Associated Press in the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

Federal:

Why Republicans Still Run K Street

From the States and Municipalities:

Arizona – Arizona Legislature Is Short on Ethics Rules

Florida – Florida Governor Shuts Down Office after Resignation

Georgia – Georgia Lawmakers Reach Deal on Lobbying Rules

Illinois – Illinois Supreme Court Reverses Ruling on Chicago Inspector General’s Power

Illinois – Lobbyist Uses Political Savvy in Springfield to Tackle Bill – Her Water Bill

Kentucky – Richie Farmer’s Sister Placed on Leave over Ethics Charges against Her

Montana – Murry Will Not Seek Confirmation to Political Practice Post

Nevada – Banishment Ends Brooks Saga: ‘We did not feel safe’

Nevada – Senate OKs Bill for Quarterly Lobbyist Reports

New Jersey – Campaign Finance Watchdog Agency Says Outside Democratic Group Must Adhere to Contribution Limits

New Jersey – Seven from Birdsall Services Group Engineering Firm Indicted in Plot to Hide Political Gifts

Pennsylvania – Turnpike Case Has Bribery Charges, But Not Against Bribers

Wyoming – Judge Rejects Lawsuit by Wyoming Free Speech

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.

Legislators have passed an ethics overhaul capping lobbyist gifts at $75 and eliminating a prior proposal to require lobbying registration for volunteer advocates. The House and Senate voted unanimously for House Bill 142 shortly before adjournment on Thursday, March 28, 2013.

This is the state’s first limitation on gifts to public officials. Exceptions to the $75 limit include committee dinners, dinners for caucuses, and certain lobbyist-funded travel. The $75 cap is per occurrence and per lobbyist.

There is no explicit limit on the number of gifts permitted. As part of the deal, volunteers will not have to register as lobbyists unless they are reimbursed $250 or more in expenses from an organization.

UPDATE: The bill will also remove the $300 lobbyist registration and renewal fee when it becomes effective on January 1, 2014, following approval by the Governor

Lobbying

“Internet Association bolsters lobbying force” by Jennifer Martinez in The Hill.

Colorado: “Colorado gun lobbyist says he did nothing to warrant an ethics charge” by Lynn Bartels in the Denver Post.

Georgia: “Deal reported on lobbyist gift reform” by Greg Bluestein and Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Campaign Finance

“OFA Campaign Finance Reform Push Explained In Call To Supporters” by Paul Blumenthal in the Huffington Post.

Arizona: “Clean Elections’ funding could be returned to ballot” by Sean Peick in the Arizona Republic.

Illinois: “Bernard Schoenburg: Gaps remain in campaign finance reporting rules” – opinion piece by Bernard Schoenburg in the State Journal-Register.

Corporate Political Advocacy

“Poll: Public wary of corporate politics” by Byron Tau in Politico.

Open Government

“New law requires 72 hours of notice for public meetings” by The Associated Press in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

From the State Legislatures

Virginia: “Lacey Putney, longest-serving Va. lawmaker, to retire” by The Associated Press in the Times Dispatch.

The Kentucky Legislature adjourned its regular session on March 26, 2013. In the final hours of the session, lawmakers passed a bill to secure the state’s pension fund; had they been unable to reach an agreement, a special session would have been likely.

However, the House of Representatives’ redistricting plan was not passed. The Kentucky Supreme Court struck down the Legislature’s first attempt at redistricting last year, finding the districts weren’t population-balanced and didn’t comply with the “one person, one vote” mandate.

The Senate decided to wait until next year’s legislative session to tackle redistricting, with leaders saying they wanted to pass both houses’ plans at the same time.

Governor Jerry Brown has called a special election for Assembly District 80 to fill a vacancy following the resignation of Assembly Member Ben Hueso.

The primary will be held May 21, 2013.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a special general election will be held on July 30, 2013.

Lobbying

“K St. winners and losers in budget votes” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

“K Street Files: SEIU Launches Immigration Ads” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

Georgia: “Drama over ethics reform builds toward session’s finale” by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Nevada: “State Senate votes for more lobbyist transparency” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Campaign Finance

New York: “OFA joins New York campaign finance reform fight” by Maggie Haberman in Politico.

