Lobbying

“Ethics Watchdogs Planning to Crash Convention Parties” by Elizabeth Flock in U.S. News and World Report.

“Conservative lobby group’s guard shot in D.C.” by The Associated Press on CBS News.

Alabama: “Former lobbyist Jimmie Clements convicted in two-year college corruption case” by Jeremy Gray in the Birmingham News.

Maryland: “Last-minute lobbying intense for gambling expansion” by Earl Kelly in the Capital Gazette.

Campaign Finance

“Romney campaign bars press from Adelson, Ryan ‘finance meeting’” by Justin Sink in The Hill.

New Mexico:  “State Senate Dems launch PACs” by The Associated Press in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

West Virginia: “Lawsuit Filed Against Campaign Finance Pilot Program” on WDTV.com.

Ethics

New York: “State pols can’t accept US Open freebies, ethics panel rules” by Sally Goldenberg in the New York Post.

Available free of charge online at www.stateandfed.com,  the state profiles include Governor, Attorney General, state Legislative, and Key Ballot Questions. Most recent public polling for Governor and Attorney General races are also featured and will be updated throughout the primary and general election seasons.

The 2012 Elections information also includes charts and maps featuring incumbents, challengers and partisan controls. The state legislative maps illustrate which chambers are within a five vote margin of partisan control.

State and Federal Communications is your premiere compliance information source keeping companies and organizations in the bounds of state and federal compliance law. We assist clients with political contributions, state lobbying, and procurement activities by providing instant and up-to-date information on client compliance.

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A federal judge has invalidated several campaign finance rule changes made by Secretary of State Scott Gessler. The rules struck down include one providing that organizations are only subject to reporting requirements if more than 30 percent of their spending was for or against a ballot issue, and one that limited penalties for certain campaign finance violations.

The secretary of state’s rule defining electioneering communications was upheld, and two additional rules await a decision.

Councilman Mike O’Brien has introduced a bill to the city council in hopes of limiting the advantages incumbents currently have in city elections. The bill, which has been placed into committee, would limit the election cycle, limit the time frame a person can raise money for a campaign, and limit the amount of money a candidate may keep at the end of the election cycle.

The new election cycle would start on January 1st of the year that office is up for election and end on April 30th following the general election. Also, a candidate would be forced to get rid of the money in his or her war chest following the end of the election cycle. Councilman O’Brien believes this will limit the advantage an incumbent has over challengers and encourage more people to run for city office.

The bill would take effect 30 days after the mayor signs it, however any money received by a candidate prior to the effective date may be retained until the next election for that office.

Concord, New Hampshire Mayor Jim Bouley is calling for a review of the city’s ethics ordinance enacted just last year.

According to the Concorde Monitor, the mayor has requested the city council ask the Board of Ethics to assess the ordinance to “ensure a fair and efficient review of ethics complaints.” Two complaints filed against the mayor were recently dismissed by the board.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for tonight.

House Speaker David Ralston will propose a full ban on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers when the legislature convenes next year. Last month, voters overwhelmingly supported the idea of capping lobbyist gifts in nonbinding referendums held during the July 31st primaries.

However, Ralston believes capping the value of lobbyist gifts would do little to stem the influence of special interests.

The speaker intends to form a group of House members to study how other states have implemented gift bans with hopes of passing a bill early in the legislative session beginning in January.

WKSU reporter M.L. Schultze will be covering the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida starting on August 27. Reporter Mark Urycki will be covering the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina starting on September 3.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, has been a long supporter of the station, which is an NPR affiliate and a treasure of Northeast Ohio.

Bartz had this to say: “We are super-psyched to be the sponsor! It is important that our local NPR station has the ability to attend the national conventions.”

Photo of the Democratic National Convention in 2008 by Qqqqqq on Wikipedia.

Lobbying

Georgia: “Exclusive: Ralston to propose total lobbyist gift ban” by Aaron Gould Sheinin and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Indiana: “Ethics rulings say Daniels can lobby for Purdue” by The Associated Press in the Indiana Business Journal.

Campaign Finance

Colorado:  “Judge rejects Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s changes” by Erin Udell in the Denver Post.

Florida:  “Unlimited Corporate Money In Fla. Political Races ‘Worries Political Scientists’” by Jessica Palombo on WFSU.org.

Minnesota: “Top state court rules campaign finance laws apply to schools” by Jennifer Brooks in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“When is a campaign contribution a bribe?” by Robert Barnes in The Washington Post.

Social Media

“Paul Ryan VP pick adds social media muscle” by Steve Friess in Politico.

Oregon: “More Oregon lawmakers harness power of Twitter, Facebook” by Laura Barron-Lopez in The Oregonian.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has announced its leadership team for the upcoming year.

Take a look at their news release found on NCSL’s website: “NCSL Welcomes New Leadership: Norelli, Starr and Spaw set to lead national organization for 2012-13.”

