Campaign Finance

National: FEC Considers Expanding Political Ad Disclaimers to Mobile Apps by Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Tony Romm for Washington Post

Elections

National: Teachers Aren’t Just Striking, They’re Running for Office by Alan Greenblatt for Governing

Ethics

National: Trump Cabinet Members Accused of Living Large at Taxpayer Expense by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis for Washington Post

National: Trump Company Lawyer Involved in Effort to Keep Stormy Daniels Silent, Document Shows by Emma Brown, Beth Reinhard, and Frances Stead Sellers for Washington Post

Alabama: Etowah Sheriff Pockets $750k in Jail Food Funds, Buys $740k Beach House by Connor Sheets for AL.com

California: Imperial County Is a Web of Friends and Family. Is It Too Small to Investigate Itself? by Sammy Roth for Palm Springs Desert Sun

New York: Trial Raises Questions About Many Cuomo Practices by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Lobbying

Missouri: Ex-Greitens’ Adviser Now Registered to Lobby in Missouri by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The fastest 2 & 1/2 minutes in government ethics, campaign finance, legislative sessions and elections news from this week is here!

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will appoint members to the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement while litigation over the structure of the board is pending.

The Democratic governor has sued Republican legislative leaders three times over legislation creating different versions of the joint board. The latest lawsuit was filed by the governor on March 13.

Cooper won the two previous lawsuits over versions creating an eight-member board comprised of four Democrats and four Republicans. He sued again, arguing the now nine-member board still prevents him from having control over carrying out elections laws.

A state board administering elections and campaign finance laws has been vacant since last June while the constitutionality of the joint board has been litigated.

Campaign Finance

National: “Despite Pledge to ‘Drain the Swamp,’ Trump Has Shown Little Interest in Beefing Up the Federal Election Commission” by Michelle Ye Hee Lee for Washington Post

District of Columbia: “D.C. Mayor, Reversing Course, Signs Law Creating Publicly Financed Campaigns” by Peter Jamison for Washington Post

Illinois: “Assessor Berrios Loses Court Fight to Overturn Cook County’s Limits on Campaign Donations” by Ray Long and Hal Dardick for Chicago Tribune

Missouri: “Heavyweight D.C. Law Firm Represented Hawley for Free in 2016” by Jason Hancock (Kansas City Star) and Lindsey Wise for McClatchy DC

Wyoming: “An Effort to Crackdown on ‘Dark Money’ in Wyoming Quietly Died at the Legislature. Nobody Is Quite Sure Why.” by Arno Rosenfeld for Casper Star-Tribune

Elections

National: “Strong Performance by Democrat Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania Shakes Trump and G.O.P.” by Peter Baker and Michael Shear for New York Times

Ethics

National: “Feds: Ex-aide to U.S. Rep. Bob Brady Targeted in Murder-for-Hire Plot” by Jeremy Roebuck for Philadelphia Inquirer

National: “Trump Jr. and Texas Donor Have Longtime Undisclosed Ties” by Jake Pearson (Associated Press) for Chicago Tribune

Missouri: “‘Potential for Corruption Here Is Unbelievable’: Who’s paying Greitens’ legal bills?” by Lindsey Wise (McClatchy DC) and Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

North Carolina: “Duke Energy Threatens Advocacy Group with Legal Action Over Financial Claims” by John Murawski for Raleigh News and Observer

Legislative Issues

North Carolina: “Cooper Sues Again While Court Rejects Elections Board Motion” by Gary Robertson (Associated Press) for Raleigh News and Observer

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser signed the Fair Elections Act creating publicly financed elections.

In this voluntary program, qualified candidates for mayor, attorney general, Council, or the State Board of Education must raise a certain amount of money from small-dollar donors.

The city would then provide start-up support and a 5:1 match on the small dollar-contributions.

Before receiving any public money, candidates would also have to accept lower contribution limits and reject all corporate and political action committee contributions.

The law is expected to take effect in 2020.

