June 29, 2011 •
Social Media, Democracy, and Campaigns
An article reports the results of a panel discussion hosted by the Center for Technology Innovation.
Darrell West, Vice President and Director of the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies published the following article: “Ten Ways Social Media Can Improve Campaign Engagement and Reinvigorate American Democracy” on June 28.
In it he reports the findings of a panel discussion regarding how social media can have an effect on American politics , especially concerning campaigns, elections, and civic participation.
You can find video coverage or an audio file of the event at the event’s media page, or you can read some of the tweets from the event.
June 28, 2011 •
West Virginia to Review Public Funding Program
Secretary of State Tennant will discuss the issue with the governor and attorney general.
In response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision which struck down Arizona’s public funding matching system, West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant has indicated that West Virginia will review its own public funding program.
West Virginia’s public funding program, approved by lawmakers in 2010, is set to begin with a pilot project involving two state Supreme Court seats up for election in the 2012 general election. West Virginia’s law would give candidates who opt into the program more state money as spending by their opponents or independent expenditures by third parties increased.
Tennant has stated that she plans to meet and discuss this issue with Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Attorney General Darrell McGraw.
Photo of Natalie Tennant courtesy of Natalie Tennant on Wikipedia.
June 28, 2011 •
Members of U.S. House May Now Use Skype
Security concerns have been worked out.
After months of asking to be able to use video conferencing services like Skype and ooVoo, U.S. House members have been given the green light to use it.
The benefits are clear – representatives and their staff can have a greater connection to their constituents and to each other. It would be a real money-saver.
The risks were also clear – using the service and placing all those cameras in the offices could lead to unauthorized use and security leaks. Apparently the security issues have been worked out and – with a set of rules – members may use Skype and ooVoo.
For more on this news, you can read “House enables use of Skype, video teleconferencing for members” by Debbie Siegelbaum in The Hill.
Here is another article in Politico: “House allows members to Skype” by Kim Hart.
June 28, 2011 •
Connecticut Legislature Called into Special Session
Called Due to Expected State Union Rejection of Wage and Benefits Deal
Governor Dannel P. Malloy has issued a Call of Special Session for Thursday, June 30, 2011.
Governor Malloy issued the call after ratification of a deal struck in May with union leadership for the state’s public employees came into doubt.
Ratification of the deal, essential to the balancing of the state’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year, would save the positions of the up to 7,500 state workers Malloy insists may have to be laid off in order to achieve a balanced budget.
Photo of the Connecticut State Capitol dome derived from a photo by jglazer75 on Wikipedia.
June 27, 2011 •
Alaska Special Session Called Today
Program Set To Expire
A special session of the Alaska legislature has been called in Juneau to address the state’s Alaska Coastal Management Program, which expires on June 30.
The session is expected to finish this week.
June 27, 2011 •
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Arizona Clean Elections System
In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an Arizona campaign finance law that offered extra public funding to state political candidates who faced increased opposition spending.
The Citizens Clean Elections Act, passed by voters in a 1998 ballot initiative, gave candidates extra money if they face well funded opponents that opted out of the state election financing system.
Candidates also could qualify for greater public financing based on political spending by independent political groups that ran advertisements opposing their candidacy or supporting other candidates.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote “laws like Arizona’s matching funds provision that inhibit robust and wide-open political debate without sufficient justification cannot stand.”
June 27, 2011 •
Bill: Federal Lobbyists Redefined
Reporting Changes
A new bill introduced into Congress redefines lobbyist and increases lobbyist reporting requirements.
Representative Mike Quigley has introduced the Lobbying Disclosure Enhancement Act, which changes the definition of lobbyist by removing the exception of individuals whose lobbying activities account for less than 20 percent of the time engaged in lobbying over a three month period.
Lobbyists would be required to register online within five days of employment, as opposed to the current 45 day requirement. For each lobbying activity which engaged an official, a lobbyist would be required to report the date of the contact, the specific issue discussed, and identify those covered executive branch officials or Members of Congress contacted about the issue. If lobbying an employee of a Member of Congress, the Member’s name would also have to be reported. Political contributions by lobbyists to candidates would have to be reported quarterly instead of semi-annually.
The bill also creates a special unit for enforcing the lobbying disclosure laws called the Lobbying Disclosure Act Enforcement Task Force, whose primary responsibility would be investigating and prosecuting each case referred to the Attorney General.
