Federal:

Obama Meets with New Advocacy Group

From the States and Municipalities:

California – California Lawmakers Avoid Campaign Contribution Limits with Ballot Measure Account

Florida – Investigators: Florida gambling probe that led to resignation of lieutenant governor will grow

Iowa – Statehouse Coffee Budget Running at $1,400 Deficit

Kentucky – Dennis Horlander Paid More than Most in Kentucky Legislature

Michigan – Former Mayor of Detroit Guilty in Corruption Case

Missouri – St. Louis Police Sergeant Plans to Sue Department for Silencing His Pro-Pot Work

Oregon – Oregon Legislators Reap Big Post-Election Donations – Much of it ‘Makeup Money’

Pennsylvania – Ex-Senate Leader, 7 Others Charged in Turnpike Probe

Rhode Island – RI House Leadership Faulted over Ethics Vote

Tennessee – Black Keys Manager Ticket Offer Raises Questions

Washington – Blind Lawmaker Up to Task in Olympia

West Virginia – Gainer Queries Ethics Panel over Visa Ads

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.

Lobbying

“Howard Berman signs up for K Street job” by Tarini Parti in Politico.

“K Street Files: Under Attack, Gamers Add In-House Lobbyists” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“K Street lobbyists leap to the planet’s defense after asteroid scare” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

Utah: “Legislature to change law on who probes campaign violations” by Robert Gehrke in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Vermont: “Vermont Senate panel delays vote on campaign finance” by Dave Gram in the Burlington Free Press.

Ethics

“Florida Official Resigns in Wake of Gambling Probe” by Cameron McWhirter and Ana Campoy in the Wall Street Journal.

“Fla. charity probe to next focus on campaign money” by Mike Schneider and Gary Fineout in the Miami Herald.

Open Government

“Oversight panel pushes for transparency” by Eric Martinson in Politico.

Kansas: “Senate committee discusses changes to ‘open records’ law” by Stevi Wilson in the Lawrence Journal-World.

North Carolina: “How to bring more sunshine to the NC legislature” by John Frank in the News & Observer.

Procurement

Iowa: “Panel told of revised process for equipment procurement” by Jason Noble in the Des Moines Register.

Legislative Issues

Kentucky: “Ky. lawmakers approve 107 bills during first 28 days of legislative session” by Jack Brammer in the Herald-Leader.

Montana: “Montana lawmakers consider longer term limits” by The Associated Press in the Billings Gazette.

Redistricting

Wisconsin: “New court filing: Documents were deleted from GOP redistricting computers” by Patrick Marley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The New York City Council has overridden Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s veto of a campaign finance bill loosening the disclosure requirements. The law, which will go into effect immediately, was fiercely opposed by both Bloomberg and New York City Campaign Finance Board Director Amy Loprest, but the City Council has nearly unanimously supported it from the outset.

The law will allow labor or other membership organizations, as well as corporations, to send campaign communications to its members, executive and administrative personnel, and stockholders without having to disclose that information to the Campaign Finance Board. According to Loprest, $35,000 in outside spending on mass mailers was spent in the two special elections since the city adopted its stringent rules.

In a statement Loprest said, “Disclosure helps voters understand who is speaking and trying to influence the outcome of their election. Just as important, disclosure helps voters hold candidates accountable for their supporters during an election and for the policies they pursue. New Yorkers want and deserve access to complete information about the interests supporting candidates for city office. The legislation approved by the Council today will hide some of that information from public view.”

Councilwoman Gale Brewer disagreed with this notion, saying “Member-to-member communications are not intended to influence the public. So, the public’s interest in source disclosure is significantly reduced.”

With city elections upcoming in November, both sides will see how these new rules actually affect the elections and spending.

Photo of the New York City Hall by Howrealisreal on Wikipedia.

A bill introduced on March 12, 2013 by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution overturning the Supreme Court decision of Citizens United v. FEC.

The amendment is divided into four sections. The first section declares because the right to vote belongs only to “natural persons as citizens of the United States”, political contributions and expenditures may only be made by “natural persons”.

The second section affirmatively grants Congress and the States power to regulate campaign finance laws. Sen. Sanders’ fact sheet explaining the amendment states, “This [second] section overturns the Buckley v. Valeo (1976) ‘money is speech’ decision allowing individuals – including individuals who are candidates – to spend unlimited sums of money independent of candidates.”