Campaign Finance

National: “A Super PAC Has Raised Millions to Mobilize Black Voters. Does It Matter That Its Funders Are White?” by Lateshia Beachum for Center for Public Integrity

Arizona: “Tom Horne Takes on ‘Dark Money’ Despite Past Campaign Investigations” by Richard Ruelas for Arizona Republic

Oregon: “Multnomah County to Appeal Campaign Finance Ruling” by Nick Budnick for Portland Tribune

Elections

National: “Despite Mueller’s Push, House Republicans Declare No Evidence of Collusion” by Nicholas Fandos for New York Times

Ethics

National: “White House Aides Blur the Legal Lines Between Partisans and Public Servants” by Julie Hirschfeld Davis for New York Times

National: “Ivanka Trump Never Cut Ties with the Trump Organization. That’s Turned into a Problem.” by Anita Kumar for McClatchy DC

Maryland: “Security Video Shows Maryland Lobbyist Touching Lawmaker. He Says It Vindicates Him. She Says It Vindicates Her.” by Erin Cox for Baltimore Sun

Missouri: “Missouri Ethics Watchdog Will Be Unable to Meet after Greitens’ Inaction” by Jack Suntrup for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

New York: “Joseph Percoco, Ex-Cuomo Aide, Found Guilty in Corruption Trial” by Vivian Wang and Benjamin Weiser for New York Times

Pennsylvania: “Gov. Wolf Proposes Ethics Reforms for Pennsylvania Lawmakers” by Kate Giammarise for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lobbying

National: “Companies Fretting Over ‘Foreign Agents’ Label” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced his Citizen First ethics reform plan this week. Gov. Wolf, who took office in 2015, has been a proponent of broad ethics and government reform.

The Citizens First ethics reform plan includes a gift ban for all public officials. Gov. Wolf already banned members of his administration from accepting gifts but is seeking a broader permanent ban to stop politicians from accepting unlimited gifts.

Along with a gift ban, the plan includes campaign finance reform creating contribution limits, restriction on political action committees, and heightened reporting requirements.

The proposed campaign finance reform would also include pay-to-play provisions requiring the disclosure of campaign contributions made by entities seeking contracts with the state.

Campaign Finance

National: “Trump Company Email Was Used for Stormy Daniels Hush-Money Payment” by Michael Finnegan for Los Angeles Times

Ethics

National: “Out of Public View, Trumps and Kushners Are Talking Business” by Ben Protess, Steve Eder, and Jesse Drucker for New York Times

California: “‘Hamilton’ Tickets Without the Wait – or the Cost? It Helps to Be an L.A. Politician” by Emily Alpert Reyes for Los Angeles Times

Maryland: “Anne Arundel Prosecutor’s Campaign Paid $40,000 to Consulting Firm Owned by Top Aide’s Wife” by Phil Davis for Capital Gazette

New York: “Tackling Sexual Harassment With ‘Bipartisan Bad Behavior’ in Shadows” by Jesse McKinley for New York Times

Lobbying

Alabama: “Alabama Ethics Commission Director Says Bill Weakens Ethics Law” by Associated Press for AL.com

Iowa: “Bill Dix Resigns from Iowa Senate after Video with Lobbyist Is Posted” by William Petroski, Brianne Pfannensteil, and Jason Noble for Des Moines Register

Wisconsin: “Ethics Commission Won’t Fine Lobbyists After Audit” by Associated Press for Madison.com

Campaign Finance

National: “New Federal Rules on Facebook and Google Ads May Not Be in Place for 2018 Midterms” by Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Tony Romm for Washington Post

Canada: “Liberals Plan New Election Rules for Foreign, Domestic Pressure Groups” by Alex Boutilier for Toronto Star

Elections

National: “How Russian Trolls Crept into the Trump Campaign’s Facebook Message” by Kenneth Vogel for New York Times

Ethics

District of Columbia: “A D.C. Lawmaker Took on Mayor Muriel Bowser. Three Days Later, He Backed Down.” by Peter Jamison and Perry Stein for Washington Post

Florida: “State Ethics Board Sides with Watchdog Over Hagan, Hillsborough County” by Noah Pransky for WTSP

Illinois: “Berrios’ Assessor’s Office Gives Tax Break to Firm’s Lobbying Client” by Chuck Neubauer and Sandy Bergo (Better Government Association) for Chicago Daily Herald

Maryland: “Former Baltimore County Schools Leader Dallas Dance Pleads Guilty to Perjury” by Liz Bowie for Baltimore Sun

Lobbying

New Jersey: “Lobbying in New Jersey: Here is who’s spending millions to shape how you live” by Nicholas Pugliese for Bergen Record

And we’re back, coming to you with the fastest 2 & 1/2 minutes in government, ethics, lobbying and campaign finance News You Can Use!

