March 28, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Internet Association bolsters lobbying force” by Jennifer Martinez in The Hill.
Colorado: “Colorado gun lobbyist says he did nothing to warrant an ethics charge” by Lynn Bartels in the Denver Post.
Georgia: “Deal reported on lobbyist gift reform” by Greg Bluestein and Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Campaign Finance
“OFA Campaign Finance Reform Push Explained In Call To Supporters” by Paul Blumenthal in the Huffington Post.
Arizona: “Clean Elections’ funding could be returned to ballot” by Sean Peick in the Arizona Republic.
Illinois: “Bernard Schoenburg: Gaps remain in campaign finance reporting rules” – opinion piece by Bernard Schoenburg in the State Journal-Register.
Corporate Political Advocacy
“Poll: Public wary of corporate politics” by Byron Tau in Politico.
Open Government
“New law requires 72 hours of notice for public meetings” by The Associated Press in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
From the State Legislatures
Virginia: “Lacey Putney, longest-serving Va. lawmaker, to retire” by The Associated Press in the Times Dispatch.
March 27, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
“K St. winners and losers in budget votes” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Under Contract” in The Hill.
“K Street Files: SEIU Launches Immigration Ads” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
Georgia: “Drama over ethics reform builds toward session’s finale” by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Nevada: “State Senate votes for more lobbyist transparency” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Campaign Finance
New York: “OFA joins New York campaign finance reform fight” by Maggie Haberman in Politico.
West Virginia: “Campaign financing bill advances” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.
Ethics
Maryland: “Dixon to give talk, consider return to politics” by Jena Marbella in the Baltimore Sun.
From the State Legislatures
“Committee recommends Brooks be expelled from Legislature” by Anjeanette Damon in the Las Vegas Sun.
Political Advertising
“Think Your Advocacy Group is Not Subject to FEC Rules? Think Again.” in Political Law Briefing via Eric Brown’s Political Activity Law Blog.
Open Government
“New Transparency Grades Issued for States” by Mike Maciag in Government Technology.
Arkansas: “Arkansas gets ‘C’ in spending transparency report” in Arkansas News.
Tennessee: “Rep. Glen Casada withdraws bill on open meetings law” by The Associated Press in The Tennessean.
West Virginia: “W.Va.’s spending transparency grade falls” by Eric Eyre in the Charleston Gazette.
Redistricting
Florida: “Legislators ask court to shield them from having to testify over maps” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
March 25, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
Georgia: “Lobbying reform: what’s gone down, what’s up next” by Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying money flows in state store debate” by Steve Esack and Scott Kraus in the Morning Call.
Washington: “Washington Teachers’ Union Top Lobbying Spender In Olympia So Far” by Austin Jenkins in Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Campaign Finance
“Rules of the Game: Hispanic Caucus Leverages Latino Power” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.
California: “Former ethics chief would ban fundraising while California lawmakers work” by Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee.
Florida: “House approves no limits on campaign contributions” by Mary Ellen Klas and Michael Van Sickler in the Miami Herald.
Florida: “Campaign finance bill allows higher limits, mandates quicker reporting” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.
Montana: “Coalition ‘blasts’ campaign finance bill” in the Independent Record.
Ethics
New Jersey: “Sexually explicit e-mails sent by Assemblyman Joe Cryan to lobbyist are revealed, report says” in the Star-Ledger.
From the State Legislatures
Georgia: “Georgia lawmakers have 3 days left” by Walter C. Jones in the Augusta Chronicle.
Kentucky: “Dizzying pace for Ky. legislators in next 2 days” by The Associated Press in the Bowling Green Daily News.
Mississippi: “Miss. state Rep. Jessica Upshaw found dead” by The Associated Press in the Hattiesburg American.
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers to return from midsession break” by Chris Blank (Associated Press) in the Columbia Missourian.
Montana: “Montana Senate backs amendment to limit legislators to 16 years in office” by The Associated Press in the Missoulian.
Nevada: “Nevada Legislature sees quiet session so far” by Ed Vogel in the Las Vegas Review Journal.
New York: “No new budget bills; final voting pushed to Thursday” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Capitol Confidential.
Open Government
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers don’t follow open records rules, auditor says” by Elizabeth Crisp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Tennessee: “Casada says open meetings bill can be fixed” by Lucas L. Johnson II (Associated Press) in The Tennessean.
