Lobbying

“Which federal agencies do lobbyists target most?” by Elizabeth Shell in PBS Newshour.

“Unemployment Extension Cause Has Invisible Lobby | K Street Files” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Former Rep. Dan Lungren returns to lobbying” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Canada: “Number of federal lobbyists up 24 per cent” by Jason Fekete in The Star Phoenix.

Florida: “Lobbyists, lawyers jostle for pot business” by Dara Kam in The News Herald.

Kentucky: “Lobbyist hosts RPK fundraiser with top GOP senators” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.

Oklahoma: “Wind energy felt at the state Capitol” by Kurtis Killman in the Tulsa World.

Pennsylvania: “Improvements seen in Phila. lobbying Web site” by Alisha Green (Sunlight Foundation) in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Campaign Finance

“What if your cell phone buzzed every time someone gave your congressman a ton of money?” by Emily Badger in The Washington Post.

“What America Can Learn From Norway’s Success in Regulating Campaign Finance” by Emmett Rensin in PolicyMic.

Ethics

Georgia: “Georgia settles with 3 former ethics commission employees for more than $1.8 million” by Christina A. Cassidy (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Ohio: “Lawmaker might face charges over gifts” by Randy Ludlow in The Columbus Dispatch.

Rhode Island: “Issues to watch at end of General Assembly session” by Erika Niedowski (Associated Press) in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Rhode Island: “R.I. Senate OKs bill for Ethics Commission jurisdiction over state lawmakers” by Mike McKinney in the Providence Journal.

West Virginia: “Ethics Commission to hire interim director” by Phil Kabler in The Charleston Gazette.

Congress

“What Happens in the Senate When No One’s Looking? A Lot” by Humberto Sanchez in Roll Call.

State Legislatures

California: “California Legislature passes $156.4-billion 2014-15 budget” by Chris Megerian and Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times.

Minnesota: “Minnesota legislators swap Capitol careers for lucrative county paychecks” by Patrick Condon in the Star Tribune.

New York: “Albany lawmakers leaving unfinished business” by Michael Randall in Times Herald-Record.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Pols have a #fakefollower problem” by Darren Samuelsohn in Politico.

Eight moms from Portland, Maine, joined hundreds of other moms from across the country to demonstrate on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in a campaign called the Safe Chemicals Stroller Brigade. The purpose of the demonstration was to raise awareness about unsafe chemicals used in household products and to urge lawmakers to consider updates to the 1976 federal Toxic Substances Control Act, which has not been updated since its passage.

The Maine moms also met with members of the state’s congressional delegation to lobby Congress for the passage of legislation proposed by Maine Sen. Susan Collins. The Chemical Safety Improvement Act would require federal regulators to test chemicals for their health effects across a variety of consumers, including children and pregnant women.

Photo of the United States Capitol by Zack Rudisin in Wikimedia Commons.

As students from grade school to grad school spend the week away from their studies, members of Congress and state legislatures are also taking time away from contentious issues and floor debates for a spring break of their own. The United States Congress is taking two weeks off to return home.

The legislatures in Alabama, California, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are also in recess this week and, in some cases, next week as well. New York is scheduled to be in its yearly Passover and Easter recess, but budget wrangling is delaying the start of the break.

A handful of states have already completed their spring recess, and Nebraska has a recess scheduled for April.

Lobbying

“Matt Walker Heads to the National Restaurant Association” by Alex Roarty in National Journal.

Campaign Finance

“Coalition Presses for Rules on Corporate Political Spending” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“Campaign finance fight lands at the SEC’s door” by Anna Palmer and Zachary Warmbrodt in Politico.

District of Columbia: “Campaign finance reform bills introduced at D.C. Council” by Alan Blinder in The Examiner.

Ethics

Georgia: “Senate committee meets on ethics rules” by Melissa Roberts on CBS Atlanta.

Kansas: “GOP conservatives’ ire at ethics commission likely to result in proposals to revamp watchdog” by John Hanna in The Republic.

South Carolina: “Sanford set for political comeback trail” by Cameron Joseph in The Hill.

Legislative Issues

“The Hill’s 2012 New Members Guide” in The Hill.

“Americans prefer Nickelback, root canals to Congress” by Breanna Edwards in Politico.

“Rhode Island Likely to Lose a House Seat” by Katherine Q. Seelye in The New York Times.

Michigan: “Michigan Legislature starts new session Wednesday” by David Eggert (Associated Press) in the Lansing Journal.

Vermont:  “As new legislative session starts, a look at the old Statehouse” by Terri Hallenbeck in the Burlington Free Press.

Wisconsin: “Wis. lawmakers reach no deal on changing rules” by Scott Bauer in the La Crosse Tribune.

Government Tech

“Who has the worst web presences in politics?” by Steve Friess in Politico.

The Congressional Management Foundation has released a new report about the use of social media on Capitol Hill.

The 16-page document says congressional offices are using social media as a way to monitor public opinion, as a tool to get the word out about lawmakers’ messages and activities, and as another way to communicate with constituents.

The study says younger staffers see more value in the use of social media than older staffers.

You can read the Congressional Management Foundation’s article, “Social Media Used Extensively by Congress,” which was posted today. Here is the pdf of the report.