The remaining two sections explicitly state the amendment does not limit the freedom of the press and that Congress and the States will have the power to enforce the amendment through their legislative powers. Sen. Sanders’ press release can be found here. U.S. Representative Ted Deutch has filed this same amendment, House Joint Resolution 34, in the House.

Lobbying

Nevada: “Lawmakers spin through revolving door to lobbying” by Anjeanette Damon in the Las Vegas Sun.

Campaign Finance

Alaska: “Campaign finance resolution finds support” by The Associated Press in the Anchorage Daily News.

Arizona: “AZ House passes bill barring student association fee use for politics” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Capitol Times.

Arkansas: “Ark. panel rejects campaign finance proposals” by The Associated Press in KATV ABC News.

Georgia: “Lesser ethics bill gets committee approval” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Hawaii: “State lawmakers debate campaign finance reforms” by Anita Hofschneider (Associated Press) in the Star Advertiser.

Michigan: “House Dems back ethics, campaign finance reform package” by Chad Livengood in the Detroit News.

North Carolina: “Dome: Campaign finance reports lag” by John Frank and Rob Christensen in the News & Observer.

Utah: “Utah Senate votes to close disclosure loophole” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Vermont: “Vt. Senate panel works on campaign finance bill” by The Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ethics

Florida: “Locals owe state Ethics Commission thousands” by Tom McLaughlin in the Northwest Florida Daily News.

Open Government

“Arizona gets ‘C’ grade for legislative openness” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Capitol Times.

New Mexico: “Legislators fast-track bill that protects their email” by Julie Ann Grimm in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

South Dakota: “Daugaard signs three bills on open government” by The Associated Press in the Argus Leader.

Texas: “Texas gets high marks regarding transparency in legislative matters but still needs more sunshine” in the Austin American-Statesman.

West Virginia: “Legislation may make memos, internal letters public” by Zack Harold in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Wyoming: “Legislature average on transparency” by Trevor Brown in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

Lobbying

“Scott Brown joins law and lobby firm” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“Former US Rep. Jerry Costello opens lobbying firm” in the Pantagraph.

Florida: “Senator backing lobbyist restrictions is lobbyist himself” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.

Campaign Finance

“What it costs to win a Congressional election” by Jon Terbush in The Week.

Florida: “Senate’s campaign finance compromise creates mega PACs” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.

Nevada: “Bill seeks tighter Nevada campaign reporting laws” by The Associated Press in the Las Vegas Sun.

Wisconsin: “Campaign spending in Wisconsin more than triples” by Jason Stein in the Journal Sentinel.

Ethics

“FEC: Larry Craig Misused Campaign Funds for Personal Legal Expenses” by Mike Scarcella in The Blog of Legal Times.

Utah: “Executive branch ethics bill advances in Utah” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Open Government

Thank you, Eric Brown and the Political Activity Law blog for reminding us that this week is Sunshine Week!

Legislative Issues

“Report: Members of Congress Happy With Their Jobs” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

Alaska: “Alaska Legislature Celebrates its Centennial, Creates Commission to Recognize First Territorial Legislature” by  Morgan Cullen in NCSL’s The Thicket.

Lobbying

“Critics hold the line on pro-Obama lobbying group: ‘Shut it down’” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“K Street Files: Cassidy Lands Recurring Role in ‘House of Cards’” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

Connecticut: “Ritter’s Lobbying Raises Questions” by Jon Lender in the Hartford Courant.

Delaware: “Groups advise citizens on lobbying lawmakers” in the News Journal.

Florida: “Ethics bill passed without lobbying exemption for sitting legislators” by Tom McLaughlin in the Northwest Florida Daily News.

New Jersey: “Expenses for lobbying in Trenton drop to lowest level in 5 years” by Michael Linhorst and Anthony Campisi in the Bergen Record.

Toronto, Canada: “Lobbying boom in Toronto may be fueled by hot topics — and a less predictable council” by Robyn Doolittle in the Toronto Star.

Utah: “Bill to curb lobbyist contracts paid by governmental entities stalls in committee” by Marjorie Cortex in the Deseret News.

