November 25, 2015 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Lobbying “Twilio, TaskRabbit hire first lobbyists” by Mario Trujillo in The Hill Campaign Finance “Ben Carson’s Book Tour Draws Campaign Finance Complaint” by Trip Gabriel in The New York Times Montana: “Political Practices boss adopts new campaign finance rules” by […]
Lobbying
“Twilio, TaskRabbit hire first lobbyists” by Mario Trujillo in The Hill
Campaign Finance
“Ben Carson’s Book Tour Draws Campaign Finance Complaint” by Trip Gabriel in The New York Times
Montana: “Political Practices boss adopts new campaign finance rules” by The Associated Press in the Independent Record
New Mexico: “House Democrats push campaign finance reform, ethics board” by Susan Montoya Bryan (Associated Press) in the Sun Herald
Ethics
California: “S.F. Ethics Commission hires director with long experience in L.A.” by Lizzie Johnson and Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle
New York: “Thomas Libous, Ex-New York State Senator, Gets Probation and Home Confinement in Corruption Case” by Vivan Yee in The New York Times
Elections
“Forget the 2016 Polls: Nobody Knows Anything Yet” by S.V. Dáte (National Journal) in Government Executive
Government Transparency
Missouri: “Auditor finds Sunshine Law violations in closed meetings” by Summer Ballentine (Associated Press) in the Columbia Daily Tribune
Social Media and Tech
“Top Ten Presidential Campaign Facebook Posts (11/13 to 11/19/2015)” by Colin Delany in Epolitics.com
November 24, 2015 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News Update
Lobbying Arizona: “In Arizona, lobbyist disclose spending; you just don’t know on whom” by Justin Price in The Arizona Republic Canada: “Lobbying: important amendments to the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct” by Gregory Kane, V. Peter Harder and Danylo Korbabicz in Lexology […]
Lobbying
Arizona: “In Arizona, lobbyist disclose spending; you just don’t know on whom” by Justin Price in The Arizona Republic
Canada: “Lobbying: important amendments to the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct” by Gregory Kane, V. Peter Harder and Danylo Korbabicz in Lexology
Campaign Finance
Kansas: “House-Senate panel votes to double campaign donation limits” by Tim Carpenter in The Topeka Capital-Journal
State Legislatures
Florida: “State Lawmakers Pushing To Extend Legislative Terms” by Nick Evans in WFSU.org
Vermont: “Off-session legislative activity causes concern” by Neal Goswami in the Times Argus
Washington: “Liias, Ryu selected for leadership posts in State Legislature” in My Edmonds News
Elections
“What to Know About the Presidential Race Today” in The New York Times
Redistricting
Florida: “Redistricting challengers amend filed maps, withdraw plan to cross Tampa Bay” by Mary Ellen Klas in Tampa Bay Times
November 23, 2015 •
Oregon Government Ethics Commission Announces Release Date for Online Filing System
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has announced the date their new online filing system will go live for lobbyist registration. Starting December 15, lobbyists should be able to register through the new online system for 2016. The online system has […]
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has announced the date their new online filing system will go live for lobbyist registration.
Starting December 15, lobbyists should be able to register through the new online system for 2016.
The online system has been planned since 2007, and aims to increase transparency by allowing the public to view lobbying and public official financial disclosures online.
November 17, 2015 •
Orange County, California Considering Creation of Ethics Commission
The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a ballot measure which would create an ethics commission for the county. A newly created ethics commission would oversee the enforcement of the county’s campaign finance ordinance. Voters will have the opportunity to […]
The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a ballot measure which would create an ethics commission for the county. A newly created ethics commission would oversee the enforcement of the county’s campaign finance ordinance.
Voters will have the opportunity to approve the measure on June 7, 2016, the date of the presidential primary election.
November 16, 2015 •
Georgia Announces Proposed Changes to Lobbying, Campaign Finance Rules
The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission issued a notification of proposed changes to the Commission’s rules. New rules being considered deal with lobbying expenditures made to the family of a public official or employee, when campaign contributions are […]
The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission issued a notification of proposed changes to the Commission’s rules. New rules being considered deal with lobbying expenditures made to the family of a public official or employee, when campaign contributions are deemed received, and anonymous contributions.
Rule amendments are also being considered to several sections of Chapter 189, including 189-1-.07 concerning adjustments of contribution limits based on inflation.
The Commission will consider the changes on December 15, 2015.
November 16, 2015 •
Pennsylvania Cracking Down on Those Failing to Report Lobbying Expenses
The Pennsylvania Ethics Commission is increasing its enforcement efforts against those who fail to report lobbying expenditures. This year, 31 groups were cited for failing to file expense reports with fines totaling $90,300. In comparison, last year, only 15 citations […]
The Pennsylvania Ethics Commission is increasing its enforcement efforts against those who fail to report lobbying expenditures. This year, 31 groups were cited for failing to file expense reports with fines totaling $90,300. In comparison, last year, only 15 citations were issued with fines reaching $44,000.
At the same time, the General Assembly is working on legislation to increase the penalty for noncompliance. House Bill 1348’s proposed increase is from $50 per day to a tiered system where the fine increases the later the report becomes. The bill passed the House unanimously in October and is awaiting action in the Senate.