Procurement
Kentucky: “Well-paid Kentucky lawmaker Dennis Horlander a toothless watchdog” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
March 25, 2013 •
Georgia Senate Approves Version of Ethics Bill
Both chambers now seeking compromise on House Bill 142
The Senate approved its version of a House ethics bill on Friday, March 25, 2013. Now the House and Senate are seeking common ground between the different versions of House Bill 142.
The House version of the bill bans most gifts from lobbyists to individual legislators, but allows unlimited gifts to legislative groups. The Senate version imposes a $100 gift cap and erases the exception for legislative groups, but does not limit the number of gifts allowed. The Senate version also erases the House version’s expanded lobbyist registration for unpaid advocates.
Both chambers are expected to appoint a joint committee to negotiate in an effort to reach compromise before the session reaches its scheduled end on Thursday, March 28, 2013.
Photo of the Georgia State Capitol dome by Connor Carey on Wikipedia.
March 22, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – March 22, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Conflicts of Interest Run Rampant in State Legislatures
Democratic Women Eye City Hall Gains
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona – Supreme Court Hears Arguments over Whether States Can Ask for Proof of Citizenship to Register
California – Bell Trial Ends in Chaos
California – Judge Orders San Jose to Disclose Officials’ Messages on Private Devices
Florida – Gaming Committee Chairman Relies on Flights from Gaming Lobbyist for Travel to Tallahassee
Georgia – State Senate Offers $100 Lobbying Cap in Split Plan
Kansas – Kansas House Passes Bill on Union Pay Deductions
Kentucky – Richie Farmer Could Be Fined $210,000 over 42 Ethics Violations
Maryland – Campaign Finance Reform Passes House and Is Moving in Senate
Maryland – Former Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold Gets Jail Time from Judge
New Mexico – Social Media Plays a Bigger Role in Legislative Session
New York – Artists Against Fracking May Not Be Registered As New York Lobbying Group
South Carolina – Former Governor Advances in South Carolina Race
South Carolina – Misuse of SC State Plane Alleged
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.
March 21, 2013 •
Los Angeles City Ethics Commission to Update Lobbyist Electronic Filing
System to be offline for five days
The City Ethics Commission is upgrading the Lobbyist Electronic Filing System (LEFS) at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, through 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2013.
Filers will not have access to LEFS and will not be able to file or amend registrations and quarterly reports during this time.
Lobbyists and authorized signers for firms must submit a paper CEC Form 59 by April 1 in order to use the new paperless system.
Photo of the Los Angeles City Hall by Brion Vibber on Wikipedia.
March 21, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Lobbying Without a Trace” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Under Contract” in The Hill.
“K Street firms working US-EU trade talks from both sides of the Atlantic” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
“Casino Jack’s New Game” by Mariah Blake in The Atlantic.
Florida: “House revises its ethics bill, allows for revolving door lobbying of exec branch” by Mary Ellen Klas in The Miami Herald.
Georgia: “Senate to present $100 lobbyist cap” by Ray Henry (Associated Press) in the Marietta Daily Journal.
Minnesota: “Minnesota lobbying reports show big spending by business groups” by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger in the Star Tribune.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying frenzied as Pa. House vote nears on privatizing alcohol sales” by Angela Couloumbis in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Toronto, Ontario: “Ban on after-hours lobbyist schmoozing gets a cold shoulder from Toronto city hall” by Paul Moloney and Robyn Doolittle in the Toronto Star.
Campaign Finance
“Campaign Finance: Raise Spending Limits, Increase Transparency” by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic.
Ethics
Georgia: “Delay on ethics bill” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New York: “NYS Senate GOP Looking To Cut Ethics Commission Funding” by Ken Lovette in the New York Daily News.
Legislative Issues
Rhode Island: “R.I. legislature begins live streaming floor sessions, hearings” by Katherine Gregg in the Providence Journal.
March 20, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, ethics, and more!
Lobbying
Georgia: “Ga. Senate expected to unveil lobbying rules” by The Associated Press in WSAV TV.
Indiana: “Purdue moving to trim its federal lobbying costs” by The Associated Press in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Ethics
Arizona: “Campaign-finance case against Horne recommended for dismissal” by Lindsey Collom and Craig Harris in the Arizona Republic.
Georgia: “Ethics reform at critical juncture” Chris Joyner and Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New Jersey: “N.J. Politics Roundup: House committee investigates Andrews over spending” by Brent Johnson in the Star-Ledger.
Rhode Island: “R.I. ethics panel mulls statute of limitations on complaint filings” by Karen Lee Ziner in the Providence Journal.
