October 26, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – October 26, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
K Street Flags Shortcomings of Lobbying Law
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona
Judge: Listing of PAC contributors unconstitutional
California
California’s Campaign Finance Watchdog Agency Demands Names of Donors to Shadowy Arizona Group
California
Judge Rejects Former Bell Police Chief’s Bid to Double Pension
Florida
State Ethics Commission: David Rivera broke 11 ethics laws while serving in Florida Legislature
Georgia
Atlanta Region Sees Spike in Public Corruption Cases
Idaho
Idaho Sues to Force Disclosure of Secret Donations
Illinois
Appeals Court Allows Illinois Limits on Campaign Financing
Iowa
‘Donations’ to State Agency Let Landlords Avoid Charges
Kentucky
Ethics Panel Wants Lobbyists to Report Ad Spending
Montana
Supreme Court Won’t Block Montana Campaign Finance Law Ahead Of Elections
New Jersey
Infamous Federal Informant Solomon Dwek Is Sentenced to Six Years, Must Pay $22.8 Million
North Dakota
Campaigning Fargo Candidate Finds Body under Tree
Tennessee
With Registry’s Ruling, Burchett Case Closed
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 15, 2012 •
ELEC Meeting Tomorrow to Consider Electronic Filing for Lobbyists’ Annual Reports
Additional Issues to be Discussed
Tomorrow at a public hearing at its offices at 11:00am, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) will consider proposed changes to the administrative code allowing for electronic filing for lobbyists’ annual reports.
Electronic filing would be mandatory through ELEC’s website and would replace the requirement to file paper copies. Copies of what a lobbyist files electronically must be retained by the lobbyist. The proposed amendments cover governmental affairs agents, represented entities, and representatives of “persons communicating with the general public.” The proposals also make technical changes, such as substituting “represented entity” for “lobbyist” throughout the relevant sections.
Other issues to be addressed at the meeting include proposed amendments concerning campaign cost index adjustments and personal financial disclosure statements by candidates.
October 11, 2012 •
Orange County Mayor Proposes Lobbyist Texting Reforms
Calls for record keeping of texts to county phones
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs is calling for measures to monitor and prevent lobbyists from texting county commissioners during meetings. The county commission voted in September to delay putting a measure requiring employers to provide employees with sick time on the ballot. Three of the four commissioners who voted to delay the measure acknowledged that they were texting with lobbyists opposed to the measure during the meeting, and later deleted a number of those texts.
Mayor Jacobs released a memo stating that she ordered a system to be set up to archive text messages from county phones. She is also calling for the county to study how other governments address electronic lobbying during meetings, in consideration of a potential ban on such discussions.
Advocates for the proposed sick time ballot initiative have filed suit claiming that the county commissioners violated state public record and open meetings laws, and asking the court to set aside the vote on the measure.
October 3, 2012 •
Our Wednesday Government Relations News Roundup
Don’t miss the articles you need to keep up with the latest news about lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics:
Campaign Finance
“Freshmen rake in cash through PACs” by Kevin Bogardus and Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.
Connecticut: “When a candidate’s spouse is powerful, the goal of a campaign donation can be … complicated” by Ana Radelot in the CT Mirror.
Minnesota: “Campaign finance board rules Minnesota Majority’s Dan McGrath did not break lobbying rules” by Paul Demko in Politics in Minnesota.
New York: “NY progressives push for public campaign finances” by Michael Gormley in Bloomberg News.
New York: “Campaign finance firepower gathers” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Capitol Confidential.
Lobbying
“Activists Press Corporations to Cut Ties With Presidential Debate Commission” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
“Wis. lawmakers sued over emails with conservative group” by The Associated Press in the Chicago Tribune.
Ethics
California: “L.A. Councilman Richard Alarcon and wife ordered to stand trial” by Catherine Saillant in the Los Angeles Times.
Illinois: “Emanuel Revamps City Hall Ethics Board” by Hal Dardick in the Chicago Tribune.
