Mayor Joshua J. Cohen has introduced legislation to revise the city’s ethics code, based upon recommendations prepared by the City Ethics Commission. Ordinance 41-12 will grant the commission additional power to impose penalties for ethics violations and will prohibit city officials from accepting tickets to sporting events.

The proposed legislation was reviewed and approved by the State Ethics Commission in late October. Annapolis is required by a 2011 state law to revise certain provisions of its ethics code.

The clerk of the legislature’s office is implementing voluntary electronic filing for lobbyist registration and reporting for the 2013 legislative session.

Paper filings will be accepted through 2014, and mandatory electronic filing will be implemented January 1, 2015.

Governor Steve Beshear has set December 18, 2012 as the date of a special election to fill the 16th district senate seat.

The seat was held by senate president David Williams, who resigned upon his appointment to circuit judge.

The timing of the election will allow the seat to be filled before the start of the 2013 legislative session.

Campaign Finance

“Result Won’t Limit Campaign Money Any More Than Ruling Did” by Nicholas Confessore in The New York Times.

“It’s hard to follow the money” by Ruth Marcus in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

“Campaign finance reform on Klobuchar’s to-do list” by John Croman in KARE11 News.

“Super-PACs already planning for 2014” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Colbert shuts down super PAC” by Kevin Robillard in Politico.

California: “Secret donation hindered campaigns, GOP advisors say” by Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times.

Illinois:  “Illinois congressional races belie fears that outside, anonymous money can buy elections” by John O’Connor in The Republic.

Kentucky:  “Three Kentucky Agencies Probe Requests for Political Contributions” by The Associated Press in WKU Public Radio.

Montana: “Montana Voters Overwhelmingly Said That Corporations Aren’t People” by Erin Fuchs in Business Insider.

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma political action committee fails to file campaign financial reports” by Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman.

Texas: “County moving toward digitizing campaign finance reports” by Nolan Hicks in the San Antonio Express-News.

Lobbying

“Super PACs Make Move to Lobbying” by Elizan Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“Street Talk: Plum K St. Jobs Scarce in Post-Election Market” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Good news for lobbyists: Cyber dollars” by James Ball in The Washington Post.

“Majority of K Street Lobbyists’ Former Capitol Hill Staff” by David K. Rehr in the Huffington Post.

California: “Tim Howe, longtime political consultant and lobbyist, dies” by Robert D. Davila in the Sacramento Bee.

Ethics

District of Columbia: “Former DC Council chairman to be sentenced for bank fraud, campaign finance violation” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.

Illinois: “Blago gets ‘booked’” by Mackenzie Weinger in Politico.

Maryland:  “Annapolis To Revise City Ethics Code” by Anna Staver in the Annapolis Patch.

Campaigns and Elections

“Obama’s Victory Is a Win for Big Data” by Steve Towns in Government Technology.

Federal:

Spending by Independent Groups Had Little Election Impact, Analysis Finds

From the States and Municipalities:

Arkansas

State Senator’s Campaign Money Went to Girlfriend, Records Show

California

California’s $11 Million Campaign Donation Source Tied to Koch Brothers, Research Reveals

California

Labor Defeats Anti-Union Initiative in California

Colorado

Denver DA Launches Criminal Probe of Secretary of State Scott Gessler

Georgia

50 State Lawmakers Back Ethics Pledge

Illinois

Indicted Former Lawmaker [Wins] State House race

Massachusetts

Trial Starts; Jury to Decide if Cahill Broke Ethics Law during Campaign

Montana

Secretive Conservative Group’s Records Released

Ohio

Issues 1, 2 Overwhelmingly Defeated

Texas

HISD Trustee Got Cut of Contracts Awarded to Associate, Records Show

Washington

Ethics Fines May Follow Gifts of Liquor to City Light Trainer

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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.

Voters approved an amendment to the state constitution requiring the governor and lieutenant governor to run on the same ticket.

Beginning with the general election of 2018, the lieutenant governor will no longer be elected separately and will no longer preside over the senate.

Voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 65, a ballot measure that instructs the Colorado congressional delegation to propose, and the state legislature to ratify, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn Citizens United.

While the results are heralded by watchdog groups like Colorado Common Cause as a clear sign that Colorado voters want action on the issue of corporate political spending, the measure has no legal significance as it cannot force the state’s congressional delegation or legislature to take any action.

A runoff election will be held for Mississippi House District 52 on November 27, 2012.

The top two candidates in the special election held November 6 are Bill Kinkade and Jeremy Bryan.

They are vying for the seat vacated by Representative Tommy Woods, who resigned on the advice of his doctors after suffering a mild stroke after the last election.

Voters defeated Proposition 32 and the effort to prohibit corporations and unions from collecting money for state political activities through paycheck deductions. The initiative would have impacted unions the most since corporations rarely deduct money from employee pay for political activities.

If Proposition 32 had passed, unions and corporations would have been prohibited from making donations directly to state candidates. It would not have stopped corporations, individuals, or unions from spending unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns through independent expenditure committees.

Initiative 166 passed yesterday, charging Montana’s officials to implement a policy that corporations are not human beings with constitutional rights.

The initiative is a reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Additionally, Montana’s congressional delegation is now charged with offering an amendment to the United States constitution which would overturn the Citizens United decision, establish that corporations are not human beings with constitutional rights, establish that campaign contributions and expenditures by corporations be prohibited at any level of government, and achieve “a level playing field in election spending.”

The initiative also directs the state’s elected and appointed officials to regard “money as property, not speech.”

Voters rejected changing Arizona’s primary election system to a top-two structure.

Proposition 121 would have allowed primary elections in which all voters, regardless of party affiliation, vote in a single and combined primary. The top two vote-getters for each seat would then have advanced to a general election ballot. The proposition would not have affected elections where no party affiliation appears on a ballot.

Voters also rejected a proposition aimed squarely at the judicial department. Proposition 115 would have increased the term length of judges and raised their retirement ages.

The proposition additionally included procedural changes, such as requiring court decisions to be published online, requiring the Supreme Court to send copies of judicial performance reviews for each judge who is up for retention to the legislature, and allowing a joint legislative committee to meet and take testimony on justices and judges up for retention.

Campaign Finance

“Outside Spending Defines Elections” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

California: “California’s 11th-hour, $11 million campaign finance uproar” by Alexander Burns in Politico.

California: “California watchdog only half-way to bottom of Arizona donation” by Peter Henderson (Reuters) in the Chicago Tribune.

Maine:  “Ethics Commission Rules a Republican Candidate Violated State Election Law” by The Associated Press in WABI News.

Lobbying

“2 firms unite in Capitol lobbying” by Mary Jo Pitzl in the Arizona Republic.

Ethics

“Campaigns use secretive ethics process as weapon against opponents” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.

Campaigns and Elections

“One Final Preview of the Election” by Meagan Dorsch in NCSL’s The Thicket.

“5 Unforgettable Social Media Election Moments” by Juliet Barbara in Forbes.

“How to cut through social media noise on Election Night” by Jenna Sakwa on CBS News.

A Federal District Court has held Congress may constitutionally bar federal contractors from contributing to candidates, parties, and their committees.

Finding in favor of the Federal Election Committee (FEC), the United States District Court for The District of Columbia granted a summary judgment on Friday, November 2.

In Wagner v. FEC, the Court rejected challenges to the constitutionality of section 441c of Title 2 of the U.S. Code, which prohibits any vendors with contracts with the federal government from making political contributions to federal candidates or political parties.

The case, initially brought by the ACLU, asked the Court to declare the law unconstitutional as applied to individuals who have personal services contracts with federal agencies. Because federal workers who are not contractors may make federal political contributions, while contractors performing the same work may not, the suit argued section 441c violates both the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and the First Amendment.

The Court found no First Amendment or Equal-Protection violations, noting “the dissimilar roles of contractors and employees, moreover, justify the distinct regulatory schemes that the Government has fashioned.”