National:

It’s a Steep Hill to Climb for Women Running for State Office
Center for Public Integrity – Kristian Hernandez | Published: 3/6/2018

Nearly 500 women have shown interest in running for Congress in this year’s midterm elections, twice as many as compared with the same time in 2016. More women have raised their hand to run for governor in 2018 than in the past seven years combined, and scores of women plan to run for attorneys general, legislative seats, and more. Women still have a long way to go before political offices reflect the U.S. population. But women’s success in politics might not be all about winning this year, said Kim Olson, the Democratic candidate for Texas agriculture commissioner. She said the elections might be as much about planting seeds that will one day grow and fill the gender gaps in the halls of Congress, governors’ mansions, and statehouses across the country.

Federal:

Companies Court Lawmakers with Charitable Giving, but Don’t Always Disclose the Funds
Center for Public Integrity – Carrie Levine | Published: 3/5/2018

By law, corporations and organizations that lobby the federal government must disclose certain charitable contributions to nonprofits, including ones such as the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation that are intimately tied to lawmakers. They also must disclose spending to “honor” lawmakers and high-level executive branch officials if the spending meets certain criteria. But an analysis found more than 20 companies and trade associations that have failed to disclose payments made to nonprofit groups aligned with government officials or aimed at honoring lawmakers they may want to influence. In every instance, other companies disclosed payments linked to the same events, though varying circumstances and exceptions to federal rules allow some omissions.

Companies, Nonprofits Put Brakes on Foreign Lobbying Bills
Roll Call – Kate Ackley | Published: 3/2/2018

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation to strengthen enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The new bill indicates that momentum to revamp foreign lobbying disclosures persists as the Russia probe has kept concerns about international influences in the spotlight. But opposition remains. Representatives of foreign-owned businesses and multinational nonprofit organizations say they do not want the stigma of being defined as foreign agents. They are pushing for changes to separate legislation that passed the House Judiciary Committee but has not yet been scheduled for floor action.

Trump Spoke to Witnesses About Matters They Discussed with Special Counsel
MSN – Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) | Published: 3/7/2018

The New York Times reported the special counsel in the Russian election meddling probe has learned of two conversations in which President Trump asked witnesses about matters discussed with investigators. Trump told an aide that White House counsel Donald McGahn should issue a statement denying a report in January that said McGahn told investigators the president had once asked him to fire special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump also asked his former chief of staff, Reince Priebus, how his interview with the special counsel investigators had gone and whether they had been “nice.” The episodes demonstrate that even as the inquiry appears to be intensifying, the president has ignored his lawyers’ advice to avoid doing anything publicly or privately that could create the appearance of interfering with it.

What Swamp? Lobbyists Get Ethics Waivers to Work for Trump
CNBC – Associated Press | Published: 3/7/2018

President Trump and his appointees have stocked federal agencies with former lobbyists and corporate lawyers who now help regulate the industries from which they previously collected paychecks, despite promising as a candidate to drain the swamp in Washington. A week after his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order that bars former lobbyists, lawyers, and others from participating in any matter they lobbied or otherwise worked on for private clients within two years before going to work for the government. But records show White House counsel Don McGahn has issued at least 24 ethics waivers to key administration officials at the White House and executive branch agencies.

From the States and Municipalities:

Colorado: Colorado Rep. Steve Lebsock Is Expelled Following Harassment Complaints from Five Women
Denver Post – Brian Eason and Jesse Paul | Published: 3/2/2018

The Colorado House voted to expel Rep. Steve Lebsock after hours of emotional debate in which several members broke down in tears. Lebsock had been accused of harassing five women, including a fellow state legislator, a lobbyist, and a former staffer, in 11 separate complaints. Lebsock has denied the charges, even distributing a dossier that detailed personal information about his accusers. He is the second lawmaker in the nation to be removed from office over harassment allegations since the rise of the #MeToo movement.

District of Columbia: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Says She Won’t Testify About Schools Chief’s Resignation
Washington Post – Peter Jamison | Published: 3/7/2018

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser said she will refuse to testify under oath to the city council about the circumstances of the resignation of the former chancellor of the public school system, setting up a showdown with lawmakers, the outcome of which could weigh on her re-election campaign. She said she would instead cooperate with a parallel investigation by the city inspector general’s office that is underway. Bowser demanded the resignations of Chancellor Antwan Wilson and the deputy mayor for education, saying she had just been notified the pair had transferred Wilson’s daughter to one of the city’s most desirable high schools, skipping a waiting list of more than 600 students, in violation of city policy. But Wilson said Bowser knew about the transfer four months ago and raised no objections.