Washington: “Inside The World Of Business Lobbying In Olympia” by Austin Jenkins in Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Campaign Finance

“Senate bill pushes online campaign-finance filings” by Malia Rulon in USA Today.

“Ethics Panel: Members Can’t Use Campaign Accounts to Soften Sequester Cuts” in Roll Call.

California: “California lawmakers avoid campaign contribution limits with ballot measure accounts” by Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee.

District of Columbia:  “D.C. campaign finance office hires full-time investigator” by Tim Craig in the Washington Post.

Florida: “House Speaker: $10,000 contribution limit isn’t happening” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.

Michigan: “More transparency sought in elections” by Alanna Durkin (Associated Press) in the Lansing State Journal.

Mississippi: “Miss. cities handle law regarding campaign finance inconsistently” by Laura Tillman (Associated Press) in the Clarion-Ledger.

New York: “Cuomo to discuss campaign finance reform in telephone town hall” by Michelle Breidenbach in the Post-Standard.

Oregon: “Oregon legislators reap big post-election donations — much of it ‘makeup money’” by Jeff Mapes in the Oregonian.

Ethics

Palm Beach County, Florida: “Nine finalists remain for Ethics Commission chief’s job” by Jennifer Sorentrue in the Palm Beach Post.

Open Government

“Open Data Has Been a Boon for City Governments” by Eric Jaffe in Nextgov.

New York City, New York: “The Big Apple Enhances Financial Transparency” by Hilton Collins in Government Technology.

Texas: “Open meetings law faces another test” by Erik Schelzig (Associated Press) in the Tennessean.

Federal:

Are Hashtags a Political #Wasteoftime?

Pro-Obama Group Reverses Stance on Corporate Cash

From the States and Municipalities:

California – LA Mayor’s Race Heads to Runoff between Democratic Rivals Who Share Much Common Ground

California – Oakland City Council Approves Campaign Sunlight Ordinance

Colorado – Federal Judge Dismisses Challenge to Colorado Campaign Finance Law

Florida – Florida Legislators Work to Regain Voter Trust

Massachusetts – Cahill to Pay $100,000 to Settle Case

New Mexico – House Approves Bill for State Ethics Commission

Tennessee – Rep. Curry Todd Lived Rent-Free in Lobbyist’s Home

Texas – Watchdogs: Ethics loopholes obscure lobby perks

Vermont – New Twist on Campaign Finance Debate

Wyoming – Wyoming Legislative Leaders Decry Lobbying Tactics

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.

Lobbying

“K St. ready for cybersercurity cash grab” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

Illinois: “Lobbying push at Capitol as gun issue looms” by Rafael Guerrero in the Chicago Tribune.

Pennsylvania: “Gov. Tom Corbett may be open to a gift ban, spokeswoman suggests” by Jan Murphy in the Patriot-News.

Texas: “Watchdogs: Ethics Loopholes Obscure Lobby Perks” by Jay Root in the Texas Tribune.

Campaign Finance

Colorado: “David Sirota Moderates Discussion On Campaign Finance Reform, Democracy In Colorado” by Matt Ferner in the Huffington Post.

Ethics

California: “STATE LEGISLATURE: Area lawmakers given gifts, trips in 2012” by Jim Miller in the Press-Enterprise.

Florida: “Florida House bridles at Senate’s proposed ethics reforms” by Dara Kam in the Palm Beach Post.

Florida: “Matt Reed: Something to cheer, for a change, as Legislature opens” by Matt Reed in Florida Today.

Hawaii: “Hawaii Legislators Exempt Themselves from State Ethics Code” by Barbara Polk in the Hawaii Reporter.

Lobbying

“K Street Files: Both Sides Rev Up for Wage War” by Elizabeth Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“K Street’s gravy train runs dry as Georgian leaders move past election” by Kevin Bogardus and Julian Pecquet in The Hill.

“Former Sen. Jon Kyl joins lobby shop at Covington” by Catherine Ho in the Washington Post.

New York: “Best-paid lobbyists, spenders unveiled” by Chris Bragg in Crain’s New York.

Pennsylvania: “Pa.’s Corbett and wife disclose gifts from lobbyists and businesses” by The Associated Press in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Pennsylvania: “Corbett’s acceptance of gifts give rise to calls for laws on gift bans” by Jan Murphy in the Patriot-News.

