The group Represent South Dakota met the November 6 deadline for submitting petition signatures to the Office of the Secretary of State to add a constitutional amendment to the 2018 ballot.

The amendment would tighten campaign finance and lobbying restrictions, create an independent ethics commission, and require laws changing the ballot question process to pass a public vote.

House speaker Mark Mickelson also met the deadline to turn in petition signatures for an initiative that would ban out-of-state political contributions for ballot questions, affecting groups such as Represent South Dakota.

The Office of the Secretary of State will conduct a random sampling of the signatures to determine their validity.

Lobbying

Florida: “City: Fernandez deleted text messages to lobbyist” by Jeffrey Schweers for Tallahassee Democrat

Campaign Finance

Arkansas: “LR Taking Campaign Law to Court” by Chelsea Brewer for Arkansas Online

Ethics

“Case Is Dropped Against Activist Who Laughed at Jeff Sessions’s Hearing” by Maya Salam for New York Times

“Is Landscaping Drama at the Root of Rand Paul’s Assault?” by Nicholas Fandos, Noah Weiland, and Jonathan Martin for New York Times

Georgia: “Man Pleads Guilty to Obstruction in Atlanta Corruption Case” by the Associated Press for WTOP

Illinois: “Lawmaker Tells of Being Objectified by Colleague as Sexual Harassment Bills Pass in Springfield” by Kim Geiger and Monique Garcia for Chicago Tribune

New York: “Pension? Not for Corrupt Lawmakers Anymore in New York.” by Liz Farmer for Governing

Elections

Maine: “Maine Voters Overwhelmingly Defeat Proposal for York County Casino” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

New York: “New York Voters Reject a Constitutional Convention” by Jesse McKinley for New York Times

Virginia: “Danica Roem of Virginia to Be First Openly Transgender Person Elected, Seated in a U.S. Statehouse” by Antonio Olivo for Washington Post

Lobbying

Florida: “City: Fernandez deleted text messages to lobbyist” by Jeffrey Schweers for Tallahassee Democrat

Campaign Finance

Arkansas: “LR Taking Campaign Law to Court” by Chelsea Brewer for Arkansas Online

Ethics

“Case Is Dropped Against Activist Who Laughed at Jeff Sessions’s Hearing” by Maya Salam for New York Times

“Is Landscaping Drama at the Root of Rand Paul’s Assault?” by Nicholas Fandos, Noah Weiland, and Jonathan Martin for New York Times

Georgia: “Man Pleads Guilty to Obstruction in Atlanta Corruption Case” by the Associated Press for WTOP

Illinois: “Lawmaker Tells of Being Objectified by Colleague as Sexual Harassment Bills Pass in Springfield” by Kim Geiger and Monique Garcia for Chicago Tribune

New York: “Pension? Not for Corrupt Lawmakers Anymore in New York.” by Liz Farmer for Governing

Elections

Maine: “Maine Voters Overwhelmingly Defeat Proposal for York County Casino” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

New York: “New York Voters Reject a Constitutional Convention” by Jesse McKinley for New York Times

Virginia: “Danica Roem of Virginia to Be First Openly Transgender Person Elected, Seated in a U.S. Statehouse” by Antonio Olivo for Washington Post

Elections

New Jersey: “Phil Murphy Is Elected Governor of New Jersey, in a Lift for Democrats” by Nick Corasaniti for New York Times

Virginia: “Democrat Ralph Northam Defeats Ed Gillespie in Race for Virginia Governor Closely Watched by National Parties” by Gregory Schneider, Laura Vozzella, and Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Lobbying

“‘Open Sesame:’ Lobbyists cheer warmer welcome in Trump White House” by Ginger Gibson for Reuters

Campaign Finance

Missouri: “Former Missouri Senator Looks to High Court in Fight Over Campaign Fines” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

New Jersey: “Newark Mayor Accused of Violating Campaign Finance Rules” by Karen Yi for Newark Star Ledger

Ethics

“Rick Gates, Once the Man ‘in the Corner,’ Is Now a Central Figure in Mueller Investigation” by Michael Kranish and Tom Hamburger for Washington Post

“Woman Who Flipped Off Trump’s Motorcade Gets Fired” by Cydney Henderson (Arizona Republic) for USA Today

“Trump Adviser Sent Email Describing ‘Private Conversation’ with Russian Official” by Rosalind Helderman, Matt Zapotosky, and Karoun Demirjian for Washington Post