Massachusetts: SJC May Be Option in ‘Union Loophole’ Case
Lowell Sun – Andy Metzger (State House News Service) | Published: 3/7/2018

The Supreme Judicial Court is considering whether Massachusetts can constitutionally bar corporations from making political contributions, while allowing labor unions and nonprofits to do so. James Manley, an attorney representing two Massachusetts businesses, said his clients simply want corporations to be on equal footing with other entities, and that federal law requires it. The plaintiffs would be somewhat satisfied if the court decided to rein in unions’ abilities to contribute politically, Manley told reporters.

New Mexico: Steve Pearce, State Move to Settle Lawsuit Over Gubernatorial Campaign Funds
Las Cruces Sun News – Andrew Oxford (Santa Fe New Mexican) | Published: 3/6/2018

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce are moving to settle a dispute about access to campaign money that Pearce raised while in Congress and sought to use in his run for governor. Under the proposed agreement, the state would allow candidates to use donations collected while in federal office for state office campaigns. The contributions cannot be larger than what it is allowable under New Mexico law, and they must have been reported to the FEC. “Those conditions were included to prevent future federal-to-state transfers from becoming a loophole around New Mexico’s campaign finance laws,” said Joey Keefe, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office.

New York: As Jurors Decide Fate of Key Cuomo Ally, Political Verdict May Be In
New York Times – Jesse McKinley and Shane Goldmacher | Published: 3/6/2018

Federal prosecutors in the corruption trial of a former top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo presented unflattering tales of how Cuomo conducts himself and how his administration has conducted the people’s business in Albany. The governor has not been accused of illegal acts, but the trial may well tarnish the well-groomed reputation of Cuomo, who is facing re-election in the fall. It may also complicate or undercut any national ambitions of Cuomo, which would need to take flight in places like Iowa and New Hampshire next year.

North Carolina: GOP’s 8-Member Elections-Ethics Board Struck Down. Is a Third Lawsuit on the Horizon?
Raleigh News and Observer – Anne Blythe | Published: 3/5/2018

A panel of state judges decided a recent North Carolina Supreme Court ruling favoring Gov. Roy Cooper means only a portion of a 2017 law combining the state ethics and elections boards is now struck down. Republicans at the General Assembly passed small changes related to the combined board’s membership and Cooper’s powers after the Supreme Court decision. Cooper’s lawyers had argued the Supreme Court ruling meant the judges should void the entire law. That would have opened the door to Cooper’s wishes. He wanted the law to revert to what it was before December 2016 – separate elections and ethics boards, and Democrats getting a majority of elections board seats.

Oregon: Multnomah County Political Spending Limits Unconstitutional, Judge Finds
Portland Oregonian – Gordon Friedman | Published: 3/6/2018

Multnomah County’s voter-approved limits on campaign contributions are an unconstitutional infringement on free speech, a county judge ruled. Judge Eric Bloch said the county and its voters cannot cap donations to candidates for county office at $500 per donor, force disclosure of the largest contributors to political mailers, or limit other types of spending. The limits are “impermissible” under the free speech guarantees within the Oregon Constitution, Bloch wrote, citing a related state Supreme Court opinion.

Pennsylvania: Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski Guilty on Most Charges in Pay-to-Play Trial; Must Leave Office
Allentown Morning Call – Peter Hall, Emily Opilo, and Daniel Patrick Sheehan | Published: 3/1/2018

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski was convicted of selling his office to campaign donors in a scheme meant to fuel his political ambitions. Jurors convicted him of 47 of the 54 charges he faced, a verdict that will force Pawlowski from office and end his tenure as leader of Pennsylvania’s third-largest city. Prosecutors said Pawlowski masterminded a plan to rig city contracts for legal, engineering, technology, and construction work, all in a bid to raise money for his statewide campaigns. Pawlowski ran for governor in 2014 and U.S. Senate in 2015, suspending the latter campaign days after the FBI raided City Hall.

Tennessee: Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Resigns from Office; ‘I love you, Nashville,’ she says
The Tennessean – Joey Garrison and Nate Rau | Published: 3/6/2018

Megan Barry resigned as Nashville’s mayor, weeks after admitting an affair with the police officer who ran her security detail. She announced her resignation shortly after she pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge related to the affair. Barry agreed to reimburse the city $11,000 and serve three years’ probation. The scandal drew attention to the overtime Sgt. Rob Forrest accrued while managing her detail. An affidavit detailed nude photos the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said appeared to be Barry taken on the phone of Forrest during city trips. Forrest pleaded guilty to property theft and was sentenced to three years of probation. He will reimburse the city $45,000 that was paid to him as salary and/or overtime during times when he was not performing his duties as head of the mayor’s security detail.