Lobbyists and legislators may be violating new ethics laws according to the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission. An advisory opinion recently published by the commission addresses the practice of lawmakers giving fundraising appeals to lobbyists who likely pass them on to […]
Lobbyists and legislators may be violating new ethics laws according to the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission. An advisory opinion recently published by the commission addresses the practice of lawmakers giving fundraising appeals to lobbyists who likely pass them on to their employers. These appeals typically include dollar amounts for attending the fundraiser.
Legislation passed last year prohibits lobbyists from directly soliciting contributions for legislators or legislative candidates. This practice, the opinion concludes, likely constitutes a direct solicitation of a contribution.
The commission is not conducting any investigations on this matter as there has not yet been a formal complaint.
September 22, 2015 •
West Virginia Ethics Commission Announces Training Course
The West Virginia Ethics Commission announced a one-hour training course on the Ethics Act. Lobbyists new to West Virginia must complete this course within 90 days of registration and all other lobbyists must complete one training course during the registration […]
The West Virginia Ethics Commission announced a one-hour training course on the Ethics Act. Lobbyists new to West Virginia must complete this course within 90 days of registration and all other lobbyists must complete one training course during the registration cycle (January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016).
The course will take place on October 22, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. in the Ethics Commission’s conference room. An online video is also available for lobbyists to fulfill their training obligations.
September 11, 2015 •
New York State Rep. Under Investigation by Ethics Panel
State Rep. Angela Wozniak is being investigated by the Assembly Ethics Commission following claims of sexual harassment. A male member of her staff made the complaint against her. Wozniak’s attorney, Steven Cohen, would make no comment beyond stating the representative […]
State Rep. Angela Wozniak is being investigated by the Assembly Ethics Commission following claims of sexual harassment.
A male member of her staff made the complaint against her.
Wozniak’s attorney, Steven Cohen, would make no comment beyond stating the representative is cooperating with the ethics panel and fully expects her to be exonerated.
Photo of Rep. Angela Wozniak by KittyHawk2015 on Wikimedia Commons.
September 11, 2015 •
Sacramento, CA City Council to Vote on Ethics Proposals
On September 15, the Sacramento, California City Council will vote to determine whether to create an ethics commission with a new ethics code. An office of compliance would also be created for city employee training of local and state ethics […]
On September 15, the Sacramento, California City Council will vote to determine whether to create an ethics commission with a new ethics code. An office of compliance would also be created for city employee training of local and state ethics laws. Additionally, if the legislation is passed, a redistricting commission would be created to draw new boundaries for City Council districts.
Mayor Kevin Johnson said the proposals are “a breakthrough that provides an unprecedented level of accountability and transparency to Sacramento city government,” according to the Sacramento Bee.
September 2, 2015 •
Missouri Lobbyists Must Amend Expenditure Reporting for State Night Dinner
The Missouri Ethics Commission recently found a group of lobbyists improperly reported food and drink expenditures made during a 2014 American Legislative Exchange Council State Night dinner. The lobbyists reported the entire General Assembly as the recipient for the total […]
The Missouri Ethics Commission recently found a group of lobbyists improperly reported food and drink expenditures made during a 2014 American Legislative Exchange Council State Night dinner. The lobbyists reported the entire General Assembly as the recipient for the total cost of the dinner, though not every member of the Legislature received an invitation to the event.
Such expenditures were required to be reported on behalf of each public official rather than as a group expenditure. The punishment simply requires each lobbyist to amend his or her filing and cite the specific legislators in attendance at the dinner.
Some feel the ruling sets a dangerous precedent, as lobbyists may continue to hide individual gifts under the guise of a group event as long as the entire group receives an invitation.
The Ethics Commission has launched a new online tool to track financial activity for the November 3, 2015, election. These interactive campaign finance dashboards will provide visual summaries of the contributions and expenditures of candidate and ballot measure committees, lobbyists, […]
The Ethics Commission has launched a new online tool to track financial activity for the November 3, 2015, election.
These interactive campaign finance dashboards will provide visual summaries of the contributions and expenditures of candidate and ballot measure committees, lobbyists, contributors, and third parties. It will also provide information on expenditure ceilings and any public funds dispersed through the city’s public financing program.
The dashboards can be found here. The data utilized by the dashboards can be downloaded from the Ethics Commission website or the SF OpenData website.
A voter initiative is being developed in Orange County, California, to create a county ethics commission. The commission would enforce campaign finance limits for countywide offices as well as public ethics, including gifts and conflicts of interest. The commission would […]
A voter initiative is being developed in Orange County, California, to create a county ethics commission. The commission would enforce campaign finance limits for countywide offices as well as public ethics, including gifts and conflicts of interest.
The commission would also have a hotline where citizens could provide tips regarding ethics issues and would have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents.
If the initiative qualifies, it would appear on the November 2016 ballot. A version of the proposed initiative is available here.
The City of San Diego Ethics Commission has proposed amendments to the city’s campaign finance laws related to the disclosure requirements applicable to referendum and initiative petitions. The proposed amendments would require additional campaign disclosures of committees supporting or opposing […]
The City of San Diego Ethics Commission has proposed amendments to the city’s campaign finance laws related to the disclosure requirements applicable to referendum and initiative petitions.
The proposed amendments would require additional campaign disclosures of committees supporting or opposing the qualification of an initiative or referendum measure on the ballot.
The city Ethics Commission is scheduled to consider the amendments at its upcoming August 13, 2015 meeting.
Photo of the San Diego skyline courtesy of Tomcio77 on Wikimedia Commons.
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