August 21, 2012 •
Tuesday Campaign Finance News Summary
A bill for greater disclosure in California, politicians owing fines in Louisiana, and more in today’s campaign finance news:
California: “Bill would let voters impose greater disclosure requirements on political campaign spending” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
Hawaii: “Cashing In: Hawaii’s Top Ten Campaign Donors” by Lindsey Txakeeyang in the Honolulu Civil Beat.
Louisiana: “Lee Zurik Investigation: Politicians owe the state thousands in fines” by Lee Zurik on WVUE Fox 8 News.
Nebraska: “Campaign finance donation removed from state tax return” in the Lincoln Journal Star.
“Romney’s campaign coffers have $60 million more than Obama’s” by T.W. Farnam in the Washington Post.
“Ask Kim Barker Anything About Campaign Finance (a Reddit Chat)” by Amanda Zamora in ProPublica.
August 20, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Here are the latest lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics articles to start your week:
Lobbying
“Lawmakers Rack Up Hefty Bills Wining and Dining Donors” by Emily Cahn in Roll Call.
“Here’s How Wall Street Finds Out Exactly What’s Going On In Congress All The Time” by Linette Lopez in Business Insider.
Campaign Finance
“Can the super-rich buy American elections?” by Mark Colvin on ABC News.
“From Citizens United to Super PACs: A Campaign Finance Reading Guide” by Amanda Zamora in ProPublica.
“Non-profits outspending Super PACs” by Alicia Budich, Robert Hendin in CBS News’ Face the Nation.
Ethics
Pennsylvania: “Report faults ethics board: Small staff and lack of authority cited” by Melissa Daniels in the Tribune-Democrat.
August 17, 2012 •
Text Message Campaign Donations and Other Government Relations News
Let’s wrap up the week with the very latest campaign finance, lobbying, and government ethics news!
Campaign Finance
“Text Message Donations Good for Democracy, Risky for Privacy” by Rachel Levinson-Waldman in Wired.
“In Win for Wireless Industry, FEC Clarifies Rules for Texting Campaign Contributions” by Jenna Greene in The Blog of Legal Times.
Louisiana: “Ethics board reviewing campaign finance rules” by The Associated Press in the Daily Comet.
Tennessee: “TN election finance board investigates donor, PAC contributions” by The Associated Press in the Tennessean.
Lobbying
“Wall Street Lobbying Efforts Reach $4.2 Billion Since 2006, Or $1,331 A Minute, Report States” by Nick Wing in the Huffington Post.
Florida: “In session or out, lobbying remains a big business” by Bill Cotterrell in the Florida Current.
New York: “Lobby ban snags offer of free work” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times Union.
Pennsylvania: “State spends less on federal lobbying but still leads the nation” by Melissa Daniels in the Daily Local News.
Ethics
California: “Bill to limit gifts to California lawmakers dies a quiet death” by Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee.
Georgia: “Sen. Balfour to pay $5,000 to settle ethics case” by Ray Henry (Associated Press) in the San Francisco Chronicle.
August 17, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – August 17, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Nonpartisan Groups Defend Neutrality in Harsh Climate
Tea Party Evolves, Achieves State Policy Victories
Federal:
Ethics Watchdogs Planning to Crash Convention Parties
Rentals Mean Quick Cash during Conventions
U.S. Regulators Clear Hurdle for Political Text Message Donations
From the States and Municipalities:
California
Bill to Limit Gifts to California Lawmakers Dies a Quiet Death
Colorado
Judge Rejects Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s Changes
Delaware
Delaware Governor Signs Campaign Finance Reform, Transparency Bills
Georgia
Ralston to Propose Total Lobbyist Gift Ban
Georgia
Sen. Balfour Agrees to Fine, Will Make Restitution
Minnesota
Top State Court Rules Campaign Finance Laws Apply to Schools
Ohio
Statehouse Office Served Conservative Group in Linking Ohio Legislators, Corporate Lobbyists
Pennsylvania
Pa. Voter ID Law Gets Approval of State Judge
Texas
Capitol Visitors Have New Speedy Option
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.
August 15, 2012 •
Wednesday News Roundup
Keep up with the latest lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news with these articles:
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.
August 14, 2012 •
Colorado Campaign Finance Rule Changes Invalidated
Additional rule changes await determination
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.
August 10, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – August 10, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
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.
August 7, 2012 •
Independent Expenditures in New Hampshire
Attorney General’s Recommendation
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office has advised the Secretary of State against restricting contributions to political committees that only make independent expenditures.
While New Hampshire’s statute R.S.A. §664:4 sets contribution limits for political committees, the law does not distinguish between political committees in general and committees making only independent expenditures.
The Attorney General made this recommendation, and reviewed the current status of law concerning independent expenditures, in a letter to the Secretary of State on August 1, 2012. The Attorney General also stated in the letter that enforcement of “contributions to any political committee is a fact-specific determination that can only be made on a case-by-case basis.”
August 6, 2012 •
Monday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Don’t miss these articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and social media:
Lobbying
“Conventions Lose Appeal for D.C. Lobbyists” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
California: “Highest-billing lobbying firms” by Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee.
Colorado: “University of Colorado’s in-house lobbyists hire out for other firms” by Allison Sherry in the Denver Post.
