Governor Jay Nixon is set to announce June 4, 2013 as the date of a special election to fill Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District. Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson submitted a letter of resignation to become president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

The Eighth District will not have voting representation in the House until June due to state law and the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act. The MOVE Act requires local election authorities to begin transmitting ballots to military and overseas voters 45 days before a general, primary, or special election for federal office.

State law allows independent candidates to file for special elections up to the midway point between when an election is called and when it is actually held. Republican and Democratic party committees will nominate their candidates for the special election.

The special election to fill House District 1 and succeed Tim Scott in Congress is attracting notable candidates including Democrat Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, the sister of Comedy Central’s Steven Colbert. Colbert-Busch works at Clemson University as director of sales and marketing for the Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility.

Republican candidates include wealthy businessman Martin Skelly and former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.

The special primary is scheduled for March 19. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held April 2. The special election will be held May 7, 2013.

Lobbying

“Washington Parties, K Street Pays” by Chris Frates in National Journal.

“Ben Nelson among ex-lawmakers to K Street” by Tarini Parti in Politico.

“Lobbyists of all stripes swarm President Obama’s gun-control proposals” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Virginia:  “Uranium backers gave gifts, donations to lawmakers” by Bob Lewis in the Winston-Salem Journal.

Wisconsin: “Former Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald lobbying” by The Associated Press in the News Times.

Campaign Finance

New Jersey: “Corporations face new rules on disclosing political donations” by Juliet Fletcher in the Bergen Record.

New York:  “Lawmakers scrambling to raise funds ahead of Cuomo’s promised campaign reform” by Carl Campanile in the New York Post.

Ethics

New Mexico: “Democrat wants bill to ban use of state resources for political reasons” by Steve Terrell in the New Mexican.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Obama’s Inauguration Live-Tweeted by the White House” in Government Technology.

“Facebook Graph Search Announcement Inspires IT Leaders” by Colin Wood in Government Technology.

“Obama calls for new ideas and technology to ‘remake’ government” by Eric Katz and Kedar Pavgi in Government Executive.

Governor Jay Nixon has set April 2 as the date for a special election to fill the vacant seat in House District 157.

The seat became vacant after State Representative Don Ruzicka was appointed to serve on the Board of Probation and Parole.

The governor has also issued an April 2 writ of election for House District 76.

Photo of Governor Nixon by Bernard Pollack on Wikipedia.

With Pennsylvania poised to outsource control of the state lottery, Representative Brandon Neuman plans to ensure political contributions do not muddy the waters. Neuman has announced plans to introduce legislation making it illegal for any company running the state lottery to make campaign contributions to elected officials and political candidates.

Corporate contributions are already banned in the commonwealth, but Neuman sees this prohibition extending to anyone involved in making profits from the lottery’s operation. Neuman is worried about the integrity of the contract process and said “We don’t even want the perception of doing things because of campaign donations.”

The lottery deal is still being reviewed and must ultimately be approved by the attorney general.

Lobbying

“Obama Expected to Ease Lobby Posture” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“K Street Files: Lieberman Aide to Artemis Strategies” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

Canada: “Canada finance minister apologizes after reprimand for lobbying” by David Ljunggren in Reuters.

Texas:  “Lobbying groups maintain presence in state capitol during legislative session” by Enrique Rangel in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Campaign Finance

“10 biggest beneficiaries of Citizens United” by Laura Gottesdiener in Salon.

Colorado:  “Denver rally calls for campaign finance changes” on ABC 7 News.

Colorado:  “Who is and isn’t obeying Colo. voters on campaign finance?” by Brandon Rittiman in NBC 9 News.

Indiana:  “Hoosiers Protest Citizens United In Indianapolis” by Brandon Smith in Indiana Public Media.

Ethics

“Obama’s Ethics Agenda Backfires” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

Florida:  “Major ethics bill unveiled in Tallahassee” in the St. Augustine Record.

Idaho: “House takes up push to revamp ethics commission” by The Associated Press in the Idaho Statesman.

Kentucky: “Metro Council to ask legislature to approve subpoena power for Ethics Commission” by Sheldon S. Shafer in the Courier-Journal.

Texas:  “The Texas Tribune launches interactive Lawmaker Explorer tool” by Ryan Lakich in CultureMap Austin.

Ethics

“Lawmakers in Southeast call for ethics reform” by Nicholas Kusnetz in The Center for Public Integrity.

Louisiana: “Former New Orleans mayor indicted on federal corruption charges” by Michael Martinez in CNN News.

Oregon:  “Oregon ethics board: Gov. John Kitzhaber can be paid speaker fees” by Christian Gaston in the Oregonian.

Citizens United

“Overturning Citizens United” by Tim Redmond in the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

Maryland: “Rally in Annapolis protests Citizens United decision” by Hannah Anderson in the Daily Record.

New Jersey: “N.J. coalition calls for overturn of ‘Citizens United’ campaign contribution decision” by Phil Gregory in Newsworks New Jersey.

Washington: “Sen. Kline wants a state response to Citizens United” by Brad Shannon in The Olympian.

Legislative Issues

“Poll: 75 percent want Hill term limits” by Katie Glueck in Politico.

Arkansas:  “Lawmakers complete first week of session” by Rob Moritz in Arkansas News

Government Social Media

“CIO Council to agency IT shops: Get smart on social media and open government” in NextGov.

Open Government

Florida: “Senate starts over in quest to build a transparency website” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.