National:

Jack Abramoff Urges Ethics Reform in NCSL Speech

Policing the Politicians; State Ethics Commissions Lack Muscle

Federal:

Is Your Neighbor a Democrat? A New App Can Tell You

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama

Judge Sentences Siegelman to 78 Months in Prison in Corruption Case

Arkansas

Arkansas State Police Set Policy for Troopers Working College Sports Events

District of Columbia

Petition to Vote on Banning Corporate Political Donations Fails

Florida

Judge Voids Florida Limit on Minors’ Campaign Giving

Missouri

Missouri Lawmakers Keep Reeling in Gifts from Lobbyists

Nebraska

Supreme Court Overturns Campaign Finance Law

New York

Board Accused of Shielding Donors

Ohio

Ohioans to Vote on Drawing Political Maps

South Carolina

Ethics Reform Effort Faces Uphill Fight in S.C.

Virginia

A Facebook Court Battle: Is ‘liking’ something protected free speech?

Washington

Public Disclosure Commission Keeps Working to Inform Voters

West Virginia

Federal Judge Blocks W.Va. Cap on PAC Contributions Pending Legal Challenge

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.

On Thursday, former lobbyist Jack Abramoff spoke at the NCSL Legislative Summit in Chicago. While he maintained that 99 percent of his work in lobbying had been ethical, his speech championed the need for ethics and campaign finance reform.

For the full story, be sure to read “Jack Abramoff Urges Ethics Reform In NCSL Speech” by John Celock in the Huffington Post.

According to the article: “Abramoff, who served four years in federal prison for crimes related to the Indian gaming lobby, told the National Conference of State Legislatures that public officials need to be mindful of what lobbyists do, and take money and gifts out of politics. Abramoff has spent his time since prison advocating for ethics reform, along with writing a 2011 book on his crimes.”

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro was selected last week as the keynote speaker for the DNC convention. Castro is being touted as a rising star in the party and the DNC is looking to garner latino support with his selection. First Lady Michelle Obama will open the event on Tuesday, September 4, while her husband will close the event accepting the party’s nomination on Thursday. Former President Clinton has also been given a prominent role and will speak at the convention and likely place President Obama’s name formally into nomination. Other speakers include Former President Jimmy Carter and Massachusetts Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren.

While the RNC has not yet named a keynote speaker, Chris Christie is widely believed to be chosen for the slot. Additionally, as more speakers are announced, Gov. Romney’s Vice Presidential list grows shorter. Already announced speakers include Condoleezza Rice, Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Current Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Rick Santorum, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. Noticeably absent from the list are potential VP’s Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Marco Rubio and Rob Portman. Both former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush declined invitations to the convention, as well as former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Other notes from the trail:

• Representative Todd Akin won the Missouri Republican Primary Tuesday and will face Senator Claire McCaskill in November. The race was tightly contested with Akin receiving 36% of the vote defeating businessman John Brunner and State Treasurer Sarah Steelman who received 30% and 29% respectively. Steelman was a favorite of the tea party and received a late endorsement from Sarah Palin. Democrats worked hard to elevate Akin, who they see as the weakest of the three candidates, by spending approximately $1.7 million on the race attacking both Brunner and Steelman.
• Ted Cruz won last Tuesday’s Texas republican primary to replace retiring Senator Kay Baily Hutchison (R). Cruz is a tea party backed candidate and defeated current Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst. Dewhurst had support from a number of established members of the GOP including Texas Governor Rick Perry while Cruz earned support from the likes of Sarah Palin, Rand Paul (R-KY), Glenn Beck and others. Cruz’s victory is seen as a major win for the tea party as a Republican is likely to succeed Hutchison in her senate seat.
• Polls show a very tight race for the Virginia Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Webb. The race pits two former Virginia Governors, Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R) against each other for the seat formerly held by Allen. Rasmussen’s latest poll shows the race tied with each candidate receiving 46% support. Virginia is vital to the presidential election as well and both President Obama and Gov. Romney will campaign with Kaine and Allen in the coming weeks.

Lobbying

“How lobbyists became Congress’s leading policy wonks” by Suzy Khimm in The Washington Post.

New York:  Editorial: “NY lobbying disclosures are a breakthrough” in Newsday.

“The Nation: It’s Still Party Time At The Conventions” by George Zornick on NPR.

Ethics

“Why Ethics Training Is a Waste of Time” by Mark Funkhouser in Governing.

Michigan: “Michigan: AG Will File Charges in Thaddeus McCotter Petition Scandal Thursday, Per Report” by Shira Toeplitz in Roll Call.

New Hampshire:  “Speaker calls for more oversight over ethics” by Garry Rayno in the Union Leader.

Social Media

“Wikipedia locks down pages of VP contenders after excessive edits” by Alicia M. Cohn in The Hill.

From the State Legislatures

“Legislative Leaders Share Stories, Offer Lessons on Leadership” by Alex Fitzsimmons in NCSL’s blog The Thicket.