Gov. Matt Bevin approved changes to a campaign finance law yesterday, March 27, 2017.

Senate Bill 75 doubles current contribution limits for individuals giving to candidates, state executive committees, and caucus campaign committees. The limit for individuals giving to PACs also increases from $1,500 to $2,000.

Contributions to candidates and PACs will be indexed for inflation every odd-numbered year based on the Consumer Price Index. The bill also creates a single reporting threshold of $3,000 for campaign finance reports.

The bill is effective June 28, 2017, or 90 days from adjournment sine die of the regular session of the Legislature.

A bill to raise the limit on what individuals may contribute to campaigns has passed the Kentucky Senate.

Senate Bill 75, sponsored by Sen. Damon Thayer, doubles the limit for individuals giving to candidates, caucus committees, and political parties.

The bill, similar to a measure introduced by Thayer in the past, also creates an additional disclosure report 60 days prior to an election. The bill has been transmitted to the House for consideration.

Lobbying

“White Nationalists Dress Up and Come to Washington in Hopes of Influencing Trump” by Lisa Mascaro for Los Angeles Times

“Groups Ease Off Events for Lawmakers Under New Lobbying Law” by James Nord (Associated Press) for The Washington Times

Campaign Finance

“FEC Deadlocks, Won’t Investigate Dark Money Group That Spent All Its Funds On an Election” by Robert Maguire for Center for Responsive Politics

California: “Did Money Buy California Ballot Measure Contests?” by Taryn Luna for The Sacramento Bee

Kentucky: “State Agencies Investigate Political Donations Raised by Tim Longmeyer, Others” by John Cheves for Lexington Herald-Leader

Ethics

“Ethics Watchdog Updates Gift Rules for Federal Workers” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

“A Scramble to Assess the Dangers of President-elect Donald Trump’s Global Business Empire” by Drew Harwell and Anu Narayanswamy for The Washington Post

Arkansas: “Lawmakers File Bills on Ethics, Taxes, Sessions” by John Lyon (Arkansas News Bureau) for The Times Record

Florida: “Convicted Opa-locka City Manager Gets 3 Years in Prison for Taking Bribes” by Jay Weaver and Michael Sallah for Miami Herald

Pennsylvania: “Mastery Charter Schools to Pay $2,000 to Settle City Ethics Complaint” by Martha Woodall for Philadelphia Inquirer

Elections

“Underestimating the Unconventional” by Susan Milligan for U.S. News and World Report

Campaign Finance

“Campaign Finance Laws Poised for Rollback Under Trump” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

“Howard Voters Approve Measure to Use Taxpayer Dollars for Local Campaigns“by Fatimah Waseem for The Baltimore Sun

Elections

“Critics See Stephen Bannon, Trump’s Pick for Strategist, as Voice of Racism” by Michael Shear, Maggie Haberman and Michael Schmidt for The New York Times

Ethics

“Former Illinois Congressman with ‘Downton Abbey’ Office Is Indicted” by Matt Zapotosky for The Washington Post

“How Federal Ethics Laws Will Apply to a Trump Presidency” by Steve Eder for The New York Times

Kentucky: “Longmeyer Found Guilty of 45 Ethics Violations” by Tom Loftus for Louisville Courier-Journal

Massachusetts: “Mass. Ethics Task Force OK’d” by Andy Metzger (State House News Service) for Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise

Lobbying

“Trump Campaigned Against Lobbyists, but Now They’re on His Transition Team” by Eric Lipton The New York Times

Florida: “Corcoran’s Changes Target Tallahassee’s ‘Good Ol’ Boy Culture’” by Steve Bousquet for Tampa Bay Times

Missouri: “Former Missouri Lawmaker Registers as Lobbyist After Quitting Early” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A special election will be held on November 8, the same day as the general election, to fill the state’s First Congressional District seat. Rep. Ed Whitfield, who already stated he would not seek reelection, announced his resignation last week amid concerns he granted special favors to his lobbyist wife. His resignation was effective on September 6.