West Virginia: “Campaign financing bill advances” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.

Ethics

Maryland: “Dixon to give talk, consider return to politics” by Jena Marbella in the Baltimore Sun.

From the State Legislatures

“Committee recommends Brooks be expelled from Legislature” by Anjeanette Damon in the Las Vegas Sun.

Political Advertising

“Think Your Advocacy Group is Not Subject to FEC Rules? Think Again.” in Political Law Briefing via Eric Brown’s Political Activity Law Blog.

Open Government

“New Transparency Grades Issued for States” by Mike Maciag in Government Technology.

Arkansas: “Arkansas gets ‘C’ in spending transparency report” in Arkansas News.

Tennessee: “Rep. Glen Casada withdraws bill on open meetings law” by The Associated Press in The Tennessean.

West Virginia: “W.Va.’s spending transparency grade falls” by Eric Eyre in the Charleston Gazette.

Redistricting

Florida: “Legislators ask court to shield them from having to testify over maps” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.

Lobbying

Georgia: “House makes ethics changes; Deal urges action” by Greg Bluestein, Aaron Gould Sheinin and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Ex-lawmakers go to lobbying-related jobs” by Fredreka Schouten in USA Today.

“Facebook’s Zuckerberg to launch lobby group with Washington consultants” by Jennifer Martinez in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

Florida: “Friend of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan evades prison time for illegal fundraising” by Susan Taylor Martin in the Tampa Bay Times.

Montana: “Bill to overhaul campaign finance law passes” by Charles S. Johnson in the Billings Gazette.

Ethics

“Michele Bachmann under investigation for campaign finance violations” by John Bresnahan and Byron Tau in Politico.

Connecticut: “Today’s lesson: Politicians dislike being called corrupt” by Mark Pazniokas in the Connecticut Mirror.

Texas: “Donations to Judicial Campaigns Spur Ethics Worries” by Maurice Chammah in the Texas Tribune.

Elections

Alabama: “Election runoffs targeted; legislation would allow candidates to win nominations with just 35 percent to win in a primary vote” by Brian Lyman in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Maine: “Bill would bar secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer from running for office” by Christopher Cousins in the Bangor Daily News.

From the State Legislatures

Idaho: “House targets Friday adjournment – barring mishaps” by The Associated Press in the Idaho State Journal.

South Dakota: “SD Legislature ends annual legislative session” in the Rapid City Journal.

Utah: “Utah Legislature passed record number of bills” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Government Tech

“San Francisco Tells New York: Our Data Is Bigger Than Your Data” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.

New York City mayoral candidate George McDonald has momentarily thrown up the white flag in his attempt to circumvent the contribution limits. McDonald, who is running for the Republican nomination, filed suit against the New York City Campaign Finance Board in hope of removing the city’s very strict contribution limits.

McDonald’s argument relied on the theory that the state’s contribution limits, which are higher than the city’s limits, superseded the city’s restrictions. McDonald had hoped for a quick resolution, but the court has taken nearly a month to decide the case and McDonald fears he is running low on time.

McDonald now plans on raising enough funds to qualify for the public financing system, meaning he will have to raise at least $250,000 from donations of up to $175. If he is able to do that, the city will give his campaign $1.5 million.

McDonald is considered a long shot to win the Republican nod as he is going up against a political veteran, Joseph Lhota, and a billionaire businessman, John A. Catsimatidis. McDonald has argued that the city’s laws give these two types of candidates an unfair advantage over first-time candidates.

McDonald’s lawsuit still must be decided by the court, but most experts believe he has little chance of winning.

Image of the flag of New York courtesy of Wikipedia.

On March 21, 2013, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) issued an advisory opinion deciding it does not have the jurisdiction to declare contribution limits unenforceable or unconstitutional for political committees making only independent expenditures.

Advisory Opinion 01-2013 holds current state registration and reporting requirements and contribution limits apply to political committees making independent expenditures.