Washington: “175 Women Demand Change to Culture, Sexual Harassment Policies at the Legislature” by Walker Ornstein and Austin Jenkins for Tacoma News Tribune

Lobbying

Indiana: “Indiana Politicians Got Thousands in Gifts While Pushing Solar Policy” by Emily Hopkins and Sarah Bowman for Indianapolis Star

Campaign Finance

Colorado: “Public Financing and Lower Donation Limits for Denver Elections? Question Is Headed to Ballot – in 2018” by Jon Murray for Denver Post

Washington: “Judge Upholds Seattle’s Novel Campaign Finance Vouchers” by Gene Johnson (Associated Press) for Seattle Times

Ethics

“Commerce Secretary’s Offshore Ties to Putin ‘Cronies’” by Mike McIntire, Sasha Chavkin, and Martha Hamilton for New York Times

“Sen. Rand Paul’s Injuries Far More Severe Than Initially Thought” by Brandon Gee and Ed O’Keefe for Washington Post

District of Columbia: “Former D.C. Schools Chancellor Henderson Officially ‘Reprimanded’ by D.C. Ethics Board” by Valerie Strauss for Washington Post

Florida: “Code of Silence Is Breaking on Tallahassee’s Sex Secrets” by Mary Ellen Klas, Steve Bousquet, and Patricia Mazzei for Miami Herald

Kentucky: “After Last Scandal, Legislature Changed Harassment Policy. It Left Out Political Staff.” by Daniel Desrochers for Lexington Herald-Leader

Campaign Finance

Maine: “Maine Ethics Commission Levies Record $500,000 Against York County Casino Campaign” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

Ethics

“Trump and Sessions Denied Knowing About Russian Contacts. Records Suggest Otherwise” by Michael Schmidt, Matt Apuzzo, and Scott Shane for New York Times

“Trump Nominates Some Club Members to Plum Government Jobs” by Fredreka Schouten, Brad Heath, and Steve Reilly for USA Today

“Trump’s Brief Twitter Outage Prompts Cheers, Concerns” by Matt O’Brien (Associated Press) for The Columbian

Arizona: “Arizona House Members Adopt First Written Sexual Harassment Policy” by Dustin Gardiner for Arizona Republic

Illinois: “Illinois Democrats Scramble to Change Law to Keep Alive Ethics Complaints Stuck in Limbo” by Monique Garcia and Kim Geiger for Chicago Tribune

Texas: “Former Dallas Business Consultant Gets Probation for Bribery in John Wiley Price Corruption Case” by Kevin Krause for Dallas News

Lobbying

Iowa: “Iowa Power Couple Scrutinized for Saudi Arabia Lobbying Work” by Ryan Foley (Associated Press) for Patch.com

New York: “Long-Discussed Lobbying Rules Now Only ‘Advisory’” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

National:

Russia-Financed Ad Linked Clinton and Satan
New York Times – Cecilia Kang, Nicholas Fandos, and Mike Isaac | Published: 11/1/2017

Lawmakers released scores of political ads purchased by Russian agents on Facebook and Twitter that showed the extent of the Kremlin’s attempts to polarize the American voting public on issues like race, police abuse, and religion. One account, Army of Jesus, published an illustration of an arm-wrestling match between Christ and the devil. “Satan: If I win, Clinton wins!” the headline read. The sampling of ads came during hearings with the top lawyers for Facebook, Twitter, and Google, and were intended to show the executives how pervasively Russia used their platforms to further its campaign of misinformation.

Federal:

Congress Mulls Toughening Foreign Lobbying Law
The Hill – Megan Wilson | Published: 10/31/2017

A day after former Trump campaign chairperson Paul Manafort was indicted on charges that included failing to register as a foreign agent, a top U.S. Senate Republican introduced legislation intended to stiffen enforcement of federal rules for foreign lobbyists. Sen. Chuck Grassley joined Rep. Mike Johnson to propose identical bills they said would address ambiguous requirements for those lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. That ambiguity has, over the years, led to a sharp drop in the number of registrations and the prospect of widespread abuses, they said.

Scofflaw Political Groups Are Ignoring FEC Fines
Politico – Dave Levinthal (Center for Public Integrity) | Published: 10/30/2017

More than 160 political committees and similar groups together owe the federal government more than $1.3 million worth of unpaid fines. Some of those unpaid fines amount to as little as $10 while others soar into five figures. Many cases concern all-but-forgotten also-ran political candidates, but others involve political luminaries. Super PACs and politically active nonprofits have joined the nonpayment parade of late. And there is little evidence any of that cash will soon begin to roll in. Uncooperative political committee leaders, bureaucratic bumbling, and weak enforcement efforts all contribute to election law breakers outrunning penalties.