Campaigns and elections
“Obama, on track to raise $1 billion, came close to that in 2008” by Matea Gold in the Los Angeles Times.
“Jim Lehrer on criticism of his recurring debate-moderator role: ‘It’s a rough, rough world’” by Andrew Beaujon in Poynter.org.
“Daily Ad Track” by Abby Livingston in Roll Call.
“Zac Efron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Selena Gomez all want you to vote for stuff” by Jen Chaney in the Washington Post.
Government Tech and Social Media
“For the Campaigns, Online Debate Response is All About Mobile” by Nick Judd in TechPresident.
“Social media: On the outside looking in at presidential debates” in Politics in Minnesota.
“Code for America Reveals 2013 Partner Cities and Counties” by Sarah Rich in Government Technology.
September 28, 2012 •
Colorado Amends Rules Concerning Lobbyist Registration
Changes primarily pertain to violations and penalties
The secretary of state has issued amended rules regarding lobbyist registration.
The substantive changes include:
- Elimination of the requirement that the secretary of state provide notice and an opportunity to respond to lobbyists under investigation for violations of Colorado’s sunshine law;
- Providing that the secretary of state may admonish a lobbyist for failure to pay penalties within 45 days of assessment, as opposed to the previous rule of 90 days;
- Providing that the secretary of state will send a penalty to collections if a lobbyist or lobbyist firm fails to pay the penalty within 90 days;
- Amending the requirement that pertains to reporting of gifts to clarify that lobbyists are prohibited from giving gifts of any kind to covered officials; and
- Establishing definitions of rate and standard as those terms pertain to state agencies with rulemaking authority.
These rules will take effect 20 days after publication in the Colorado Register.
September 25, 2012 •
Federal Revolving Door Bills
House Resolutions 6424 and 5737
A bill introduced by U.S. Representative Bill Posey hopes to curtail members of congress from becoming lobbyists.
The “End the Congressional Revolving Door Act,” H.R. §6424, would prohibit a former member of congress or former congressional employee, while employed as a lobbyist, from being eligible for certain federal benefits.
Those benefits are:
- The Civil Service Retirement System;
- The Federal Employees’ Retirement System;
- The Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Program; and
- The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program.
The prohibition covers each month the individual is a compensated lobbyist.
In May, a similar bill was introduced by U.S. Representative Steve Israel. The “Congressional Double Dipping Pension Prevention Act,” H.R. §5737, would prohibit a former member of congress receiving annual compensation exceeding $1,000,000 as a lobbyist from being eligible to concurrently receive federal retirement benefits for the period of time he or she is employed as a lobbyist and receiving such income.
September 24, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Start the week off right with these government relations news articles:
Campaign Finance
“Phone Company PAC Funds Campaigns Against Republicans With Customer Overpayments” by Janie Lorber in The Hill.
“Super PAC Influence Falls Short Of Aims” by Neil King, Jr. in The Wall Street Journal.
California: “Measure attacks corporate campaign funds” by Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Iowa: “Iowa sees $29.6 million TV ad inundation” by Jennifer Jacobs in the Austin Post-Bulletin.
Washington: “State watchdog says Owen violated campaign laws” by The Associated Press in The Seattle Times.
Lobbying
Alabama: “Probation sought for ex-lobbyist Jennifer Pouncy in bingo bribery trial” by Kim Chandler in the Birmingham News.
Canada: “Feds respond to Lobbying Act review, but don’t scrap controversial 20 per cent rule” by Bea Vongdouangchanh in The Hill Times.
North Carolina: “Ethics guidance on legislative staffers and lobbyists” by Mark Binker in WRAL.com.
North Carolina: “Tillis: Second staffer had relationship with lobbyist” by Mark Binker and Laura Leslie in WRAL.com.
Pennsylvania: “Lobbying.ph updated: which tech orgs spent the most lobbying in Philly so far this year?” by Juliana Reyes in Technically Philly.
