“White House abandons push for federal contractors to disclose political giving” by Mike Lillis in The Hill.

“F.C.C. Pushes for Web Site on TV Political Ad Spending” by Brian Stelter in The New York Times.

“Limits on Lobbyists as Hosts? Simply Unworkable, They Say” by Robert Pear in The New York Times.

“FEC Ruling Leaves Ad Uncertainty” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

Arkansas: “Campaign Finance Reform in Arkansas Enters a New Phase” by KARK 4 News.

Maryland: “Lobbyist scores a ‘scoop’ of sorts” by Michael Dresser in The Baltimore Sun.

National:

Boycotts Hitting Group behind ‘Stand Your Ground’

GE, J&J among Firms to Give More Lobbying Detail

Federal:

As Women’s Issues Become More Prominent, Men Dominate Super PAC Funders

Campaign Donor Advertising Rule Invalidated by U.S. Judge

GAO: Lobbyist disclosure compliance ‘similar’ compared to prior years

From the States and Municipalities:

Arizona

Rep. Patterson to Keep Seat amid Ethics Inquiry

California

Campaign Treasurer Kinde Durkee Admits $7-Million Theft

California

Figure in Coliseum Corruption Case Is in ‘Jungles of Brazil’

Georgia

Lawmaker Returns $800 after Expenses Questioned

Illinois

Blagojevich’s Chief of Staff Gets 10 Days in Prison

Massachusetts

Timothy Cahill Indicted in Corruption Case

Mississippi

Political Stress Erupts at Capitol

New Jersey

Some of Christie’s Biggest Bills Match Model Legislation from D.C. Group Called ALEC

New York

State Ethics Board Won’t Disclose Record of Hiring Cuomo Aide

Wisconsin

Recall Elections Ordered for Walker, Kleefisch, 4 GOP Senators

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.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel certified the language of a proposed initiated act regarding campaign finance and ethics law. The measure would prohibit direct corporate and union contributions to individual campaigns. Currently, corporations and unions are able to directly contribute at the same $2,000 level as individuals.

The measure would also ban lawmakers from accepting gifts of any value from lobbyists. Legislators can currently receive gifts, food, or other items valued up to $100 from a lobbyist.

The group supporting the measure, Regnat Populus, must gather at least 62,507 signatures by July 6 to qualify for the November ballot.

There still might be a few of you out there who remember before BCRA and HLOGA, when we only needed to submit a quarter of a page card as our federal lobbying report. Those were the days, my friend!

These days you need to clear your schedule so you can:

1. Compile and track activity in accordance with your organization’s needs;
2. Conduct extensive outreach and follow up to capture applicable expenses/costs;
3. Obtain salaries of all employees engaged in lobbying activities—whether registered or not;
4. Respond to questions about reporting requirements;
5. Provide definitions for determining applicability;
6. Institute tracking mechanisms for Issues and Agency contacts;
7. Coordinate with outside consultants to ensure accurate reporting;
8. Coordinate LD-203 filing process;
9. Prepare documentation in case of an audit; and
10. File the report.

What??? You are not doing this? You are guesstimating! Tell me that is not the case.

If you are in DC you have probably seen me with Rebecca South, Federal Compliance Associate. She has created an amazing program to help the top Fortune 500 companies insure timely and accurate compliance for the LD-2 and LD-203 reports. If we can help alleviate your quarterly headaches, please feel free to contact her at rsouth@stateandfed.com.

Until next month, remember the LD-2 isn’t the only report due in April. According to our Key Dates chart, there are 112 lobbying/employer reports due in this country’s states, counties, and cities.

A bill requiring lobbyists to disclose all legislation they are trying to influence will be introduced into the Delaware Senate, possibly as soon as this week.

Senate Bill 185, as proposed by Senator Anthony J. DeLuca and endorsed by Governor Jack Markell and members of both parties of the General Assembly, mandates lobbyists report to the Public Integrity Commission the identity, by number, of each bill, resolution, or regulation for which the lobbyist has tried to promote, advocate, influence, or oppose. Disclosure of the name of the employer on whose behalf such direct communication occurred is also required.

Additionally, lobbying relating to any subject contained within any budget appropriation bill or bond and capital improvement bill must also include identification of the specific subject of the direct communication. Reports will be due within five business day after the date the first direct communication with a relevant public official regarding bills, resolutions, and regulations takes place. The bill provides for electronic filing of registration and reporting with the Public Integrity Commission.

The Commission will make the reports available online in a manner which can be easily reviewed by bill, resolution, regulation, lobbyist, or employer.

Federal: “Trade group CEOs enjoy hefty pay raises in a sluggish economy” by William McQuillen and Danielle Ivory in The Washington Post.

Federal: “GAO: Lobbyist disclosure compliance ‘similar’ compared to prior years” by Rachel Leven in The Hill.

Federal: “Calif. biotech firms spend $40 million on lobbying in 3 years” by Bernice Yeung on CaliforniaWatch.org.

Federal: “Tech companies new lobbying force in DC” by Garrett Sloane in the New York Post.

New Jersey: “Some of Christie’s biggest bills match model legislation from D.C. group called ALEC” by Salvador Rizzo in the Star-Ledger.

