Lobbying

“Fiscal Battles Portend Good Year Ahead for K Street” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“K Street Files: Media Matters, MoveOn Adviser Takes Reins at NARAL” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.

“Roundtable’s chief lobbyist Bill Miller: Taking care of business” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Tech lobbyists: Immigration reform needed ‘desperately’” by Steve Friess in Politico.

“Outside Groups Spent Big on Congressional Travel” by Amanda Becker in Roll Call.

California:  “Former state legislator, wine lobbyist Paul Lunardi dies at 91” by Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee.

Europe:  “Political groups move closer to creating special committee on lobbying” by Cillan Donnelly in NewEurope.

Missouri:  “Ex-state representative relates keys of lobbying” by James R. Campbell in the Daily Mail & Herald Tribune.

New Mexico:  “Rotunda buzzes with activity ahead of legislative session” by Stacey Matlock in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Campaign Finance

North Carolina: “Morning Memo: McCrory gets campaign cash from indicted donor, Hudson on the rise” in the News & Observer.

Legislative Issues

South Carolina: “No Sanford vs. Sanford in South Carolina” by Mike Zapler in Politico.

Campaign Finance

“Obama Campaign Fined $375,000” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“Supreme Court won’t hear campaign finance arguments from anti-abortion group” by The Associated Press in The Washington Post.

Connecticut: “Former State Sen. Ernest Newton Arrested” by Mark Pazniokas in the Hartford Guardian.

Lobbying

“2013 Lobbying Certificate Program Calendar Released” on the American League of Lobbyists website.

“K Street Files: MPAA Casts Strahan” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Confessions of a Young Lobbyist on Capitol Hill” by Mickey Leibner in Roll Call.

“K Street Files: Airline Group Lands New Staffer, Lawsuit; Former Senators Lobbying” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

Ethics

“Cynthia Bauerly, FEC Commissioner, To Resign On February 1” by Paul Blumenthal in the Huffington Post.

Idaho: “Idaho lawmakers could create ethics committee” by Justin Corr in KTVB News.

South Carolina: “S.C. lawmakers have packed 2013 agenda” by Stephen Largen in the Post and Courier.

Legislative Issues

“Utah lawmaker wants to dump must-vote rule” by Robert Gehrke in The Salt Lake Tribune.

Lobbying

“K Street Lobbyists Ready for Post-Sandy Disaster Aid Requests” by Kate Ackley and Janie Lorber in Roll Call.

“The Hill’s 2012 Top Lobbyists” in The Hill.

“5 Wisconsin lawmakers settle suit with groups seeking ALEC emails” by Jason Stein in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Campaign Finance

“Outside cash trumps candidates’ in half a dozen tight races” by Kevin Bogardus and Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

California: “Judge backs Jerry Brown, FPPC on Arizona campaign donations” by Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee.

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma candidates accept corporate contributions, afoul of state law” by Megan Rolland in The Oklahoman.

Oklahoma: “Chickasaw Nation leads state superPAC donors” by Randy Kehbiel in the Tulsa World.

Campaigns and Elections

“Where’s Your Polling Location? On IOS 6, There’s Now An App To Help You Find Out” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.

Federal:

K Street Flags Shortcomings of Lobbying Law

From the States and Municipalities:

Arizona

Judge: Listing of PAC contributors unconstitutional

California

California’s Campaign Finance Watchdog Agency Demands Names of Donors to Shadowy Arizona Group

California

Judge Rejects Former Bell Police Chief’s Bid to Double Pension

Florida

State Ethics Commission: David Rivera broke 11 ethics laws while serving in Florida Legislature

Georgia

Atlanta Region Sees Spike in Public Corruption Cases

Idaho

Idaho Sues to Force Disclosure of Secret Donations

Illinois

Appeals Court Allows Illinois Limits on Campaign Financing

Iowa

‘Donations’ to State Agency Let Landlords Avoid Charges

Kentucky

Ethics Panel Wants Lobbyists to Report Ad Spending

Montana

Supreme Court Won’t Block Montana Campaign Finance Law Ahead Of Elections

New Jersey

Infamous Federal Informant Solomon Dwek Is Sentenced to Six Years, Must Pay $22.8 Million

North Dakota

Campaigning Fargo Candidate Finds Body under Tree

Tennessee

With Registry’s Ruling, Burchett Case Closed

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.

“Washington’s Top Lobbying Groups Hire Mostly Men: BGOV Barometer” by Jonathan D. Salant and Jennifer Prince in Bloomberg News.

“Study: Lobbying bad for business?” by Tim Mak in Politico.

Here is the original study the above article references: “Corporate political giving doesn’t pay” by Amy Hodges in Rice University News & Media.

“K Street: ‘Let’s meet’; Hill staffers: ‘Text me’” by Dave Levinthal in Politico.

“The State of K Street: Work in the Shadows – Lobbying Rules That Were Meant to Regulate the Industry Have Spawned the Emergence of the Unlobbyist” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

New York:  “Lobbyists directed contributions” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times Union.

New York: “Lobbyists gave state pols $1.8M” by Erik Kriss in the New York Post.

“Are politicians too rich to understand us?” by Timothy Stanley on CNN.

“Hotel industry’s top lobbyist bringing it back to Main Street” by Elise Viebeck in The Hill.

“Revolving Door: Hill Staffers with Retiring Bosses Hit K Street” by Andrew Joseph in National Journal’s Influence Alley.

“Minnesota Capitol the recipient of $59 million lobbying effort” by Megan Boldt in the Grand Forks Herald.

“Business groups spent $14 million lobbying Minn. Legislators” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

“Democrats propose new Missouri ethics bill” by Elizabeth Crisp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to the article, “the bill would restrict the amount lawmakers and their immediate family members could accept from lobbyists, prohibit lawmakers from working as paid political consultants while in office and limit the investment of campaign contributions to interest-bearing checking or savings accounts.”

“Utah’s revolving door keeps spinning out lobbyists” by Britny Mortensen in The Salt Lake Tribune.

Federal:

How One Criminal Case Hit K Street

Hybrid PACs: Super PACs and Traditional PACs Can Merge

Lobbyists In On ‘Super’ Secrets

OMB Finalizes Details on White House Lobbying Reform Rules

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama

Commission’s Opinions Further Define 2010 Ethics Law

Delaware

Colbert Takes Satirical Swipe at Abuse of Delaware Spending Disclosure Laws

Minnesota

Disclosure Rules Apply, Campaign Finance Board Says

New Jersey

N.J. Ethics Reform Efforts Bogged Down for Year

New Mexico

New Mexico Governor Signs Bill to Close Loopholes in State Contract Bidding

New York

NYC Mayor Cross-Examined at Ex-Operative’s Trial

Texas

Recall Case Likely to Extend Beyond El Paso

Utah

Lobbyists Want Keys to the Gym and Valet Parking at Capitol

Virginia

Trackers an Evolving but Undeniable Political Force

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.