Governor Phil Bryant has set November 6, 2012 as the date of a special election to fill the District 19 senate seat.

The seat was previously held by retired Senator Merle Flowers, who resigned effective July 11, citing a need to spend more time with his family.

Photo of Governor Bryant courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted on Wikipedia.

“DISCLOSE Act dies again” by Tarini Parti  in Politico.

“Secret political donors remain secret” by Charles Riley in CNN Money.

“Campaign finance reformer McCain blasts DISCLOSE” by Tarini Parti in Politico’s blog On Congress.

Attending from 11 Midwestern states and four Canadian provinces, legislators have gathered in Cleveland for the 67^th annual meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments from July 15 through the 18. The conference is being held in the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, giving legislators a taste of Cleveland.

Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Inc. is attending the meeting to observe as legislators discuss the need for regional and economic improvements.

According to the Cleveland brochure for the 2012 conference, five political speakers will give presentations at the meeting, including the host, Ohio representative Armond Budish. The reception took place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Events in the evening will give the attendees the opportunity to bond and participate in discussions, while the Family Night at the FirstEnergy Powerhouse building allows time for family fun.

Referring to the annual meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference, Senator Kate Sullivan of Nebraska was quoted in the brochure, stating that it is “a time for networking with colleagues, learning from each other, listening to great presenters, all with the overarching reminder that we, as legislators, have been elected to ‘govern’ and that it is done best in the spirit of bi-partisanship.”

Through a variety of activities and events, the 67^th annual meeting of the Midwestern Legislatives Conference in Cleveland will bring together legislators to expand on regional matters while enjoying the sites of the city.

Campaign Finance

Connecticut: “Vote to kill filibuster on campaign finance bill fails, despite Connecticut senators’ support” by Ana Radelat in the CT Mirror.

Florida: “Unlimited campaign contributions finding a route to Florida lawmakers” by Steve Bousquet in the Miami Herald.

Lobbying

“ALEC struggles to retain members” by Steve Terrell in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“Tech lobbyists’ new mantra: Strength through unity” by Michelle Quinn in Politico.

Connecticut:  “Lobbyists form SuperPAC to help Murphy in Senate race” by Ana Radelat in the CT Mirror.

Government Ethics

“Former top state administrator fined for conflicts of interest” by Jennifer Gollan in the Bay Citizen.

Gov 2.0

“Despite Cuomo’s Vow of Sunlight, a Bid to Keep Aides’ E-Mail in the Dark” by Thomas Kaplan in The New York Times.

“What Social Media Do Government Officials Use Most?” by Matt Williams in Government Technology.

“Senate heads for vote on disclosure of hidden donors” by Tom Curry in NBC Politics.

“Democratic super PACs reel in $25 million” by Dave Levinthal and Kenneth P. Vogel in Politico.

“Citizens United didn’t just open money floodgates for corporations” by Anjeanette Damon in the Las Vegas Sun.

Connecticut:  “Donovan campaign returns $27,660 in contributions” by Susan Haigh (Associated Press) in the Boston Globe.

Minnesota:  “Minnesota Republican Party fined; accused of illegal contributions, circumventing laws” by Bill Salisbury in the Pioneer Press.

Rhode Island:  “R.I. Rep. Langevin near paying off $127,000 campaign-finance fine” by Philip Marcelo.

Tennessee:  “PACs flood Tennessee General Assembly campaigns with cash” by Andy Sher in the Times Free Press.

“50 politicos to watch: Lobbyists” by Abby Phillip in Politico.

California: “Calif. lobbyist believes his attempt to buy sports team sparked identity theft scheme” by Dale Kasler in the Boston Herald.

Connecticut: “Connecticut businesses, lawmakers, keep ties to controversial group” by Ana Radelat by the CT Mirror.

Kansas: “Lobbyist spending in Topeka grows 14 percent” by Brad Cooper in the Kansas City Star.

North Carolina: “Brubaker’s resignation last week allows him to begin lobbying sooner, Fitzsimon notes” by Rob Christensen in the News Observer.

Pennsylvania:  “New website tracks lobbying money in Philly politics” by Zack Seward in WHYY Newsworks.

A ballot initiative in Montana advocating a state policy that corporations are not entitled to constitutional rights because they are not human beings has been qualified by the Secretary of State for the November ballot.

Initiative No. 166, the “Prohibition on Corporate Contributions and Expenditures in Montana Elections Act,” asks voters to choose whether to charge elected and appointed officials to prohibit corporate campaign contributions and expenditures, limit political spending in elections, and, in the case of Montana’s congressional delegation, propose a joint resolution offering an amendment to the United States Constitution establishing that corporations are not human beings entitled to constitutional rights.

Included in the text of the initiative are directives for elected and appointed officials when carrying out public policy. These directives include “that the people of Montana regard money as property, not speech, … there should be a level playing field in campaign spending that allows all individuals, regardless of wealth, to express their views to one another and their government,” and the rights under the United States Constitution are the rights of human beings, “not rights of corporations.”

