August 29, 2012 •
D.C. Mayor Proposes Campaign Finance Reform
Public comment to be open until September 17th
Mayor Vincent Gray and Attorney General Irvin Nathan have introduced a proposal for an overhaul of the city’s campaign finance laws. The proposal includes pay-to-pay provisions that will limit when contractors may contribute to public officials. It will also make electronic disclosure mandatory and increase the disclosures already in place. The proposal would also ban lobbyists from bundling political contributions.
These proposed reforms come at a time when the district has been inflicted with a rash of campaign scandals, including one involving Mayor Gray’s campaign.
The proposal will now go through a public comment period until September 17th. At that point, the proposal will be formally sent to the district council.
Photo of the John A. Wilson Building by Awiseman on Wikipedia.
April 23, 2012 •
Government Tech News
Here is the latest news about government technology and social media:
“This Week in Tech: House boots up ‘cyber week’” by Brendan Sasso and Andrew Feinberg in The Hill.
NCSL is hosting its “Social Media Policies for State Legislatures” webinar on April 27.
Nextgov gives us a sneak preview of their forthcoming new website!
Here is a link to The New York Times Election 2012 App for iPhone and Android. Their site gives this description:
“News, opinion, polls and live election night results. From The Times and other top sources around the Web. It’s the best campaign coverage anywhere, all in one app.”
District of Columbia: “Hackers Shut Down District of Columbia Government Website” by Nikita Stewart in The Washington Post.
Iowa: “Iowa lawmakers go on camera to deliver updates” by James Q. Lynch in the Quad-City Times.
December 21, 2011 •
D.C. Council Passes Ethics Bill
Bill Creates Ethics Panel and Impeachment Process
WASHINGTON, D.C.: By a 12-1 margin, the D.C. Council has passed an ethics bill that seeks to increase accountability for council members.
The bill includes provisions to establish a new three-member ethics panel, bar felons from serving on the council or as mayor, and grant powers to the D.C. attorney general to prosecute elected officials accused of ethical misconduct.
The legislation will be sent to Mayor Vincent Gray for his approval.
Photo of the John A. Wilson Building by Awiseman on Wikipedia.
November 21, 2011 •
D.C. Council to Consider Ethics Proposal
Draft Seeks to Consolidate and Streamline Other Pending Proposals
The Council of the District of Columbia will soon consider legislation that would establish an independent ethics panel and reduce the amount of money council members can raise to help constituents. Council member Muriel Bowser has crafted draft legislation that seeks to streamline 10 separate reform proposals that have been introduced by council members in the aftermath of several ethics controversies.
The proposal sets up a three-member Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, prohibits lobbyists from offering discounted legal advice to council members, sets limits on how much the mayor and council chairman can accept from donors for transition and inaugural committees, and cuts by half the amount that council members can raise for constituent service funds. The proposal does not impose term limits or prohibit lobbyists from making political contributions as sought by other reform proposals.
June 22, 2011 •
Ethics Reform Bills to Be Introduced
Bills Address Campaign Finance Reporting and Official Vehicle Use
District of Columbia Councilman Tommy Wells has announced that he will introduce three ethics reform bills to address recent ethical issues raised in the district council.
The Campaign Finance Accountability and Reform Amendment Act of 2011 establishes reporting requirements to the Office of Campaign Finance for contributions and expenditures related to transitions and inaugurations and prohibits the bundling of corporate contributions.
The Campaign Finance Reporting Amendment Act of 2011 alters the financial disclosure reporting schedule to coincide with the new primary election date of the first Tuesday of April in an election year.
The Government Vehicles and Fleet Management Rationalization Amendment Act of 2011 prohibits the procurement of “luxury-class” vehicles and freezes the current fleet size.
March 29, 2011 •
D.C. Council to Consider Government Transparency Bills
Bills Seek to Improve Public Access to Procurement and Budgetary Information
Two bills were introduced before the Council of the District of Columbia as part of a series of measures to enhance transparency in the District government.
The first bill seeks to enact the Sunshine in Procurement Act of 2011 which requires the Council to post contract information, including the contract, solicitation, purchase orders, invoices, and change orders on its website. Additionally, sole-source and emergency procurement information would need to be posted, including the determination and findings supporting those procurements.
The second bill, referred to as the Open Government Act of 2011, expands the responsibilities of the newly created Open Government Office, improves the District’s Freedom of Information Act, requires agencies to prepare biennial transparency plans, and improves the transparency of the District’s budget information.
Photo of the John A. Wilson Building, home of the city government of Washington, D.C., by Awiseman on Wikipedia.
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.
