November 9, 2011 •
Alabama Has Its New Ethics Law, But Exemption Requests Keep Coming
The Birmingham News gives us another glimpse at the state of lobbying in Alabama.
For a detailed look at the type of exemptions being submitted, take a look at “Alabama’s new ethics law fails to stop exemption requests from lobbyists and public officials” by Kim Chandler.
According to the article: “The Alabama Ethics Commission has received nearly 200 requests to certify dinners, trips and conferences as allowable exemptions since Alabama 10 months ago adopted a new ethics law, which caps how much a lobbyist can spend on a public official.”
Affirms Lower Court Ruling
A three judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously to uphold North Carolina’s ban on registered lobbyists making campaign contributions to candidates for the Legislature and the Council of State.
A lobbyist with the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the ban on contributions, saying it violated her right to freedom of speech and association.
The appeals court upheld a district court ruling by stating the ban was a “valid exercise of North Carolina’s legislative prerogative” to address potential corruption and the appearance of corruption.
November 7, 2011 •
News You Can Use Digest – November 7, 2011
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Largest U.S. Companies Increasingly Disclose Political Spending
Report Cites Growing Role of Interest Groups in State Judicial Elections
Federal:
Abramoff Divulges K Street Secrets
Cain Blames Perry as New Sexual Harassment Allegations Surface
FCC To Rule on On-line Political Advertisement Disclosure
Justice Amps Up Enforcement of Law on Foreign Advocacy
Lawmakers Demand FEC Documents, Threaten Subpoena
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
New Alabama Ethics Law Sweeps in Culture Shift for Capital Lobbyists
California
Passion, Politics Link Lobbyist Couples
California
State Lobby Spending on Pace to Set Records
Illinois
Illinois Powerbroker Convicted in Shakedown Trial
Maryland
County Ethics Bill Would Restrict Lobbying, Add Enforcement
Minnesota
Campaign Finance Board Temporarily Upholds Disclosure Requirements
Nebraska
Report: Nebraska OK at tracking lobbyists, could do better
New Hampshire
N.H. Official Sets Primary for Jan.10
Ohio
Amid Corruption Scandal, Local Races Framed by Honesty and Character Issues
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.
November 4, 2011 •
Abramoff Is Back in the News
Jack Abramoff has taken an interesting stance as he promotes a new autobiography.
He has appeared in a 60 Minutes interview, saying whatever ethics reform measures may be set in place to control the buying of influence, lobbyists will find new ways to get around it.
Here is the CBS interview, “Lobbyists can skirt ethics reform, says Abramoff.”
The Hill covers the story in “Abramoff divulges K Street secrets” by Kevin Bogardus.
November 2, 2011 •
New Rules Affecting Lobbyists Considered in Palm Beach County
Countywide Lobbyist Registration and Rules Sought
Persons lobbying within any of Palm Beach County’s 38 cities and towns may soon have to register as lobbyists as part of a proposed countywide lobbyist registry and standardized set of rules.
If approved, the new rules would apply to all persons lobbying municipal personnel. Some concerns have been raised as to the definition of lobbyists and the potential inclusion in that definition of unpaid lobbyists.
If approved, a $25 registration fee per principal represented would be instituted and expenditures exceeding $25 in specified categories would be required to be reported.
November 1, 2011 •
See Us in Person!
Plan to say hello at future events where State and Federal Communications will be attending and/or speaking regarding compliance issues.
November 9, 2011 WASRG Summit, Washington, D.C.
November 16, 2011 American League of Lobbyists Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.
November 19-22, 2011 SGAC Foundation Leaders’ Policy Conference, Miami, Florida
November 29-December 2, 2011 NCSL 2011 Fall Forum, Tampa, Florida
December 4-7, 2011 Council on Governmental Ethics Laws, Nashville, Tennessee
November 1, 2011 •
Mayor Signs Revision to Philadelphia Lobbying Law
Law Narrows Definition of Lobbying and Covers More Government Agencies
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Mayor Michael Nutter has approved a bill which alters restrictions on lobbyists to correct problems with the lobbying law approved last year. The original law was viewed as overly broad by many, including the Philadelphia Bar Association, which had threatened to fight it in court. This version more narrowly defines lobbying activity.
The new bill also expands the number of agencies covered under the law to include the Philadelphia School District, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation.
October 31, 2011 •
Detroit Voters to Consider City Charter
Charter Proposes Ethics and Lobbying Reforms
On November 8, Detroit voters will consider a city charter proposed to reform the city government by bolstering ethics and reducing corruption. The proposed charter creates a board of ethics and the office of inspector general to investigate alleged ethical or criminal violations.
The charter seeks to improve transparency by requiring lobbyists and contractors to reveal financial connections with elected officials. Additionally, public servants are prohibited from accepting a gift, honoraria, or anything of value from individuals or companies seeking to do business with the city and a company can be barred from doing business with the city if found to be involved in contractual bribery or corruption.
Photo of the Detroit skyline by Shawn Wilson on Wikipedia.
October 31, 2011 •
Alabama, Lobbying, and the Changes
Alabama ethics reform 10 months later …
Today’s Birmingham News offers an article by Kim Chandler, “New Alabama ethics law sweeps in culture shift for capital lobbyists,” which describes how lobbying techniques in the state have changed since the ethics law was passed. Chandler also considers the views of those whose businesses have suffered in the capitol as a result of those changes.
“Ten months after the Alabama Legislature approved the new ethics law capping lobbyists’ spending, the culture is different in Montgomery, said several legislators. There are no more free tickets, golf outings, social trips or nightly one-on-one dinners with lobbyists.”
Photo of the Alabama State Capitol building by Jim Bowen on Wikipedia.
