Earlier this month, United States Representative Rob Woodall introduced House Resolution 2788 which amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit a candidate for election to the congress from making campaign expenditures for the election from amounts that were not raised during the election cycle for that office.

Rep. Woodall argues the legislation, called the Competitive Elections Act, will reduce the power of incumbents and encourage more new candidates in Congressional elections.

Rep. Woodall said, “We see this voter frustration in all of the polls supporting term limits. Rather than amend our Constitution with term limits that protect incumbents for three, six or twelve terms, my bill restores power and choices to voters each and every term,” Woodall said. His press release can be found here.

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.

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.

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.

Q. Are there prohibitions on registered lobbyists hand-delivering a political contribution check [personal, corporate, or PAC] to a candidate at the candidate’s fundraiser?

A. Forty-six states do not regulate the personal delivery of campaign contributions by contributions.  Of course, this assumes all other things being legal, such as session bans, a ban on corporate contributions, a ban on personal contributions by lobbyists, or personally delivering contributions while at the state capitol.

Alaska law provides that lobbyists may not host a fundraising event, directly or indirectly collect contributions, deliver contributions to a candidate, or participate in fund-raising activities.

Kentucky law prohibits a legislative agent from exercising control over a campaign contribution from a PAC and directing it to a specific state legislator, candidate, or committee.  This prohibition includes hand-delivering a contribution.

In Maryland, a lobbyist may not, for the benefit of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, or comptroller, member of the general assembly, or candidate for election to these offices solicit or transmit a political contribution from any person or political committee.

South Carolina has very strict rules governing a lobbyist’s involvement when it comes to political contributions.  Not only are lobbyists prohibited from making personal political contributions —  even as a constituent — they are prohibited from hand-delivering a corporate or PAC check to a candidate at the candidate’s fundraiser.

You can directly submit questions for this feature, and we will select those most appropriate and answer them here. Send your questions to: marketing@stateandfed.com.

(We are always available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or e-mail us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies to your questions are not legal advice. Instead, these replies represent our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

Santa Clara Superior Court Judge James P. Kleinberg has issued a proposed decision striking down a San Jose law that bars campaign contributions to candidates during the 17 days leading up to an election.

The proposed decision will be finalized in August.

Federal:

Crossroads GPS, Priorities USA Violate Tax Laws, Reform Groups Allege in IRS Petition

Oregon Congressman, Named in Sex Case, to Resign

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama

Bob Riley’s PAC Admits Taking PAC-to-PAC Donation in Violation of Law Riley Pushed

California

Judge Ready to Strike down San Jose Law Barring Last-Minute Campaign Contributions

District of Columbia

D.C. Council Member Thomas to Repay D.C. $300,000

Florida

Judge Hears Challenge to Florida Campaign Law

Florida

Press Group in Talks to Take Over State Lobbyist Registration

Georgia

Ethics Commission Could See Major Reorganization

Illinois

Emanuel Ethics Reforms Back on Track at City Council

Massachusetts

GOP’s Winslow Uses On-line Coupon to Promote Fundraiser

New York

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz Fined $20,000 for Taking Free Foreign Trips for His Wife

Rhode Island

Twenty Politicians Owe $800,000 in Election Fines

Tennessee

Some Advocacy Avoids Tennessee Lobbying Label

Virginia

For Virginia Companies, Campaign Donations to Lawmakers Just another Cost of Doing Business

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.

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

Elizabeth, New Jersey

Eugene, Oregon

Lakewood, Colorado

The office of the Secretary of State has released an amended version of the Rules Concerning Campaign and Political Finance, 8 CCR 1505-6.

Rule 5.13 now requires reports of contributions and expenditures to be filed on a monthly basis leading up to the state’s primary election in June and continuing until reports are required to be filed on a biweekly basis beginning in September.

The rule was necessitated by the enactment of Senate Bill 11-189, which changed the date of the state’s primary from August to June. Thus, the requirement to begin filing biweekly reports in July prior to the now vacated primary election date in August was rendered infeasible.

We now provide information on lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying for Gilbert, Arizona; Savannah, Georgia; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Springfield, Missouri; and Syracuse, New York on our website.

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Federal:

Edwards Campaign Owes $2 Million

Pakistan’s Military Plotted to Tilt U.S. Policy, FBI Says

Washington’s Long Debt-Ceiling Debate Hits K Street in the Wallet

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama

Country Stars Push Senator to Vote

California

Jerry Brown Assumes Uncommon Influence over FPPC

Georgia

Ethics Panelists Gave to Campaigns

Hawaii

Hawaii Ethics Director: Lawmakers ‘Pushed’ the Line on Gifts

Maine

Judge Strikes Down Maine’s Matching Funds Law

Massachusetts

Massachusetts House Democrats Block Debate on Republicans’ Ethics Rules Changes

North Carolina

North Carolina Election Will Go On, Even if No One Is Running

Pennsylvania

Chairman: Ethics board ‘being strangled’ by budget cuts

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Official Fired for Accepting Meals, Gifts from City Contractors

Tennessee

Tennessee GOP Finds Loophole in Campaign Law

Washington

Judge Blocks Washington Limit on Recall Contributions

West Virginia

Some W.Va. Election Ad Rules Again Struck Down

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.

Judge Thomas Johnston of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia has struck down key provisions of campaign finance law pertaining to electioneering communications.

In a suit filed by West Virginians for Life and the Center for Individual Freedom, the court held that while the state of West Virginia could regulate advertisements that “can have no other reasonable meaning than to urge the election or defeat of one or more clearly identified candidates,” the state could not require financial disclosures from third party groups creating advertisements that are merely “susceptible” to the interpretation that they are an appeal for or against a specific candidate.

Further, the court struck down the extension of electioneering communication regulations to print media while upholding the applicability of such regulations to broadcast media.

We now provide information on lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying for Miami, Florida; Pembroke Pines, Florida; and Vancouver, Washington on our website.

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