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!

For those of you who will be attending the NCSL Legislative Summit this coming week in San Antonio, you will have the chance to hear from the astronauts of NASA’s final space shuttle mission during Wednesday’s General Session.

These four extraordinary people have travelled millions of miles through space and certainly have plenty to share about their experiences in space.

Not many people get to hear first hand stories of experiences in space directly from an astronaut. Be one of the lucky few!

August 8 – 11, 2011
NCSL Legislative Summit, Booth 217, San Antonio, TX

August 16, 2011
The Watergate CLE:  John Dean and the Ultimate Lawyer’s Ethics Dilemma, Akron, OH

September 8 – 9, 2011
Practising Law Institute, Washington DC

November 19 – 22, 2011
SGAC Foundation Leaders’ Policy Conference, Miami, FL

November 29 – December 2, 2011
NCSL 2011 Fall Forum, Tampa, FL

January 30 – February 2, 2012
National Grassroots Conference, Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach, Miami Beach, FL

February 27 – March 1, 2012
National PAC Conference, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Orlando, FL

In response to this week’s legislation raising the federal debt limit ceiling and creating a new Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, U.S. Senator David Vitter announced he is introducing a bill requiring 48-hour disclosure of campaign contributions over $1,000 to any appointed member of the committee or their leadership PACs.

“We need to see full transparency and accountability because these committee members will be making huge decisions with a lot on the line,” Senator Vitter said.

The 48-hour rule would continue until the committee expires on January 21, 2012.

The full press release can be found here.