Trump Campaign Adviser Admitted to Lying about Russian Contacts
Washington Post – Rosalind Helderman and Tom Hamburger | Published: 10/30/2017

One of President Trump’s former campaign advisers, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents who are investigating possible collusion between the campaign and the Russian government. Papadopoulos had contact with unnamed overseas professor, who told him the Russian government had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, including thousands of her emails. The plea represents the most explicit evidence the Trump campaign was aware the Kremlin was trying to help Trump and the campaign was eager to accept that help. As part of that effort, the Russian government hacked Democratic accounts and released a trove of embarrassing emails related to Clinton’s campaign.

Under Mueller Scrutiny, Democratic Donor Tony Podesta Resigns from Lobbying Firm
New York Times – Kenneth Vogel | Published: 10/30/2017

Hours after the first indictments in the investigation into ties between President Trump’s campaign and the Russian government, Tony Podesta abruptly quit his post atop the Podesta Group, one of K Street’s top lobbying firms. The Podesta Group and another company with which it had worked, Mercury Public Affairs, were referenced, though not by name, in an indictment of two former Trump campaign officials, Paul Manafort and Rick Gates. No charges have been brought against Podesta or officials from his firm or Mercury. But both firms have been subpoenaed for records and testimony about their work on behalf of a client referred to them by Manafort and Gates, the European Center for a Modern Ukraine.

From the States and Municipalities:

Arkansas: State PACs Cite Confusion Over E-Filing
Arkansas Online – Michael Wickline | Published: 10/29/2017

Officials representing several PACs said that because they were confused about the effective date of a new Arkansas law requiring campaign finance reports to be filed in electronic form, they signed affidavits to declare they do not have access to the technology to meet the requirement. Meanwhile, five state elected officials filed their reports on paper without submitting the affidavit required by state law to show why they are not filing electronically. A few of them said they did not file the affidavits partly out of confusion. These five candidates are in addition to six others who did sign the exemption affidavits. Two new laws address electronic filing of the reports.

Connecticut: Tucked in Budget: Shorter leash on election watchdogs
Connecticut Post – Mark Pazniokas | Published: 10/30/2017

Connecticut lawmakers are using a bipartisan budget deal to do what they could not during the regular session: require the State Elections Enforcement Commission to dismiss complaints against candidates, including legislators, that are not resolved in one year. At the same time, lawmakers included a provision in the budget that more than doubles the maximum campaign contribution they can accept to qualify for public financing under the Citizens’ Election Program from $100 to $250, a change likely to ease their access to public dollars for their campaigns. Gov. Dannell Malloy has not yet signed the budget bill.

Florida: City Issues New Ethics Rules for Employees
Tallahassee Democrat – Jeffrey Schweers | Published: 10/30/2017

Tallahassee employees cannot accept gifts of $100 or more from contractors and suppliers with the city and must tell their supervisors each year of any outside work. The email notification of the changes was sent on the heels of an ethics workshop where the city commission adopted three provisions involving misuse of position, gifts from lobbyists, and greater financial disclosure.

Florida: Ethics Board Cites Justin Sayfie, Capitol Group for Reporting Violations
Florida Politics – Jim Rosica | Published: 10/25/2017

The Florida Commission on Ethics is moving against lobbyist Justin Sayfie and another firm for problems arising from random audits of their compensation reports. Sayfie called the problem “a simple math error.” The commission also dropped cases against three other executive-branch lobbying concerns. The ethics board said it found probable cause “to believe that the executive branch lobbying firm under-reported compensation received from a principal for the third and fourth quarters of 2015.” Once the commission finds probable cause, that finding is sent to the governor for further action. The firms can request a hearing, or the governor and Cabinet members can decide to call a hearing on their own.

Florida: Florida Politicians Become Surveillance Targets as Political Payback Rumors Swirl
Politico – Matt Dixon | Published: 10/30/2017

During the final week of the 2017 legislative session, a covert surveillance camera recorded the comings and goings of legislators and lobbyists living on the sixth floor of the Tennyson condominium near the Florida Capitol. Weeks later, in a parking lot of a restaurant in Tallahassee, Sen. Jack Latvala, a candidate for governor, was also being spied upon. Photographs show him kissing a female lobbyist. These incidents were the work of private investigators, whose research has fueled an escalating barrage of rumors about sexual harassment in Tallahassee and infidelity among state lawmakers.