National:

Revolving Door Swings Freely in America’s Statehouses

Federal:

Sandy Lobbying Hinged on Governors

From the States and Municipalities:

California – California’s Lobby Laws Keep Many Influence-Peddling Details Secret

Florida – Sweeping Ethics Bill Would Curtail Lobbying by Lawmakers

Georgia – Senate Passes Ethics Rule, Maintains Restriction on Public Complaints

Kansas – Ethics Commission Recommends Fee Increase

Missouri – Kander Puts an End to Accepting Gifts from Lobbyists

Nevada – Lobbyists Ready Themselves for Legislative Session

Ohio – Cuyahoga County Corruption Investigation Winds Down to the Finish as Bulk of Case Completed

Oklahoma – Oklahoma Ethics Commission Hires New Director

Oregon – Commission Says Kitzhaber Can Accept Payment for Health-Policy Speeches

South Carolina – Sanford Checked with Ex-Wife before Entering Race for SC House Seat

Texas – For Ethics Commission, Big Hurdles to Reform

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.

The state has announced that two special elections will be held on May 21 to replace two outgoing state representatives. In district 42, voters will be looking for Matt Smith’s replacement after he ran and won for both a seat in the state house and state senate.

The voters in district 95 will be replacing Eugene DePasquale, who left his position to become the state’s auditor general.

Primary elections will not be held for either of these seats, as the parties will be choosing their nominees.

The Fifty-Seventh Inauguration Official Website

“Inaugural Funds Raise Questions” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“Why Sunday? Obama’s dual inauguration ceremonies honor tradition and law” by Dan Merica in CNN Politics.

“All the President’s Shoes: Inaugural Product Placement” by Ira Boudway in Bloomberg Businessweek.

“7 Huge Mistakes of Inaugurations Past” by Mark Micheli in Government Executive.

“Hotels Hit by Second Inaugural Slowdown” by Joshua Miller in Roll Call.

“Smaller Crowds May Ease Security Problems” by Rob Margetta in Roll Call.

“Braving the Elements on Inauguration Day” by Niels Lesniewski in Roll Call.

“Capturing the Presidential Inauguration from Space” by Chris Herwig on PBS Idea Lab.

“President Obama’s Inaugural 2.0: Breaking the Second-Term Jinx” by David Kusnet in the Huffington Post.

“Presidential Inauguration: What to do when you’re in town celebrating” by John Gonzalez in ABC News.

“Presidential inauguration guide for the disabled and elderly” by Alex Kane Rudansky in the Washington Post.

The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission is seeking changes to the fees it charges for lobbyist and political action committee registrations. The commission’s executive director Carol Williams said the commission has not determined the amount of the increase it plans to propose, but that it will likely be a modest amount.

The fees for lobbyists and PACs have not increased in 12 years and the commission receives about a third of its funding through fees. The commission is also recommending an increase in the threshold amount at which a person must register as a lobbyist, from the current $100 in expenditures for lobbying to $500. The current threshold has not increased in 25 years, and the commission believes the proposed amount is a reasonable inflation factor.

As someone who grew up in, let’s say, an earlier television era, Schoolhouse Rock has always held a place of honor in my memory. I learned many things about grammar and American government in these three-minute video gems.  This month marks the 40th anniversary of their debut on ABC TV.

Here are a pair of nice tributes to the anniversary: “’I’m just a bill:’ Schoolhouse Rock, 40 years later, still teaches generations” by Kevin Bohn in CNN Politics and “On Schoolhouse Rock’s 40th Anniversary, A Canadian Reflects” by Dana Grinshpan in Government Executive.

To me, the quintessential “America Rock” was I’m Just a Bill. Take a look!

There are so many others. Don’t miss the official Schoolhouse Rock! YouTube Channel where you can relive your favorite memories with Presidential Minute, Conjunction Junction, Figure Eight,  I’m Gonna Send Your Vote to College, and many more.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Florida Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections is working on a proposed bill to revise the state’s ethics law.

The draft language relating to lobbying and gift law in the bill establishes a fine for executive branch lobbyists for failure to provide required information or knowingly providing false information in a report, and prohibits vendors from providing gifts to reporting individuals or procurement employees. Other changes the committee is considering include:

• Restrictions on former legislators’ employment as a lobbyist, such as ban on executive branch lobbying and a prohibition on becoming a partner, principal, or employee of a firm whose primary business is lobbying the state legislature within the two years after a legislator leaves office; and
• A prohibition on or reduced gift limit for gifts to covered individuals from committees of continuous existence, or CCEs. House Speaker Will Weatherford has called for elimination of CCEs, which are often used by legislators to pay for meals, travel, and gifts.

The committee plans to have final draft language available on January 18, and plans to consider the proposed bill at its January 22 meeting.

Lobbying

“Actor John Corbett gives lobbying new tune” by Patrick Gavin in Politico.

“K Street Files: Business Roundtable Weighs In on Entitlements” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.

“NRA’s lobbying bags big legislative wins in states over the past two decades” by Peter Wallsten and Tom Hamburger in The Washington Post.

Campaign Finance

Iowa:  “Senators target campaign spending reform in Iowa” by Jason Noble in Des Moines Register.

Maryland: “Groups to rally in Maryland to urge for campaign finance reforms” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.

Ethics

“Former FEMA exec pleads guilty to conflict of interest charges” by Kegar Pavgi in Government Executive.

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

“California ethics commission is at a crossroads” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

Oregon:  “Oregon ethics board will consider Kitzhaber speaking fees” by Christian Gaston in The Oregonian.

Texas:  “For Ethics Commission, Big Hurdles to Reform” by Morgan Smith in the Texas Tribune.

Texas:  “Ethics bill would require disclosure of lawmakers’ contracts with state of Texas” by Mark Lisheron in Texas Watchdog.