June 27, 2011 •
New York Assembly Session Concluded
Regular session ended on June 24.
Legislators concluded the 2011 regular session Friday evening after reaching agreement on a number of bills.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has 10 days upon transmittal of a bill to sign or veto legislation that reaches his desk.
Photo of the New York Assembly Chamber by UpstateNYer on Wikipedia.
June 27, 2011 •
News You Can Use Digest – June 27, 2011
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
FCC Report Finds Major Shortage in Local Reporting
Federal:
Donor Meeting at White House Draws Fire
FEC Asks Crossroads to Reveal Donors
Secret Election Financing Surges with Evasion of IRS Scrutiny
From the States and Municipalities:
California
Bill to Ban Event Tickets, Other Gifts to Lawmakers Gets New Life
Florida
Palm Beach County Ethics Code Exemption Allows Free High-Priced Tickets for Public Officials
Georgia
With Ethics Chief’s Exit, Who’ll Step In?
Illinois
Chicago Puts Lobbyists’ Pay On-line
Massachusetts
House Republicans Recommend ‘Snitch Rule,’ Ethics Reforms
North Carolina
Legislating at Lightning Speed with Lots of Goofs
Oregon
Oregon House Rejects Bill That Would Cap Penalties for Campaign Finance Violations
Rhode Island
U.S. Representative to Pay R.I. $127,000 for Campaign Fund Error
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.
June 24, 2011 •
Louisiana Regular Session Adjourned
Sine Die
The 2011 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature adjourned sine die on June 23, 2011.
Upon transmittal of a bill, Governor Bobby Jindal will have 20 days to sign or veto the legislation.
Photo of the Louisiana House of Representatives Chamber by Jeffrey Schwartz on Wikipedia.
June 23, 2011 •
Centorino Named to Succeed Meyers on Ethics Commission in Miami-Dade County
The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust has named Joseph Centorino as its finalist for the position of executive director.
Centorino has served as chief of the Public Corruption Division of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office since 1995 and was a prosecutor within the organization an additional nine years. Centorino will succeed Robert Meyers, who has held the post since the Ethics Commission was established.
Meyers announced his resignation earlier this year, but will assist in the transition over the next several weeks.
June 23, 2011 •
New House Ethics Rules Proposed for Massachusetts
Lobbyists Affected
Massachusetts House Republicans have introduced an outline of ethics reform for members which includes some restrictions on lobbyists. The ethics changes, which have not yet been introduced, would require lobbyists to wear badges identifying themselves as such and prohibit lobbyists from entering the House chamber or the members’ lounge, with some exceptions. Additionally, House members and their staff would be forbidden from contacting public entities regarding pending procurement decisions.
The Republican members have stated the proposed code will not be introduced until next week to allow the House Democrats to co-sponsor the new ethics rules.
Photo of the interior of the Massachusetts State House by Daniel Schwen on Wikipedia.
June 22, 2011 •
Illinois Changes Lobbyist Activity Reporting Requirements
Effective June 21, 2011, authorized agents do not have to complete the activity detail report as it pertains to lobbying activities not associated with a reportable expenditure.
Only lobbying activities that are associated with a reportable expenditure require the completion of the activity detail report.
The Illinois Secretary of State will be modifying the reporting process in the coming weeks to reflect this change. Activity detail reports for activity not associated with an expenditure that were previously filed do not need to be amended to reflect this change.
The reporting of lobbyist activity associated with a reportable expenditure remains unchanged.
Photo of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White courtesy of the Illinois Secretary of State website.
June 22, 2011 •
Ethics Reform Bills to Be Introduced
Bills Address Campaign Finance Reporting and Official Vehicle Use
District of Columbia Councilman Tommy Wells has announced that he will introduce three ethics reform bills to address recent ethical issues raised in the district council.
The Campaign Finance Accountability and Reform Amendment Act of 2011 establishes reporting requirements to the Office of Campaign Finance for contributions and expenditures related to transitions and inaugurations and prohibits the bundling of corporate contributions.
The Campaign Finance Reporting Amendment Act of 2011 alters the financial disclosure reporting schedule to coincide with the new primary election date of the first Tuesday of April in an election year.
The Government Vehicles and Fleet Management Rationalization Amendment Act of 2011 prohibits the procurement of “luxury-class” vehicles and freezes the current fleet size.
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.