Illinois: Emanuel’s Ethics Board Walks Back $2,500 Fines Against 3 Who Illegally Lobbied Him
Chicago Tribune – Bill Ruthhart | Published: 10/27/2017

In July, the Chicago Board of Ethics fined businessperson Jim Abrams, Linden Capital Partners President Tony Davis, and attorney Alan King $2,500 each after finding they failed to register as lobbyists after seeking to influence Mayor Rahm Emanuel through his personal email account. But the board has rescinded the fines. As part of the settlement, the men agreed not to lobby any city official for one year without registering and to complete a training program on the lobbying law. When large fines were levied in the first round of fines for illegally lobbying the mayor, Emanuel accused the ethics board of turning “average citizens” into lobbyists.

Massachusetts: Rare Trick Pays Off Big Time for Lobbyists
Boston Herald – Matt Stout | Published: 10/30/2017

Some of Massachusetts’ top-paid lobbyists have fattened their lucrative paychecks by working under multiple firms and in some cases, raising concerns of potential conflicts between their well-played clientele. At least three of the top 10 highest compensated lobbyists registered as working in the Capitol last year reported building a client list of at least two different lobbying firms, each pushing their total pay north of $500,000. Ethics experts cautioned that lobbyists have to tread lightly in situations involving complex bills in which clients stake out separate interests.

South Carolina: Law Provides Loophole for South Carolina Legislators to Be Paid for ‘Consulting’ Work
Charleston Post and Courier – Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) | Published: 10/29/2017

When they were in office, few knew that state Reps. Jim Harrison and Tracy Edge, both in House leadership posts, were working for Richard Quinn, one of South Carolina’s most influential political and business consultants. Between them, Edge and Harrison earned a reported $1.2 million from their secret consulting work with Quinn. They could keep the payments under wraps because, until this year, lawmakers did not have to disclose that kind of consulting work on ethics reports. But even after last year’s income disclosure law required public officials to start reporting all sources of income, much can remain hidden.

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.

The Iowa General Assembly has implemented a new lobbyist reporting application for the upcoming session.

A training class for the new application is being offered on several different dates. Interested parties may reserve a seat by emailing helpdesk@legis.iowa.gov or by calling the Help Desk at (515) 281-6506.

Training classes are available on November 9th at 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., November 15 at 1:30 p.m., November 21 at 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., or November 29 at 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.

All training classes will be held in the Miller Building, Room 300, 1112 E. Grand, Des Moines, Iowa, 50319.

The old system will remain in place until the new system is available on December 1, 2017.

Lobbying

Massachusetts: “Rare Trick Pays Off Big Time for Lobbyists” by Matt Stout for Boston Herald

Campaign Finance

Tennessee: “Jeremy Durham Fined $10,000 for Incorrect PAC Disclosures” by Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Ethics

“Trolling Trump: How viral visual taunts have changed protest in nation’s capital” by Steve Hendricks and Perry Stein for Washington Post

Florida: “Florida Politicians Become Surveillance Targets as Political Payback Rumors Swirl” by Matt Dixon for Politico

Florida: “State Attorney: Allegations, hearsay not enough to pursue criminal charges over football tickets, catering discount” by Jeffrey Schweers for Tallahassee Democrat

Kansas: “Not Only Does Sexual Harassment Happen at Kansas Capitol, ‘It’s a Regular Occurrence’” by Hunter Woodall, Kelsey Ryan, and Bryan Lowry for Kansas City Star

New York: “Amid Larger Moment, Will Albany Face Another Sexual Misconduct Reckoning” by Rachel Silberstein for Gotham Gazette

Pennsylvania: “Ex-Pa. Treasurer Sentenced to Probation for Lying to Feds” by Angela Couloumbis for Philadelphia Inquirer

Washington: “Women at Washington State Capitol Say ‘Me Too’” by Austin Jenkins and Walker Orenstein for NW News Network

Lobbying

“Grassley Introduces Bill to Toughen Foreign Lobbying Oversight after Manafort Indictment” by Kyle Cheney for Politico

“Under Mueller Scrutiny, Democratic Donor Tony Podesta Resigns from Lobbying Firm” by Kenneth Vogel for New York Times