Ethics
Michigan: “Kwame Kilpatrick prosecutor: Bernard Kilpatrick acted to ‘cash in’ on son’s mayoral power” by Gus Burns in the Detroit News.
Political Campaigns
“Obama Campaign Adopts ‘Wet Signature’ to Entice New Voters” in Government Technology.
“Campaign expense list: Beer, limos, Chick-fil-A” by Tarini Parti in Politico.
Open Government and Gov 2.0
“One year later We the People petitioners have mixed reviews” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
“Open government partnership marks first anniversary” by Kedar Pavgi in Nextgov.
Canada: “Alberta gets a ‘D’ in freedom of information audit” by Darcy Henton in the Edmonton Journal.
September 17, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Start the week off right with these government relations news articles:
Lobbying
“At Holland & Knight, lobbyists no longer have corner offices” by Catherine Ho in the Washington Post.
Florida: “Lobbyist’s lobbying group coming to Jacksonville for annual conference” by Matt Dixon in the Florida Times-Union.
Campaign Finance
“Poll: Americans largely in favor of campaign spending limitations” by Morgan Little in the Los Angeles Times.
“Republican super PACs ramp up spending in House races” by Jake Sherman in Politico.
District of Columbia: “Michael A. Brown’s missing campaign funds” in the Washington Post.
Washington: “Parties pouring cash into race for governor” by Andrew Garber and Justin Mayo in the Seattle Times.
Elections
“Voter Information Guides Go Social With TheBallot.org” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
Ethics
Georgia: “Ethics commission: State has defanged its watchdog” by Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
New Hampshire: Opinion piece by Grant Bosse,“Election laws grow more confusing” in the New Hampshire Watchdog.
Social Media
“Could a workplace social network replace email and phone? One agency thinks so.” by Joseph Marks in NextGov.
“Facebook knows how to trick you into voting” by Kevin Charles Redmon in Nextgov.
September 11, 2012 •
Tuesday News Roundup
Take a look at these lobbying, campaign finance, and social media articles:
Lobbying
“ALEC Finds New Friends” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
Arizona: “Ex-Fiesta Bowl lobbyist takes plea deal in probe” by Craig Harris in the Arizona Republic.
Campaign Finance
“Appeals court upholds Illinois campaign disclosure law” by Nate Raymond (Reuters) in the Chicago Tribune.
Minnesota: “Minnesota to keep enforcing campaign disclosure law; federal judge called part of it ‘onerous’” by Martiga Lohn (Associated Press) in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“Nonstop Fundraising Stretch Starts” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.
“Rahm Emanuel suspends super PAC fundraising” by Kenneth P. Vogel in Politico.
“Shop Talk: Celebrating Campaign Women” by Kyle Trygstad in Roll Call.
“Look-alike sites funnel big money to mystery PAC” by Shaqne Goldmacher in NextGov.
“Corporate Contributions and Disclosure” editorial in the New York Times.
Social Media
“Twitter adopts new targeting method for advertisers” by Steve Friess in Politico.
“Cementing social media’s place in the campaign world” in Campaigns & Elections.
“Social-Media Insights Inspired By Barack Obama, America’s First Truly Social President” by Amber Mac in Fast Company.
“Nine Tech Tips for Starting a New Government Job” by Mark Micheli in Government Executive.
“Social Media Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Government Career” by Mark Malseed in OhMyGov!
September 10, 2012 •
Miami-Dade County Amends Lobbyist Ordinance
Reporting no longer required for those with no expenditures
The Board of County Commissioners passed an amendment to the county’s lobbying ordinance on September 6, 2012. Expenditure reports are no longer required if a lobbyist had no expenditures during the reporting period.
The ordinance previously required expenditure reports to be filed even if no lobbying expenditures were made.
The ordinance will become effective 10 days from the date of enactment.
