“RI Sen. Whitehouse, McCain ask U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Montana campaign finance restrictions” by John E. Mulligan in the Providence Journal.

“Can Montana brief end Citizens United?” by Adam Skaggs in Politico.

“Even Before ‘Citizens United,’ Big Donors Dominated” by Peter Overby on NPR.

“Closing arguments in John Edwards trial” by David Zucchino in the Los Angeles Times.

Illinois: “Illinois might nix money caps if super PACs enter fray” by The Associated Press in the News Gazette.

Virginia:  “Campaign finance law before appeals court in Richmond” by Larry O’Dell in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

National:

ALEC Memo Instructed Members to ‘Navigate Away’ from Tough Questions

Protesters Disrupt WellPoint Annual Meeting

Federal:

Court Ruling May Force Advocacy Groups to Disclose Secret Donors

Ex-Lawmakers on K Street Avoid ‘Scarlet L,’ Shy Away from Registering as Lobbyists

Gay Political Donors Move from Margins to Mainstream

From the States and Municipalities:

Arizona

State Legislator Arrested in FBI Sting

Kentucky

City Paid Louisville Metro Councilwoman’s Grandson While Jailed

Missouri

Rush Limbaugh Inducted into Hall of Famous Missourians

Missouri

Spence Criticized for Handing Out Sports Tickets to Lawmakers

Montana

Judge Strikes Down More Election Laws

New York

Business Lobby Supporting Cuomo Files Late Data

New York

Study: Matching funds up donor diversity in NYC

Tennessee

Tennessee Legislative Event Costs Totaled

Wisconsin

Armageddon in Wisconsin

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.

Delaware is now a signature away from adding to its lobbyist reporting requirements. On Thursday, the House passed Senate Bill 185, leaving the bill only a governor’s signature away from becoming a law.

The bill requires lobbyists to report to the Public Integrity Commission the identity of each bill, resolution, or regulation they have lobbied for or against. These reports would be due within five days after the first direct communication a lobbyist makes. The Public Integrity Commission will make the reports available online so that the public will be able to see who is lobbying on each measure going through the legislature.

If the governor signs the bill, which he is expected to do, the law would become effective in 2013.

Photo of Legislative Hall in Dover courtesy of Joshua Daniel Franklin on Wikipedia.

This week’s highlighted site focuses on providing transparency of internal congressional spending. LegiStorm researches and publishes public documents relating to, among other things, congressional salaries, financial disclosures and gifts received by members of Congress and their staff.

The website began focusing primarily on salary data but has grown to include information about lobbying data, earmarks, and trips taken by members and their staff. Additionally, LegiStorm posts studies and research on a number issues related to congressional spending and the revolving door between congress and the private sector.

From the website: “The information is provided in a strictly factual, non-partisan fashion. We have no political affiliations and no political purpose except to make the workings of Congress as transparent as possible. We expect this resource to be useful to journalists, researchers, lobbyists and current and would-be staffers – as well as regular citizens who simply want to know how their representatives spend public money.”

Utilizing a very user friendly interface, the website provides intuitive searches of past and current congressional members and staffers. Information includes biographical data, offices held, organization memberships and even family connections on the hill.

LegiStorm offers various levels of membership. Anyone is free to access much of the information provided, but those looking for a more detailed analysis can subscribe on either an express, monthly or annual basis. If you’d like to see how your money is being spent on the people in Congress who work for you, check out LegiStorm.

Enjoy the weekend.

Campaign Finance

New Mexico: “King Appeals Ruling on PAC Donations” by James Monteleone in the Albuquerque Journal.

Lobbying

“Ex-lawmakers on K Street avoid ‘Scarlet L,’ shy away from registering as lobbyists” by Kevin Bogardus and Rachel Leven in The Hill.

“Common Cause complaint: ALEC skirting lobbying laws” by Beth Hawkins in MinnPost.com.

“Sports Lobby Is a Multi-Million-Dollar Enterprise” by Laurie Bennett in First Street.

Phildaelphia, PA: “Blackwell, others fined for campaign violations” by Catherine Lucey in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Washington: “Washington State Public Disclosure Commission adds lobbying data to online database” in the Maple Valley Reporter.

Ethics

Arizona: “State legislator Arredondo indicted in FBI sting” by JJ Hensley, Mary Jo Pitzl, and Craig Harris in The Arizona Republic.

Missouri: “Spence criticized for handing out sports tickets to lawmakers” by Jake Wagman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania governor, lawmakers report gifts, travel” by John L. Micek in The Morning Call.

From the State Legislatures

Alabama: “Bentley calls special session to address redistricting” by Sebastian Kitchen in the Montgomery Advertiser.

California: “California’s Prop. 28 would let legislative leaders serve longer stints” by Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee.

Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, is attending the Council of State Governments’ National Leadership Conference 2012.

She was appointed to CSG’s Intergovernmental Affairs Committee for the 2011/2012 term.

The event is being held in La Quinta, California, and runs from May 17-20.

The 18 month time-limit prohibiting political contributions under New Jersey’s pay-to-play law starts from the time when bids for a request for proposals (RFP) are submitted, a court has ruled.

The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey affirmed a decision prohibiting Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc. from contracting with the New Jersey Schools Development Authority because of a political contribution given prior to Langan’s submission of its bid. Langan had submitted its bid on the due date for the RFP.

The Court examined the language in N.J.S.A. §19:44A-20.14, which describes the prohibition period as “within the 18 months immediately preceding the commencement of negotiations for the contract or agreement.”