Utah: “Rolly: Lobbyist and legislator in one? Could happen” by Paul Rolly in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Federal:

Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush Escorted from House Floor for Wearing Hoodie in Honor of Trayvon Martin

Payday Lender Political Donors Hidden in Corporate Names

Super PACs Rival Chamber

From the States and Municipalities:

Arizona

After Bowl Scandal, Many Arizona Legislators Still Want Tickets to Baseball Opener

California

Medco Settles California Pension Fund Kickback Case

Delaware

Lobbying Disclosure Bill Shines Critical Sunlight on Lawmaking Process

District of Columbia

D.C. Ethics Law Overhaul Hampered by Hiring Difficulties, Enforcement Duties

Georgia

‘Revolving-Door’ Powers Politics

Hawaii

Judge Confirms Hawaii Can’t Limit Independent Expenditures

Illinois

Employee Gift Ban Recommendation Still Has Few Takers

Iowa

Iowa’s Lobbying Free-for-All

New Mexico

Salinas Seeks High Court Aid

New York

Lobbyists Reaping $220 Million Bonanza

Utah

How Utah’s Capitol Marches to a Mormon Beat

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.

Campaign Finance

“McCain predicts ‘huge’ U.S. campaign finance scandals” by Alina Selyukh (Reuters) in the Chicago Tribune.

“McCain Calls SCOTUS Decision on Campaign Spending ‘Stupid’” by Rebekah Metzler in the Chicago Tribune.

“Beware of the super-PAC: More lawmakers are fearing an ad ambush” by Joe Picard in The Hill.

Montana: “Conservative groups challenging campaign finance law formally seek Supreme Court intervention” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Lobbying

“Lobbyists reaping $220M bonanza” by Rich Karlin in the Albany Times Union.

“Memo details oil, gas industry lobbying expenditures” by The Associated Press in the News Tribune.

“Review of lobbyist spending prompts House ethics meeting” by Jason Clayworth in the Des Moines Register.

The Kentucky Senate unanimously approved House Bill 300 on Monday. The bill requires “placement agents” to register as lobbyists and follow state ethics laws. Placement agents are individuals or firms who are compensated for the purpose of influencing an executive agency decision regarding the investment of Kentucky Retirement Systems or the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement Systems assets.

The bill is a response to concerns raised by last year’s audit of the state pension system. Now the bill returns to the House following technical changes made by the Senate.

The Cuyahoga County Inspector General, Nailah Byrd, has issued an advisory opinion (IGADV-0005) regarding whether a public official or employee’s acceptance of a ticket to a charitable fundraising event violates any provision of the ethics ordinance.

The opinion states that while the ethics ordinance does not explicitly prohibit the acceptance of a ticket, it does require certain conditions to be met.

A charitable event ticket given by a lobbyist or contractor must not include an extravagant or lavish meal, entertainment of significant value, or a fair market value price exceeding $75.

The Philadelphia Board of Ethics issued an advisory alert announcing a delay in the availability of their online filing system for receipt of lobbyist and principal’s quarterly expense reports. The board’s online expense report function will not be available by April 30, the next date the reports are due.

However, because the quarterly expense reports, covering January 3 through March 31, remain due on April 30, the board intends to create an interim paper form expense reporting method. Lobbyists and principals will be able to fill out the interim form on the board’s website, which can then be downloaded and signed. The signed copy must be mailed or delivered to the board by the same April 30 deadline.

The board will advise all registered principals when the interim reporting method becomes available.

The current registration procedure is unaffected by the board’s announcement.

Federal

“Generation X joining K Street” by Jonathan Allen and Jennifer Martinez in Politico.

“Administration Staffers Head Out the Revolving Door” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

In the States

Illinois: “Illinois Senate panel blocks lobbyist ethics legislation” by Shannon McFarland (Associated Press) in the Jacksonville Journal Courier.

Illinois: “Lobbying reforms buried in subcommittee” by Rick Miller in Capitol Fax.

Iowa: “Iowa’s lobbying free-for-all” by Jason Clayworth and Jeffrey Kummer in the Des Moines Register.

Massachusetts: “AP: Mass. health care 5-year lobbying topped $51M” by Steve LeBlanc (Associated Press) in Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Minnesota:  “$61M spent on lobbying in 2011” by Matt Herbert in Minnesota Daily.

National:

Study: State governments at high risk for corruption

Federal:

Federal Contractors Donate to Super PAC Backing Romney

GOP Super PAC Men Seek to Overturn Donation Limits

Insider Trading Ban for Lawmakers Clears Congress

Senate Dems Push ‘Disclose Act 2.0’

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama

Key Corruption Trial Attorneys to Be in Benefit

Georgia

Atlanta Ethics Nominee Withdraws Name; Legislation to Give City Council More Power is Shelved

Illinois

Democrats Now Press Smith to Resign

Kansas

Kansas Bill Would Allow Officials to Explain Ballot Items in ‘Plain English’

Wisconsin

Ethics Violations Filed against Prosser

Wisconsin

Supreme Court Dismisses Case Challenging Political Ad Rules

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.

Governor Dennis Daugaard has signed House Bill 1196. The bill amends the lobbyist reporting requirements to reflect the secretary of state’s electronic filing capabilities.

The employer authorization and lobbyist expense report may be submitted in writing or electronically. The completed reports are open to public inspection and will no longer need to be notarized before filing.

Although the bill has an effective date of July 1, 2012, the EZ Lobby system is already accessible at the secretary of state’s website.

The site allows lobbyists and their employers to register, pay fees, update information, and report expenses electronically. Paper forms are still available for lobbyists who chose to register by mail.