Elections
Ohio: “Ohio House panel OKs elections bill” by Michelle Everhart in the Columbus Dispatch.
Procurement
Iowa: “Iowa businesses would get preference on state contracts under bill approved by Iowa Senate” by William Petroski in the Des Moines Register.
From the State Legislatures
“State Legislative Leaders Gather in Washington” by Jon Kuhl in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Term Limits
Texas: “Senate votes to let voters decide on term limits for statewide officeholders” by Mike Ward in the Austin American-Statesman.
March 19, 2013 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Keep up with the latest government relations news with these articles:
Lobbying
“K Street Files: FTI Consulting Snaps Up C2 Group” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
California: “California cities, counties find funds to hire Capitol lobbyists” by Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times.
Georgia: “Ga. senators to debate House plan to limit lobbyist spending; end-of-session drawing near” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
New York: “Artists Against Fracking May Not Be Registered As New York Lobbying Group, AP Reports” by Michael Gormley in the Huffington Post.
Campaign Finance
Connecticut: “The ‘Ernie Newton’ campaign finance ban moves forward” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Las Cruces, New Mexico: “Las Cruces council refines proposed campaign finance ordinance” by Steve Ramirez in the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Vermont: “Vermont Senate’s campaign finance bill: many find something to like” by Nancy Remsen in the Burlington Free Press.
Ethics
“Reps. Andrews, Young to be investigated by House Ethics panel” by Jordy Yager in The Hill.
Florida: “Coalition calls for ethics improvements” by Bill Cotterell in the Florida Current.
Kentucky: “Richie Farmer could be fined $210,000 over 42 ethics violations” by Tom Loftus in the Courier-Journal.
Rhode Island: “Common Cause web site counts days, hours since ethics vote quashed” by Katherine Gregg in the Providence Journal.
From the State Legislatures
“2012 Election Legislation: National Summary” on NCSL.org.
Social Media
New Mexico: “Social media plays a bigger role in leg session” by Julie Ann Grimm in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
March 19, 2013 •
Nevada Bill Creates Code of Ethics for Lobbyists
Assembly Bill 0314
Yesterday a bill was introduced into the Nevada Assembly establishing for lobbyists both a mandatory code of ethics and voluntary rules of conduct. The code of ethics addresses inaccurate information given to members of the Legislature and conflicts of interests with clients.
In addition, the code of ethics in Assembly Bill 0314 specifically addresses lobbyist contracts, including requiring compensated lobbyists to enter into a written contract with clients spelling out the amount of compensation, and requiring the contract to include provisions concerning whether and how, if applicable, expenses of the lobbyist will be reimbursed.
The bill creates a “Rules of Conduct” statement to be given to a lobbyist upon registration. The lobbyist may voluntarily sign the statement if he or she wishes. Additionally, the legislation requires the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau to provide training on the Nevada Ethics in Lobbying Act before each regular and special session of the Nevada Legislature.
AB 0314 would also require the suspension of a lobbyist’s registration for certain violations and sets forth the periods for which a lobbyist’s registration must be suspended.
March 18, 2013 •
Monday News Roundup
Let’s start off the week with these lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics news articles:
Lobbying
“Street Talk: K Street Hiring Chill Leaves Members Cold” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Former Rep. Rehberg joins K Street firm” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Georgia: “House lobbyist gift ‘ban’ has loopholes” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Campaign Finance
“Russ Feingold on the Path to Campaign Finance Reform” by John Light on BillMoyers.com.
“Former Fla. Dem candidate pleads guilty to campaign finance fraud, claims he was ‘used’” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.
New York: “Eyes On Albany As State Considers Campaign Finance Changes” by The Associated Press in WHAM ABC News.
Ethics
“Lawmakers add relatives to campaign payrolls” by Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars in USA Today.
“Conflicts of interest run rampant in state legislatures” by Nicholas Kusnetz in The Center for Public Integrity.
“A year in prison, Rod Blagojevich in good spirits” by Mackenzie Weinger in Politico.
Florida: “Gaming committee chairman relies on flights from gaming lobbyist for travel to Tallahassee” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.
Minnesota: “Minn. Judges May be Required to Reveal Financial Ties” by Nick Winkler in KAAL TV ABC News.
Open Government
Missouri: “Push for exemptions adds to debate over Missouri’s open-records law” by Chris Blank in the Kansas City Star.
Vermont: “Vermont Senate advances open-records bill” by Nancy Resmen in the Burlington Free Press.