August 24, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – August 24, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Skinny-Dipping in Israel Casts Unwanted Spotlight on Congressional Travel
Text ‘GIVE’ to Obama: President’s campaign launches cell phone donation drive
Twitter’s Role in the Upcoming Conventions
From the States and Municipalities:
California
Higher Lobbyist Fees Approved to Fix Campaign Finance Database
California
San Bernardino County: Contribution limits approved
Florida
Campaign Vendors Say Republican Congressman David Rivera Funded Democrat’s Failed Primary Bid
Illinois
Illinois House Expels Rep. Derrick Smith over Bribery Charge
Minnesota
Donor against Marriage Amendment Will Remain Unnamed
Missouri
Akin Says He’ll Stay in Senate Race, Heightening Tension within GOP
New Hampshire
Most Campaign Money Remains Hidden in New Hampshire
New York
Gifts End in $1.7 Million Deal
North Carolina
Despite Laws, NC Legislators Still Ask Lobbyists for Money
Oregon
Oregon Political Social Scene a Thing of the Past
Pennsylvania
Report Faults Ethics Board: Small staff and lack of authority cited
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.
Senate Bill 1001 awaits governor’s approval
Lobbyists and political committees will be paying more for registration when Governor Jerry Brown signs Senate Bill 1001 into law. The bill passed both houses with the two-thirds majority required to amend the state’s Political Reform Act. Political committees would pay $50 to register and lobbyists would pay $100 to register for a biennial session.
The increased revenue will help with maintaining California’s Cal-Access website, which tracks lobbying activity and campaign finance reports. Political committees currently have no registration fee and lobbyists currently pay $50 to register for the biennial session.
August 6, 2012 •
Monday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Don’t miss these articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and social media:
Lobbying
“Conventions Lose Appeal for D.C. Lobbyists” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
California: “Highest-billing lobbying firms” by Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee.
Colorado: “University of Colorado’s in-house lobbyists hire out for other firms” by Allison Sherry in the Denver Post.
Indiana: “Daniels still waiting on lobbying decision” by The Associated Press in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Missouri: “Missouri lawmakers keep reeling in gifts from lobbyists” by Virginia Young in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Campaign Finance
“O’Connor: Declining approval for high court a ‘disappointment’” by Meghashyam Mali in The Hill.
Ethics
Alabama: “Former Gov. Don Siegelman sentenced to 78 months in prison” by Kim Chandler in the Birmingham News.
Government Social Media
“More government officials embrace social media” by Adam Silverman in USA Today.
“Tweets, social media help more officials get the word out” by Adam Silverman in USA Today.
South Carolina “SC governor goes to Facebook to get message across” by The Associated Press in GoUpstate.com.
July 30, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Don’t miss these articles on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and social media:
Lobbying
“Statehouse Live: At least 8 GOP legislators registered to attend ALEC meeting” by Scott Rothschild in the Lawrence Journal World.
Oklahoma: “Lobbyist gift-giving to Oklahoma lawmakers is up again for the third straight year” by Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman.
Campaign Finance
“Massachusetts Senate calls for Congress to pass law reversing Citizens United decision” by Robert Rizzuto in the Republican.
“Big campaign donors can remain a big secret” by Jon Murray and Mary Beth Schneider in the Indianapolis Star News.
Ethics
Alabama: “Lawmakers plan to run again as ‘double dipping’ ban looms” by Sebastian Kitchen in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Connecticut: “7 charged in Donovan probe” by Ken Dixon in the Connecticut Post.
Illinois: “Feds widen probe into newly retired South Side lawmaker” by Ray Long and Monique Garcia in the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois: “Ex-Illinois lawmaker subpoenaed over scholarships” in the Quad-City Times.
South Carolina: “Taxpayer bill for Haley ethics probe is $61,000” by Andrew Shain in the Charlotte Observer.
Utah: “Utah Supreme Court weighs fate of 2010 ethics initiative” by Cathy McKitrick in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Political Campaigns and Social Media
“New Site Seeks to Aggregate User-Generated Political Videos” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.
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.