Texas: Talk About Big Bucks: Deer semen donations are fueling South Texas campaign
Dallas News – Jackie Wang | Published: 3/1/2018

A candidate in the race for a Texas House seat has received $87,500 in campaign donations, more than half of which is made up of deer semen. Ana Lisa Garza has received $51,000 in in-kind donations to her campaign, listed as individual donations of frozen deer semen straws. The containers are reportedly a common way for deer breeders in the state to donate to political campaigns. Garza’s campaign has valued the straws at $1,000 each. The group does not give the semen directly to the campaign, but accepts the straw donations and sells them at auction. Attorney Buck Wood said the donations technically were not “in-kind” since the money, not the semen, was given to the campaign.

State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 60 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.

Campaign Finance

National: “Adviser to Emirates with Ties to Trump Aides Is Cooperating with Special Counsel” by Mark Mazzetti, David Kirkpatrick, and Adam Goldman for New York Times

Massachusetts: “SJC May Be Option in ‘Union Loophole’ Case” by Andy Metzger (State House News Service) for Lowell Sun

New Mexico: “Steve Pearce, State Move to Settle Lawsuit Over Gubernatorial Campaign Funds” by Andrew Oxford (Santa Fe New Mexican) for Las Cruces Sun News

Oregon: “Multnomah County Political Spending Limits Unconstitutional, Judge Finds” by Gordon Friedman for Portland Oregonian

Elections

National: “It’s a Steep Hill to Climb for Women Running for State Office” by Kristian Hernandez for Center for Public Integrity

Ethics

National: “EPA Chief Pruitt’s Aide Given Permission to Work for Private Clients on the Side – but Their Identities Will Be Kept Secret” by Michael Biesecker (Associated Press) for Denver Post

National: “Ethics Office Finds Kellyanne Conway Broke Law in Alabama Race” by Jennifer Epstein for Bloomberg.com

Lobbying

Alabama: “Watchdog Accuses Key PAC in Alabama Race of Hiding Donors” by Brian Lyman for Montgomery Advertiser

South Carolina: “Gov. McMaster Suspects Santee Cooper Is Meddling with Effort to Sell the Utility” by Avery Wilks for The State

Campaign Finance

Texas: “Talk About Big Bucks: Deer semen donations are fueling South Texas campaign” by Jackie Wang for Dallas News

Ethics

Colorado: “Colorado Rep. Steve Lebsock Is Expelled Following Harassment Complaints from Five Women” by Brian Eason and Jesse Paul for Denver Post

Kentucky: “Company Tied to Gov. Matt Bevin Gets $400K Through State’s ‘Angel Investment’ Program” by Tom Loftus for Lousivelle Courier-Journal

Maryland: “Current, Former Md. Lawmakers Accused of Inappropriately Touching Women in Annapolis” by Ovetta Wiggins for Washington Post

Michigan: “Sen. Bert Johnson Pleads Guilty, Resigns” by Robert Snell for Detroit News

Lobbying

Federal: “Companies Court Lawmakers with Charitable Giving, but Don’t Always Disclose the Funds” by Carrie Levine for Center for Public Integrity

Florida: “Florida Democrat Demands Probe of NRA Lobbyist Marion Hammer’s Influence” by News Service of Florida for Orlando Sentinel

West Virginia: “Armstead: Investigation underway after lobbyist used access card to enter Capitol” by Jake Zuckerman for Charleston Gazette-Mail

Campaign Finance

National: “Provisions Attached to Budget Bills Could Reshape Campaign Finance Laws” by Michelle Ye Hee Lee for Washington Post

California: “Individual Campaign Contribution Limits Upped to $1,500 for Top Spots in City Elections, Per Annual Adjustment” by the Staff for Los Feliz Ledger

Missouri: “Missouri Attorney General Announces Probe into Greitens’ Former Charity” by Jack Suntrup for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Ethics

Florida: “What Happened to Florida’s #MeToo Moment? As Spotlight Shifted, the Bills All but Died” by Mary Ellen Klas (Miami Herald) for Tampa Bay Times

Maryland: “Former Maryland Lawmaker Guilty of Taking Cash Bribes for His Vote on Liquor Law” by Lynh Bui for Washington Post

Pennsylvania: “Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski Guilty on Most Charges in Pay-to-Play Trial; Must Leave Office” by Peter Hall, Emily Opilo, and Daniel Patrick Sheehan for Allentown Morning Call

Lobbying

National: “The NRA Has a Secret Weapon to Fight Gun Control: A powerful app” by Joshua Green for Bloomberg.com

National: “Companies, Nonprofits Put Brakes on Foreign Lobbying Bills” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call