Campaign Finance

“Scofflaw Political Groups Are Ignoring FEC Fines” by Dave Levinthal (Center for Public Integrity) for Politico

Canada: “B.C. to Ban Corporate and Union Donations in Municipal Elections” by Rob Shaw for Vancouver Sun

Arkansas: “State PACs Cite Confusion Over E-Filing” by Michael Wickline for Arkansas Online

Connecticut: “Tucked in Budget: Shorter leash on election watchdogs” by Mark Pazniokas for Connecticut Post

Illinois: “At Hearing on Harassment Bill, Lobbyist Accuses Senator” by Tina Sfondeles and Fran Spielman for Chicago Sun-Times

Ethics

Arizona: “Arizona House Now Has Written Policy Against Sex Harassment After Complaint” by Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) for Arizona Daily Star

Florida: “City Issues New Ethics Rules for Employees” by Jeffrey Schweers for Tallahassee Democrat

Ethics

Trump Campaign Adviser Admitted to Lying about Russian Contacts by Rosalind Helderman and Tom Hamburger for Washington Post

Manafort Indicted on 12 Counts, Surrenders to FBI by Katie Bo Williams for The Hill

How Congress Plays by Different Rules on Sexual Harassment and Misconduct by Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Elise Viebeck for Washington Post

California: California Assemblyman Was Disciplined After Woman Claimed He Groped Her by Melanie Mason for Los Angeles Times

Florida: Florida Senate’s Top Democrat Resigns after Admitting Affair with Lobbyist by Mary Ellen Klas for Miami Herald

South Carolina: Law Provides Loophole for South Carolina Legislators to Be Paid for ‘Consulting’ Work by Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) for Charleston Post and Courier

Campaign Finance

California: Judge Sentences Azano to Three Years in Federal Prison by Greg Moran for San Diego Union Tribune

New York: De Blasio Donor Says He Helped Mayor Get Ex-Jail Guards Chief ‘Under Control’ by Vivian Wang for New York Times

Procurement

Puerto Rico Moves to Cancel Contract with Whitefish Energy to Repair Electric Grid by Steven Mufson, Arelis Hernandez, and Aaron Davis for Washington Post

On October 31, the Regional Council of Halifax, Nova Scotia will begin the first steps to considering a lobbying ordinance for the city.

Councillor Shawn Cleary is scheduled to “request a staff report with recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a municipal lobbyist registry, which should include a regular, transparent reporting process, and contains a jurisdictional scan for best practices in other municipal, provincial and federal governments,” according to the agenda for the meeting.

Currently, there is no lobbyist registry for the city of Halifax. “I’m not saying we’re going to be the most open and transparent government in the world, but simply by having a registry, even if it’s updated infrequently, is better than not having one at all. Are we going to have the Cadillac of registries? No. But can we have a Chevy? Maybe,” Cleary told the Halifax website The Coast.

Ethics

Justice Department Agrees to Settle Lawsuits Over IRS Scrutiny of Tea Party Groups by Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

California: Sexual Harassment Complaints Topic of California Assembly Public Hearings by Alexei Koseff for Sacramento Bee

Florida: City Commissioners Nix Key Wording in Ethics Ordinance by Jeff Burlew for Tallahassee Democrat

South Carolina: South Carolina GOP Caucus: Open records law doesn’t apply by The Associated Press for Raleigh News and Observer

Campaign Finance

FEC Drops Foreign Money Case Involving Super PAC Contributions by Kenneth Doyle for Bloomberg BNA

Kansas: Kansas Ethics Panel Says No to Bitcoin Contributions, at Least for Now by Peter Hancock for Lawrence Journal-World

Lobbying

Florida: Ethics Board Cites Justin Sayfie, Capitol Group for Reporting Violations by Jim Rosica for Florida Politics

Illinois: Emanuel’s Ethics Board Walks Back $2,500 Fines Against 3 Who Illegally Lobbied Him by Bill Ruthhart for Chicago Tribune

Elections

Kentucky: Fired Elections Staffer Alleges Grimes Improperly Gathered Voter Data During Campaigns by Daniel Desrochers for Lexington Herald-Leader

Procurement

With Business Booming Under Trump, Private Prison Giant Gathers at President’s Resort by Amy Brittain and Drew Harwell for Washington Post

Let Becky give you this week’s Government and Ethics News You Can Use, and stick around for details on our annual donuts and cider sale on Halloween to benefit the United Way of Summit County!