October 31, 2011 •
News You Can Use Digest – October 31, 2011
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Ex-Abramoff Associate Ring Sentenced to 20 Months in One of Scandal’s Harshest Punishments
Influence Industry Officially in a Funk
Lobbyist Stint Led to Cain’s Political Forays
Lobbyists Claim Victory against Tax Rule
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Ex-Alabama Rep. Terry Spicer Enters Agreement to Plead Guilty to Bribery
Alaska
Guilty Pleas Mark End of Alaska Corruption Investigation
Arizona
Judge Rejects Arizona Campaign Finance Measure
Illinois
Ex-Teachers Union Boss Gets $242,000 State Pension
Kentucky
David Williams’ In-Law is Restoring America Group’s Sole Donor
Montana
Montana Political Practices Office to Address Social Media Campaign Complaints
Nevada
Short-Staffed Ethics Commission Wading Through Flood of Cases
New York
Operative Convicted of Stealing from NYC Mayor
Ohio
Washington
With $22 Million Bet, Costco Shakes Up Washington Election
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Capitol to Allow Guns
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.
October 28, 2011 •
How Much Are Tech Companies Spending on Lobbying?
With third quarter figures emerging, everyone seems to be interested in how much tech companies are spending to lobby the government.
Here is a brief survey of articles:
USA Today offers “Social media companies ‘friend’ politics” by Fredreka Schouten.
In the Washington Post’s Capitol Business we find “LightSquared adds lobbyists from four firms to roster” by Catherine Ho.
ReadWriteWeb.com posted “Who Are The Top Tech Lobbying Firms?” by David Strom. Last year, the top three were: Microsoft, HP, and Google. Strom claims Google employs 25 different lobbying firms.
AllFacebook.com posted “Facebook Spends Record Amounts On Lobbying, But Not As Much As Google Does”
Bloomberg’s Businessweek published “Google’s 3Q lobbying bill rises to $2.4 million” by the Associated Press.
October 27, 2011 •
Ask the Experts – It’s Football Time!
Here is your chance to “Ask the Experts” at State and Federal Communications, Inc.
Q: I am a registered lobbyist who would like to host a state legislator at a college football game. Are there specific restrictions to this type of gift?
A: The most common gift restrictions are those relating to food and beverage. Providing tickets or admission to a football game is a different type of gift, referred to as entertainment or hospitality.
Some jurisdictions do not restrict providing entertainment at all. Pennsylvania does not restrict a lobbyist providing hospitality to an official. However, Pennsylvania does require the lobbyist’s principal to report the gift of hospitality, even itemizing it if the aggregate of all gifts to the official is more than $650 in a calendar year.
Other jurisdictions allow a lobbyist to provide entertainment up to a certain amount. In Texas, a lobbyist may provide expenditures for entertainment of $500 or less in a calendar year. Ohio permits a lesser amount. Lobbyists may provide Ohio officials gifts worth an aggregate annual value of $75 or less. Like Pennsylvania, both Texas and Ohio require the gift to be reported.
Louisiana specifically prohibits providing tickets to sporting events except for a very narrow exception. Other jurisdictions do not specifically mention entertainment or hospitality, but generally restrict these gifts to officials. Though a big football state, Wisconsin generally prohibits all gifts to officials.
The question reinforces the idea that a lobbyist must understand all of a jurisdiction’s gift restrictions, not just those that pertain to food and beverage. When considering any dollar value limitation on entertainment or hospitality, be sure to consider the proper method to value the gift in that jurisdiction. For example, the cost of a football ticket for ethics purposes could be its face value or its fair market value.
You can directly submit questions for this feature, and we will select those most appropriate and answer them here. Send your questions to: marketing@stateandfed.com.
(We are always available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or e-mail us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies to your questions are not legal advice. Instead, these replies represent our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.
October 26, 2011 •
State and Federal Communications
Coco Chanel said it best, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.”
State and Federal Communications, and its predecessor State and Federal Associates, have been involved with lobbying compliance since 1976. You can imagine many others might try to duplicate our program but never have the resources or staff to implement the platinum type of service you currently receive from my highly trained in-house staff of 11 attorneys.
When I purchased my area of business from State and Federal Associates in 1993 and formed State and Federal Communications, Inc., we really were the only gig in town. As time goes on and as technology is easier, there are others—who have been clients or former employees—that feel a similar URL and a toll free number makes it easy to replicate. But don’t be fooled. There is only one true compliance company in Ohio and in this country and our reputation and our list of clients speak for themselves.
In government relations I have everyone down to two degrees of separation. In the case of competitors, it is only one because each has seen success and yearns for it. I don’t take it personally…it’s business. And, I assure you I take my business seriously and my relationship with my clients even more seriously. Your compliance needs have always been our absolute priority.
Thank you for the confidence you have in our services. We look forward to many, many more years together.
October 21, 2011 •
The Power of Data in Political Campaigns
The power of micro-targeting
Yesterday, techPresident published “New Obama for America Page is a Jungle Gym for Donation Data” by Nick Judd.
Everyone has been talking about the new role social media is playing in the 2012 presidential campaigns. But I think Judd brings up an often missed point: The importance of social media’s role is not so much to be found in the social networks themselves, but in the vast amount of information the campaigns have about each of us, and how they are using that information on social media. Judd writes about campaigns “micro-targeting” potential political campaign donors with personalized messages geared toward attracting the most money.
The article showcases the Obama 2012 campaign website, which boasts its one million donors. The site allows you to drill down into a great deal of information about the contributions. The aim of the site is that the visitor will come to the conclusion that the donors are broad-based and grassroots.
Have any of our readers seen any similar examples on other campaign websites? Please share it on Lobby Comply!
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.