March 15, 2013 •
News You Can Use Digest – March 15, 2013
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Obama Meets with New Advocacy Group
From the States and Municipalities:
California – California Lawmakers Avoid Campaign Contribution Limits with Ballot Measure Account
Florida – Investigators: Florida gambling probe that led to resignation of lieutenant governor will grow
Iowa – Statehouse Coffee Budget Running at $1,400 Deficit
Kentucky – Dennis Horlander Paid More than Most in Kentucky Legislature
Michigan – Former Mayor of Detroit Guilty in Corruption Case
Missouri – St. Louis Police Sergeant Plans to Sue Department for Silencing His Pro-Pot Work
Oregon – Oregon Legislators Reap Big Post-Election Donations – Much of it ‘Makeup Money’
Pennsylvania – Ex-Senate Leader, 7 Others Charged in Turnpike Probe
Rhode Island – RI House Leadership Faulted over Ethics Vote
Tennessee – Black Keys Manager Ticket Offer Raises Questions
Washington – Blind Lawmaker Up to Task in Olympia
West Virginia – Gainer Queries Ethics Panel over Visa Ads
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.
March 14, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Howard Berman signs up for K Street job” by Tarini Parti in Politico.
“K Street Files: Under Attack, Gamers Add In-House Lobbyists” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“K Street lobbyists leap to the planet’s defense after asteroid scare” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Campaign Finance
Utah: “Legislature to change law on who probes campaign violations” by Robert Gehrke in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Vermont: “Vermont Senate panel delays vote on campaign finance” by Dave Gram in the Burlington Free Press.
Ethics
“Florida Official Resigns in Wake of Gambling Probe” by Cameron McWhirter and Ana Campoy in the Wall Street Journal.
“Fla. charity probe to next focus on campaign money” by Mike Schneider and Gary Fineout in the Miami Herald.
Open Government
“Oversight panel pushes for transparency” by Eric Martinson in Politico.
Kansas: “Senate committee discusses changes to ‘open records’ law” by Stevi Wilson in the Lawrence Journal-World.
North Carolina: “How to bring more sunshine to the NC legislature” by John Frank in the News & Observer.
Procurement
Iowa: “Panel told of revised process for equipment procurement” by Jason Noble in the Des Moines Register.
Legislative Issues
Kentucky: “Ky. lawmakers approve 107 bills during first 28 days of legislative session” by Jack Brammer in the Herald-Leader.
Montana: “Montana lawmakers consider longer term limits” by The Associated Press in the Billings Gazette.
Redistricting
Wisconsin: “New court filing: Documents were deleted from GOP redistricting computers” by Patrick Marley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
March 13, 2013 •
Wednesday Government Relations News
Here is our roundup of the latest articles on lobbying, campaign finance, and more!
Lobbying
Nevada: “Lawmakers spin through revolving door to lobbying” by Anjeanette Damon in the Las Vegas Sun.
Campaign Finance
Alaska: “Campaign finance resolution finds support” by The Associated Press in the Anchorage Daily News.
Arizona: “AZ House passes bill barring student association fee use for politics” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Capitol Times.
Arkansas: “Ark. panel rejects campaign finance proposals” by The Associated Press in KATV ABC News.
Georgia: “Lesser ethics bill gets committee approval” by Kristina Torres in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Hawaii: “State lawmakers debate campaign finance reforms” by Anita Hofschneider (Associated Press) in the Star Advertiser.
Michigan: “House Dems back ethics, campaign finance reform package” by Chad Livengood in the Detroit News.
North Carolina: “Dome: Campaign finance reports lag” by John Frank and Rob Christensen in the News & Observer.
Utah: “Utah Senate votes to close disclosure loophole” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Vermont: “Vt. Senate panel works on campaign finance bill” by The Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Ethics
Florida: “Locals owe state Ethics Commission thousands” by Tom McLaughlin in the Northwest Florida Daily News.
Open Government
“Arizona gets ‘C’ grade for legislative openness” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Capitol Times.
New Mexico: “Legislators fast-track bill that protects their email” by Julie Ann Grimm in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
South Dakota: “Daugaard signs three bills on open government” by The Associated Press in the Argus Leader.
Texas: “Texas gets high marks regarding transparency in legislative matters but still needs more sunshine” in the Austin American-Statesman.
West Virginia: “Legislation may make memos, internal letters public” by Zack Harold in the Charleston Daily Mail.
Wyoming: “Legislature average on transparency” by Trevor Brown in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
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.