Indiana: “Daniels still waiting on lobbying decision” by The Associated Press in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers keep reeling in gifts from lobbyists” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Campaign Finance
“O’Connor: Declining approval for high court a ‘disappointment’” by Meghashyam Mali in The Hill.
Ethics
Alabama: “Former Gov. Don Siegelman sentenced to 78 months in prison” by Kim Chandler in the Birmingham News.
Government Social Media
“More government officials embrace social media” by Adam Silverman in USA Today.
“Tweets, social media help more officials get the word out” by Adam Silverman in USA Today.
South Carolina “SC governor goes to Facebook to get message across” by The Associated Press in GoUpstate.com.
August 3, 2012 •
Nebraska Campaign Finance Limitation Act Declared Unconstitutional
Provisions regarding contribution limits also invalidated
The state supreme court has held Nebraska’s Campaign Finance Limitation Act (CFLA) unconstitutional. The CFLA allowed candidates participating in the public financing program to receive additional public funds if their privately-funded opponents exceeded certain spending limits.
The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission issued a statement in August 2011 that it would not enforce the CFLA for the 2012 elections after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a similar Arizona law. Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning then filed an action asking the state supreme court to rule on the CFLA’s constitutionality.
The supreme court also determined that the public financing portion of the CFLA was not severable from the other provisions of the law, including those providing for aggregate contribution limits and rules governing acceptance of contributions from independent groups, and declared the entire law unconstitutional.
August 2, 2012 •
Thursday News Roundup
Lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics
Lobbying
“Commish claims board shields lobbyist” by The Associated Press in The Wall Street Journal.
“GOP Hits Obama on Lobbyist Meetings at ‘Caribou’” by Devin Dwyer, Shushannah Walshe and Mary Bruce on ABC News.
Campaign Finance
“TV stations begin publishing political ad spending” by Mark Binker on WRAL.com.
“Oregon Gets Low Marks For Campaign Finance” by April Baer in Oregon Public Broadcasting.
“The New Rules Of Campaign Finance: Small Dollars Are No Longer King” by Michael Scherer in TIME Magazine.
Ethics
“Laura Richardson fined $10K by ethics panel” by John Bresnahan in Politico.
Utah: “Push for ethics initiative will continue, backers say” by Robert Gehrke in the Salt Lake Tribune.
July 30, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Don’t miss these articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and social media:
Lobbying
“Statehouse Live: At least 8 GOP legislators registered to attend ALEC meeting” by Scott Rothschild in the Lawrence Journal World.
Oklahoma: “Lobbyist gift-giving to Oklahoma lawmakers is up again for the third straight year” by Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman.
Campaign Finance
“Massachusetts Senate calls for Congress to pass law reversing Citizens United decision” by Robert Rizzuto in the Republican.
“Big campaign donors can remain a big secret” by Jon Murray and Mary Beth Schneider in the Indianapolis Star News.
Ethics
Alabama: “Lawmakers plan to run again as ‘double dipping’ ban looms” by Sebastian Kitchen in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Connecticut: “7 charged in Donovan probe” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Illinois: “Feds widen probe into newly retired South Side lawmaker” by Ray Long and Monique Garcia in the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois: “Ex-Illinois lawmaker subpoenaed over scholarships” in the Quad-City Times.
South Carolina: “Taxpayer bill for Haley ethics probe is $61,000” by Andrew Shain in the Charlotte Observer.
Utah: “Utah Supreme Court weighs fate of 2010 ethics initiative” by Cathy McKitrick in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Political Campaigns and Social Media
“New Site Seeks to Aggregate User-Generated Political Videos” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.
July 27, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – July 27, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
IRS Says It Will Examine Rules for Nonprofit Political Activity
Lawyers Raking in Cash as Campaign Spending Hits Records
Millionaire Political Donors Club: Where are the women?
From the States and Municipalities:
California
San Bernardino County: Campaign finance reform boosted by bill
Connecticut
Campaign Money Scandal Rattles Congressional Race
Georgia
Governor Admits to Ethics Violations
Nevada
Americans for Prosperity May Have Opened Donors to Public Scrutiny by Entering State Race
Pennsylvania
Pa.’s Tough, New Voter ID Law Lands in Court
Pennsylvania
SEPTA Says It Didn’t Think It Had to Report Lobbyist Spending
Utah
ALEC Conservatives Reject Charges of Corporate Cronyism
Vermont
Vermont AG: No limits for independent expenditure PACs
Wisconsin
Prosser Converts Campaign Account to Legal Defense Fund
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.
July 27, 2012 •
Supreme Court Justice Scalia Defends Citizens United
Interview to be broadcast on C-Span this Sunday
Here is a video clip of C-Span’s Brian Lamb interviewing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who discussed the Citizens United decision.
For the full story , be sure to read “Scalia Defends ‘Citizens United,’ Arizona Immigration Decision” by Tony Mauro in The Blog of LegalTimes.
You’ll find more of the coverage in the press here:
“Scalia: ‘We get clobbered by the press’” by Dylan Byers in Politico.
“Scalia Unconcerned About Money in Politics; People Aren’t ‘Sheep’” by Ariane de Vogue on ABC News.
“Scalia Defends Decision in Citizens United” on Capitol Correspondent.
“Justice Scalia downplays reports of discord on court” by Mark Sherman in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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.