Fund for Jobs and Growth, a political organization not registered in the state and intending to make independent expenditures in the state’s 2013 elections, requested the opinion in order to determine whether it needed to register and report with the state and whether the state contributions limits for political committees applied to its fundraising activity. The organization was held to be a political committee requiring registration and reporting.

While holding state contribution limits apply, the opinion notes several other jurisdictions have held contribution limits applied to political committees making independent expenditures are unconstitutional. ELEC did not find “that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has addressed these issues, nor has the United States Supreme Court issued a specific determination concerning the constitutionality of contribution limits for political committees making only independent expenditures.”

As students from grade school to grad school spend the week away from their studies, members of Congress and state legislatures are also taking time away from contentious issues and floor debates for a spring break of their own. The United States Congress is taking two weeks off to return home.

The legislatures in Alabama, California, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are also in recess this week and, in some cases, next week as well. New York is scheduled to be in its yearly Passover and Easter recess, but budget wrangling is delaying the start of the break.

A handful of states have already completed their spring recess, and Nebraska has a recess scheduled for April.

Lobbying

Georgia: “Lobbying reform: what’s gone down, what’s up next” by Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Pennsylvania: “Lobbying money flows in state store debate” by Steve Esack and Scott Kraus in the Morning Call.

Washington: “Washington Teachers’ Union Top Lobbying Spender In Olympia So Far” by Austin Jenkins in Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Campaign Finance

“Rules of the Game: Hispanic Caucus Leverages Latino Power” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

California: “Former ethics chief would ban fundraising while California lawmakers work” by Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee.

Florida: “House approves no limits on campaign contributions” by Mary Ellen Klas and Michael Van Sickler in the Miami Herald.

Florida: “Campaign finance bill allows higher limits, mandates quicker reporting” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.

Montana: “Coalition ‘blasts’ campaign finance bill” in the Independent Record.

Ethics

New Jersey: “Sexually explicit e-mails sent by Assemblyman Joe Cryan to lobbyist are revealed, report says” in the Star-Ledger.

From the State Legislatures

Georgia: “Georgia lawmakers have 3 days left” by Walter C. Jones in the Augusta Chronicle.

Kentucky: “Dizzying pace for Ky. legislators in next 2 days” by The Associated Press in the Bowling Green Daily News.

Mississippi: “Miss. state Rep. Jessica Upshaw found dead” by The Associated Press in the Hattiesburg American.

Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers to return from midsession break” by Chris Blank (Associated Press) in the Columbia Missourian.

Montana: “Montana Senate backs amendment to limit legislators to 16 years in office” by The Associated Press in the Missoulian.

Nevada: “Nevada Legislature sees quiet session so far” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review Journal.

New York: “No new budget bills; final voting pushed to Thursday” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Capitol Confidential.

Open Government

Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers don’t follow open records rules, auditor says” by Elizabeth Crisp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Tennessee: “Casada says open meetings bill can be fixed” by Lucas L. Johnson II (Associated Press) in The Tennessean.

Procurement

Kentucky: “Well-paid Kentucky lawmaker Dennis Horlander a toothless watchdog” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.

The Senate approved its version of a House ethics bill on Friday, March 25, 2013. Now the House and Senate are seeking common ground between the different versions of House Bill 142.

The House version of the bill bans most gifts from lobbyists to individual legislators, but allows unlimited gifts to legislative groups. The Senate version imposes a $100 gift cap and erases the exception for legislative groups, but does not limit the number of gifts allowed. The Senate version also erases the House version’s expanded lobbyist registration for unpaid advocates.

Both chambers are expected to appoint a joint committee to negotiate in an effort to reach compromise before the session reaches its scheduled end on Thursday, March 28, 2013.

Photo of the Georgia State Capitol dome by Connor Carey on Wikipedia.

The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics selected attorney Steven Cullen to be their new executive director.

Mr. Cullen was previously a judge and mediator. He replaces former executive director Alan Johnson, who left the Commission on Ethics to join the state attorney’s office.

Mr. Cullen plans to boost the commission’s public outreach and ethics education efforts.