Campaign Finance

“Study shows Super PACs made mockery of campaign law” by Taylor Lincoln in The Hill.

Arizona: “Arizona senate approves contribution limits to recall campaigns” by Howard Fischer in the East Valley Tribune.

Kentucky: “Ky. House passes bill to publicly finance state SC races” by Jessica M. Karmasek in Legal Newsline.

Ethics

Florida: “Florida lawmakers vote for ethics and early voting changes” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Tampa Bay Times.

Legislative Issues

Missouri: “Mo. House endorses change to term limits” by The Associated Press in the News Tribune.

South Dakota: “SD Senate approves boost in expenses for lawmakers” in the Rapid City Journal.

Open Government

“Sen. Del Marsh says GOP committee members did not violate Open Meetings Act” by Mike Cason in the Birmingham News.

Redistricting

Kentucky: “House redistricting plan would create new Lexington district” by Jack Brammer and Beth Musgrave in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Lobbying

“Lobbyists predict rebound in 2013” by Kevin Bogardus and Ben Goad in The Hill.

Minnesota: “Minnesota lobbyists spent $65.2M in 2011, report says” by Bill Salisbury in the Pioneer Press.

Campaign Finance

California: “New Campaign Finance Tracker Helps You Follow the Money in L.A. Elections” on Community Television of Southern California.

Texas: “Bill Would Double Campaign Finance Disclosures” by Ryan Murphy in the Texas Tribune.

Ethics

“Ethics commission agrees to seek outside investigator in Gessler case” by Tim Hoover in the Denver Post.

Florida: “Will lawmakers pass campaign reform or just face-lift?” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida: “Ethics legislation could be passed on opening day” by The Associated Press in the Miami Herald.

Social Media

“Are hashtags a political #wasteoftime?” by Steve Friess in Politico.

Lobbying

“Home Sweet K Street” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

Campaign Finance

“Political campaign finance reform advocates to hold ‘K Street 5K’ in DC, Apr 13” by Karen Ruben in The Examiner.

Arizona: “Arizona House legislation would allow for campaign finance changes” by Howard Fischer in the East Valley Tribune.

Georgia: “Florida’s ethics reforms offer glimpse of Georgia’s future” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

New York: “NYC public advocate: State, local governments must lead efforts to regulate dark money” by Michael Beckel in the Center for Public Integrity.

Vermont: “New twist on campaign finance debate” by Peter Hirschfeld in the Times Argus.

West Virginia: “Senate President supports public campaign finance bill” on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Ethics

“Suit Over How Larry Craig Paid Legal Bills Heads To Court” by Jessica Robinson in Boise State Public Radio.

Florida: “Bill would strengthen Florida Commission on Ethics enforcement” by Jeff Marcu in First Coast News.

Tennessee: “Rep. Curry Todd lived rent-free in lobbyist’s home” by Nate Rau in The Tennessean.

Utah: “Senate panel advances bill for executive branch ethics commission” by Dennis Romboy in the Deseret News.

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in the State and Federal Communications digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying, and can be found in the client portion of the State and Federal Communications’ website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly e-mail updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regards to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

Federal:

Conservative Justices Voice Skepticism on Voting Law

Lobbyists Fear Shakedown If Supreme Court Lifts Campaign Contributions Cap

From the States and Municipalities:

California – California Campaign Finance Reporting Ripe for Abuse

Florida – In David Rivera Investigation, Suspected Ringer Charged in Federal Court in $81,486Scheme

Florida – Universal Rolls out Red Carpet for GOP Lawmakers, Lobbyists, State-Party Donors

Georgia – Lobbyist Spending Down 1 Month after New Georgia Rule

Georgia – State House Backs Banning Some Lobbyist Spending

Illinois – Michael Bloomberg’s Super PAC Declares Victory in Illinois Special Election

New York – NY Comptroller Drops Suit as Qualcomm Agrees to Disclose More about Political Spending

Ohio – Ohio Campaign Contribution Limits Continue to Rise

West Virginia – Gainer, State Agency Officials Appear in Online Visa ‘P-card’ Marketing Campaign; State Ethics Act Limits Such Endorsements

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.