The New York City Lobbying Commission has released its recommendations to update and enhance the city’s lobbying laws.

In its preliminary report, the commission recommends expanding the definition of lobbying to include efforts to influence legislation prior to a bill’s introduction, efforts to keep a bill from being introduced, or efforts to shape or stop executive orders by the mayor.  The commission also recommends raising the threshold for lobbyist registration from $2,000 to $5,000.  The commission rejected suggestions to move regulation of lobbying from the city clerk’s office to another office.

The commission’s final report will be submitted to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council who, if they agree with the recommendations, can introduce legislation incorporating the changes.

Photo of the Manhattan Municipal Building by Momos on Wikipedia.

West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has called another special session of the state Legislature to address redistricting following his veto of the redistricting bill passed during the last special session.

The special session will begin at noon on Thursday, August 18, 2011.

Photo of the West Virginia State Capitol building by Analogue Kid on Wikipedia.

We now provide information on lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying for:

Hampton, Virginia

Hollywood, Florida

Federal:

American Bar Association Takes Aim at Lobbying Law Loopholes

Golf, Vacation Fundraisers Return

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama

In Alabama, No Verdicts of Guilty in Graft Case

Arizona

Arizonans Want Legislators to Reject Gifts

California

Jerry Brown’s Charter Schools in Oakland Reap Big Donations

Colorado

Study Shows Who Breaks Campaign Laws

Florida

Palm Beach County Ethics Law Poses Hurdle for Firefighters’ Fundraiser

Georgia

Ethics Panel’s Chairman Stays Put, for Now

Hawaii

Ethics Director Blocks Texas Dinner for Hawaii Lawmakers

New Mexico

New Mexico Mayor Was Drunk When He Signed Deal

New York

Commission to Call for New Rules on Lobbying in the City

Pennsylvania

‘Kids for Cash’ Judge Sentenced to 28 Years for Racketeering Scheme

Utah

Utah Lawmakers, Lobbyists, Go On the Road

Wisconsin

Republicans Hold On to Wisconsin Senate after Recall Vote

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.

Jim Sedor is editor of News You Can Use.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of Maine’s reporting requirements for political action committees, rejecting a challenge brought by the National Organization for Marriage.

The National Organization for Marriage challenged the constitutionality of Maine’s election law, claiming Maine’s reporting requirements for political action committees are vague and over-broad.

The 1st Circuit Court decision upheld the constitutionality of Maine’s laws requiring the disclosure of contributions and expenditures in candidate elections by PACs and by independent groups.

The decision also overturned a portion of the District Court’s ruling which found the words “influence” and “influencing” were unconstitutionally vague as applied in the Maine statute.

Have you ever found yourself sifting through the intricate world of finances and economics hoping to find a simple solution to your problem, but more often than not only getting lost in the confusing and seemingly infinite information, guidelines, and tips?

This week’s Highlighted Site Of The Week is Visual Economics, which provides a wide selection of infographics on a variety of topics related to finance and economics.

Even if you consider yourself a finance guru, there are representations on VisualEconomics that contain information ranging from How Low Budget Films Get Financed to How Busy Americans Are that you may not have been aware.

To get started, here’s VisualEconomic’s best infographics of 2010.

Have a great weekend!

NCSL Late Night was hosted at the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. It was a packed house in the museum which offered an eclectic mix of Texas-centric wildlife hanging from the walls, as well as an optical illusion fun-house.

It was a night of “big fun.” After all, as they say, “Everything is bigger in Texas.”

Ohio Night was a big success. We had an amazing view of San Antonio’s Riverwalk from Biga on the Banks. A variety of Ohio-based businesses and firms enjoyed the opportunity to come together.

Here are some pictures from the event:

The American Bar Association (ABA) has adopted a resolution urging the United States Congress to amend the Federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA).

Recommendations made in “Resolution 104B Revised” by the ABA House of Delegates include narrowing the current time threshold required for registration and barring campaign fundraising for members of Congress lobbied within the previous two years.

Additional resolutions includes the following information be disclosed in a lobbyist’s quarterly reports: disclosure of lobbying support activities performed by retained entities; reporting of the identification of individuals “principally involved in planning, directing, or coordinating lobbying support activities”; identification of individuals with any level of involvement in the lobbying activities who have recently served as high-ranking federal officials; and all congressional offices, congressional committees, and federal agencies and offices contacted by lobbyists employed.

Today at the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) annual Member Business Meeting and Luncheon held in San Antonio, Elizabeth Bartz was elected the organization’s president for 2011-2012.

Departing President Joseph Crosby was presented the Steuben Eagle by Elizabeth Bartz in recognition for his leadership and his past year of service.

A Federal Court has ruled aliens who are in the United States on temporary work visas may not make political contributions to federal candidates or political parties.

In Bluman v FEC, the court upheld 2 U.S.C §441(e)(a), which prohibits contributions from individuals living in the U.S. but not admitted for permanent residency. The federal statute was challenged by two foreign citizens living in the United States who want to make direct contributions to candidates and political parties.

In upholding the law, the court wrote in its decision, “It is fundamental to the definition of our national political community that foreign citizens do not have a constitutional right to participate in, and thus may be excluded from, activities of democratic self-government.”

We are working hard, meeting new people, and seeing old friends! Here are some pictures of the day:

Federal:

Firm Gives $1 Million to Pro-Romney Group, Then Dissolves

K Street Eyes Super Committee

Lobbying for Lobbyists on Capitol Hill

From the States and Municipalities:

California

California Poised to OK Political Donations via Text

Connecticut

Watchdog Panel Gives Malloy Three Choices for New Executive Director

Delaware

Weak Rules Make for Powerful Lobbyists

Hawaii

Ethics Chief Draws Ire for Stance on Task-Force Members Who Lobby

Illinois

Are State Worker Punishments Fitting the Crimes?

Michigan

Dispensary Offered Free Marijuana for Signing Up to Vote

New Jersey

N.J. Freeholder Resigns after Nude Photos Appear On-line

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Lobbyists Are Paying Attention to Freshman Lawmakers

Wisconsin

Court Tosses Wisconsin Limit on PAC Donations

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.

Jim Sedor is editor of News You Can Use.

The U.S. Population has been increasing since the establishment of our nation. Regional populations across the United States have grown and have shrunk for a variety of different reasons ranging from the 1849 gold rush to urbanization that began in the U.S. in the 1900’s.

This week’s Highlighted Site Of The Week is Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census from The New York Times. This site contains 12 interactive maps which use demographic information collected by the 2010 Census.

These maps are divided up by county and show demographics of population, ethnic distribution, and vacant housing units. For their respective topic, each map shows the percent change in 2010 from statistics gathered from the 2000 census.

It’s very interesting and informative to browse through the United States and see the different population and ethnic distributions  compared to what existed in 2000.

Everyone have a great weekend!