The Court reasoned, “[W]e deem the point at which bids are submitted to be the time when ‘negotiations’ occur. Stated differently, because the submission of the bid is the triggering event culminating in the eventual award of a contract, and because the term ‘negotiations’ suggests a point in time at the beginning of the contracting process … the term ‘negotiations’ describes the point in time when bids are submitted. Consequently, we conclude that the agency’s receipt of bids constitutes the ‘commencement of negotiations’.” It rejected the appellant’s contention that a disqualification period begins on the day a political contribution is made, and continues for the next eighteen months.

As the national party conventions draw nearer, the race to obtain a majority of the 2286 delegates available to secure the GOP nomination appears to be well within the grasp of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Following Tuesday’s primary wins in Nebraska and Oregon, the Associated Press and NBC News project Gov. Romney now has 989 of the 1144 delegates needed to become the Republican nominee for President. While most of Gov. Romney’s competitors have suspended their campaigns, (Congressman Ron Paul remains in the race) the governor must still obtain the necessary delegates in order to be officially nominated at the GOP convention in Tampa Bay, Florida, August 27-30.

Romney can potentially pick up 81 proportionally allocated delegates in the next two primaries in Arkansas and Kentucky on May 22. If he then wins the “winner-take-all” Texas primary, and its 155 delegates, on May 29, Romney will assuredly lock up the nomination heading into the summer. The Washington Post has an excellent, interactive delegate tracker and primer to help make sense of the GOP primary process.

As the Republican nominee, donors are certain to coalesce around Romney which he will need in order to mount a formidable campaign. April fundraising reports are due to the Federal Election Commission on May 20th.

President Obama’s campaign has already begun to leak numbers announcing that it raised $43.6 million total in April for the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and other committees such as Organizing for America, a project of the DNC founded in January 2009. While the President’s numbers are lower than the $45 million raised in February and $53 million in March, President Obama still maintains a large overall fundraising advantage over Gov. Romney.

Gov. Romney’s campaign also leaked fundraising numbers today ahead of Friday’s deadline (campaigns are required to submit reports prior to the deadline if the due date falls on a weekend or holiday). The Romney campaign, along with the Republican National Committee and other committees, raised $40.1 million in April, just $3.5 million behind the President’s campaign.

If these fundraising numbers are any indication, we’ve only just begun.

Photo of President Barack Obama courtesy of Pete Souza on Wikipedia. Photo of Mitt Romney courtesy of Gage Skidmore on Wikipedia.

“House Republicans Relaunch Speaker.gov” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.

Having a good social media policy in place is crucial: “Think before You Tweet” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.

Social-media style journalism and the Obama campaign: “We’re All Journalists, Indeed: Obama Campaign Guests Checked Mobile Phones at the Door” by Nick Judd in TechPresident.

Do-it-youself ROI for government websites: “Free Tool Gauges Website Engagement Effectiveness” by Brian Heaton in Government Technology.

Election Law

NCSL is now offering a searchable database of election reform legislation from the states in one convenient location on their website: “Election Reform Legislation Online on NCSL Website”

“Brewer signs elections bill, vetoes 6 bills” by Mary JO Pitzl in the Tucson Citizen.

Redistricting

Alabama: “Alabama Legislature holding final day of session” by The Associated Press in the News Courier. According to the article, “Legislative leaders have asked the governor to call a special session starting Thursday to draw new legislative districts.”

Alaska: “Redistricting board unveils changes made in Southeast” by Becky Bohrer in the Anchorage Daily News.

Kansas: “Republicans at war with each other over redistricting” by Scott Rothschild in the Lawrence Journal World.

Minnesota: “$628K sought for redistricting costs in Minn.” by Martiga Lohn (Associated Press) in the Crookston Times.

Campaign Finance

“Ads highlight cozy campaign-super PAC relationship” by Beth Fouhy in The Associated Press.

“Sen. McCain huddles with Dems on campaign finance reform” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

“Edwards’ campaign finance chairman paid mistress” by Michael Biesecker in Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Judges refuse to block disclosure ruling” by The Associated Press in Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Election decision may force disclosure of secret donors” by Matea Gold in the Los Angeles Times.

Lobbying

“Lobbying firms get big paydays in Tallahassee” by Jim Saunders in The Miami Herald.

“Law firm’s collapse leaves lobbying clients up for grabs” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Ethics

“Ethics Panel Opens Inquiry Into No. 2 Leader in State Senate” by Danny Hakim in The New York Times.

“‘Stunt’ alleged in ethics pursuit” by Casey Seiler in the Albany Times Union.

Sen. Baucus’ constitutional amendment to dismantle the Citizens United ruling: “Baucus’ campaign finance amendment gets hearing” by The Associated Press in the Billings Gazette.

“Money Unlimited” by Jeffrey Toobin in the The New Yorker.

“Citizens United: The Untold Story” by Joe Palazzolo in the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog.

“How a Kennedy Concurrence Turned into a Majority Opinion in Citizens United” by Debra Cassens Weiss in the American Bar Association Journal.

Needham, Massachusetts:  “Needham Town Meeting calls for constitutional amendment on campaign spending” by Evan Allen in the Boston Globe.

State lawmakers have reported back to Augusta to finish the work they started on the budget earlier this year.

In this short budget session, the Legislature will discuss Governor Paul LePage’s line item vetoes of the state budget, the budget of Health and Human Services, a takings bill, and a few borrowing packages.

The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County rolled out a new online procurement system today. The system, iProcurement, was developed by Oracle Procurement Software.

Vendors and suppliers, as well as all subcontractors, wishing to do business with the Metro Government will have to register with the new system. The new system can be accessed through the Metro Government’s Procurement Division website.