Code for America is a favorite topic of mine. In what they are calling a new public service, the organization gathers great talent to write apps to solve problems in our cities and make government run better. Brilliant!

Well, at 3 p.m. this afternoon Code for America is holding a question and answer session. Don’t miss the chance to ask Code for America founder Jennifer Pahlka about how to get your city involved, or how existing apps are already helping people around the nation.

According to their announcement:

“Considering applying for 2013 fellowship? Wondering about an app built this year? Or maybe you want to know why she founded Code for America? Or which of her eight chickens is her favorite?”

Kudos to Code for America!

Through a finance explorer site featured by the Washington Post, the 2012 presidential campaign statistics display the development of the 10 candidates. This site includes tracking of campaign funds, contribution sizes of Super PACs and campaigns, and maps that indicate the amount of money each state provides the candidates.

Charts on this site compare raised money to spent money for each candidate during the campaign. The site allows the viewer to choose and compare the funds of two candidates at a time. Below the charts are graphs that indicate the amount of money raised and spent over a given time for the candidates.

Two color-coded interactive maps display contributions to campaigns and super PACs greater than $200. Simply by placing the cursor over a state, the amount of money contributed appears over the state on both maps, allowing for a clear comparison of two presidential candidates at a time. The site also includes a link to the names of the biggest donors to super PACs.

As the presidential candidates continue to progress, this site helps viewers keep track of the financial changes in the campaign. Have fun exploring this site and have a great weekend!

The Fair Political Practices Commission has approved a change to simplify lobbyist reporting requirements for “drop-in” events.

The amendment to regulation 18640 allows appetizers and beverages to be excluded from the gift valuation for an official who does not stay for any meal or entertainment. The value of the gift is now any specific item, other than food, presented to the official and guest accompanying the official, if the official notifies the lobbyist in writing that the official did not stay for any meal or entertainment.

The amendment provides consistency with regulation 18946.2(e), which was previously amended to exclude the value of appetizers and drinks from the value of a gift received by an official who briefly appears or drops by an invitation-only event. Prior to the amendment, the value of the gift received was limited to the actual value of the food and beverages consumed by the official and guest, along with the value of any specific item received at the event.

Image of the Seal of California courtesy of Zscout370 on Wikipedia.

Federal:

Campaign Donations by Text? Not So fast, Wireless Carriers Say

From the States and Municipalities:

Arkansas

Ethics Measure Falls Short of Signature Goal

California

Bill Would Hire Commission to Enforce County’s Campaign Finance Ordinance

California

Pass the Canapés: Now, lobbyists can serve appetizers, not report it

Colorado

Colorado Public Trustee Spending Raises Red Flags

Connecticut

Feds Indict Braddock, Claim Conspiracy Began Last Year

District of Columbia

Vast ‘Shadow Campaign’ Said to Have Aided Gray in 2010

Florida

Miramar Commissioners Approve $2,500 Stipend for Themselves

Illinois

Quinn Abolishes Legislative Scholarships

Illinois

Quinn Signs Super PAC Campaign Finance Law

New York

Cuomo Turns to Campaign Finance

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.

Following the work of New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) has become easier through social media. According to a press release by Executive Director Jeff Brindle, the agency now has a presence on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll find updates about campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics news. This is probably the quickest way to keep up with meeting agendas and reporting dates.

ELEC has been maintaining a channel on YouTube since 2008 and now has  21 videos giving brief overviews of issues like lobbying, pay-to-play, and reporting.

A hat tip goes to John Schoonejongen, whose article, “You can now follow ELEC on Facebook, Twitter” in the Asbury Park Press, brought this news to our attention.

The Alaska Legislative Ethics Committee has issued an advisory opinion allowing incumbent legislators to sign pre-election pledges during re-election campaigns.

So long as the pledge is in exchange only for an endorsement or a promise of an endorsement it does not violate the Legislative Ethics Act. However, the committee also determined the signing of pre-election pledges in a quid pro quo exchange for a campaign contribution or a promise of a campaign contribution would violate the act.

Special interest groups often request candidates to take positions on certain topics by signing a pledge.

Lobbying

“Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who spent years in prison, gets radio show for Clear Channel” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.

Campaign Finance

“Senate Dems offer new version of DISCLOSE Act to fight Citizens United ruling” by Pete Kasperowicz in The Hill.

“Democrats push for campaign finance disclosure, again” by Tomer Ovadia in Politico.

“FEC Gridlock No Help to Obama Campaign” by Justin Worland in Roll Call.

Connecticut: “Feds indict Braddock, claim conspiracy began last year” by Mark Pazniokas in the CT Mirror.

District of Columbia: “Mayor Vincent C. Gray knew of campaign finance violations in January, sources say” by Mike DeBonis and Nikita Stewart in The Washington Post.

Montana:  “Mont. ballot initiative advocates ban on corporate money in elections” by Jessica M. Karmasek in LegalNewsline.