Gov. Matt Bevin announced the special election will be held to fill the seat for the final two months of the term. Republican nominee James Comer, who was already running to take Whitfield’s place, is expected to be the nominee in special election as well.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo has called an impromptu meeting of the House of Representatives to discuss the struggling Kentucky Retirement System and Kentucky Teachers Retirement System. Stumbo cited poor returns and high placement fees for investment managers in an email sent to all members of the House.

All members of the House are invited to the Tuesday morning meeting, but Republicans are expected to boycott. Minority Leader Jeff Hoover criticized the timing of the meeting, as it coincides with a Democratic fundraiser taking place in Frankfort.

Hoover was also puzzled by Stumbo’s sudden interest in the topic, arguing the Democrats care now only because it will be an issue in the upcoming elections.

Photo of House Speaker Greg Stumbo courtesy of the Kentucky Legislature website.

The Executive Branch Ethics Commission has launched a new payment application for the 2016 lobbyist employer registration fee.

The application is available on any mobile device; however, updated registration statements must be submitted directly to the Ethics Commission.

Payments may be made through the application from July 1 to July 31.

Last week, Gov. Matt Bevin signed a revenue bill including changes for executive agency lobbyists. House Bill 80 contains a provision increasing the registration fee for lobbying executive agencies from $125 to $500 beginning July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018.

The change was included in a last-minute amendment by the Senate on the final day of the legislative session. The Executive Branch Ethics Commission had been pushing hard during the closing days of the session to increase the fee, fearing a budget short-fall would result in cuts to the Commission’s staff.

A bill to double contribution limits died in the Senate as the 2016 legislative session came to a close. The session adjourned Friday, April 15, 2016. House Bill 147 would have raised contribution limits to $2,000 to state candidates and $5,000 to political parties.

The State and Local Government Committee passed an amended version of the bill but the full Senate declined to act on it because of constitutionality concerns. Litigation is currently making its way through federal court to declare Kentucky’s contribution limits unconstitutional.

Lawmakers were successful, however, in passing a budget compromise but, because the session has ended, will not be able to override any items vetoed by the governor.

Just days after Gov. Matt Bevin vetoed a bill to raise the executive agency lobbyist registration fee, proponents of the increase will have another bite at the apple. Lawmakers came to an agreement on the state budget in the earlier hours of Thursday morning and included a provision allowing the Executive Branch Ethics Commission to increase the fee, currently set at $125. The bill does not provide an amount for the increase.

The budget will be voted on tomorrow, April 15, the final day of the legislative session. Gov. Bevin will then have the final say as lawmakers will not have the opportunity to override any line-item vetoes.

Gov. Matt Bevin has vetoed a bill to increase the executive branch lobbyist registration fee. House Bill 423, a state revenue bill, would have increased the fee from $125 to $275.

Katie Gabhart, executive director of the Executive Branch Ethics Commission, said the increase was necessary to avoid cutting its staff. The agency now faces a $40,000 budget deficit and, after lean years during the previous administration, Gabhart said there is nothing left to cut besides salaries.

Photo of Gov. Matt Bevin by Gage Skidmore on Wikimedia Commons.

Lawmakers have agreed to push the final day of the 2016 legislative session from April 12 to April 15 so they can continue working out a deal on the state’s budget. The change was made to avoid a costly special session after negotiations failed Sunday evening.

The General Assembly is only permitted to convene one more day this year and must adjourn by April 15 at midnight. Leadership from both houses will continue closed-door negotiations, hoping to have an agreement ready for a vote on Friday.

State Republicans are celebrating a victory today following a successful gubernatorial election. Matt Bevin, a Louisville businessman and favorite among Tea Party members, was elected governor, defeating Democrat and current Attorney General Jack Conway. This is an unusual change in a state where Democrats have held the governor’s office for all but four of the last 44 years.

Additionally, by capitalizing on the overwhelming unpopularity of President Obama within the state, Republicans will go from holding just one statewide office to four.

Kentucky is the last southern state where Democrats hold a chamber of the legislature, but without the support of the governor, the state’s House is likely to fall as well.

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.