Lobbying

“Lobbyists Celebrate Democratic Party’s New Embrace at Convention” by Jay Newton-Small for Time

California: “Judge Questions Private Talks Between Coastal Commissioners and Developer’s Consultants” by Dan Weikel for Los Angeles Times

Campaign Finance

“George Soros Rises Again” by Kenneth Vogel for Politico

California: “‘Behested Payments’ Add Another Layer of Money in Politics” by Tracy Wood for Voice of OC

Indiana: “Eric Holcomb’s Access to Mike Pence’s Campaign Cash Might Be Restricted” by Tony Cook for Indianapolis Star

Ethics

Texas: “Texas AG Took Gift While Investigating Company” by Associated Press for Texarkana Gazette

Elections

“Donald Trump Calls on Russia to Find Hillary Clinton’s Missing Emails” by Ashley Parker and David Sanger for New York Times

“Bill Clinton Praises His Wife’s Feminine Side” by Patrick Healy for New York Times

“Democrats Discreetly Turn Attention to Presidential Prospects of the Future” by Michael Shear for New York Times

Lobbying

“For Special Interests, the Real Party Is Outside the Convention” by Carrie Levine and Dave Levinthal for Center for Public Integrity

California: “California Wants People to Prove They Are Not Lobbyists” by Alison Noon for KPCC

Connecticut: “CT GOP Delegates, This Meal Is Brought to You by …” by Mark Pazniokas for CT Mirror

Campaign Finance

Texas: “City Wins Lawsuit Despite Appearance of Loss” by Jo Clifton for Austin Monitor

Ethics

Connecticut: “Wade Fires Back at Critics” by Christine Stuart for CTNewsJunkie.com

Hawaii: “School Cleared in Ethics Case” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat

Maryland: “Del. Dan Morhaim, Advocate of Medical Marijuana, Draws Scrutiny for Role in Firm” by Pamela Wood and Erin Cox for Baltimore Sun

Pennsylvania: “Feds Charge Ex-Pa. Treasurer Hafer with Lying and Millionaire Donor with Fraud in Pay-to-Play Probe” by Mark Fazlollah, Craig McCoy, and Dylan Purcell for Philadelphia Inquirer

South Carolina: “Ethics Commission Narrows Governor’s Allowed Use of USC Football Tickets” by Maya Prabhu for Charleston Post & Courier

South Carolina: “Ethics Board Tells Candidates When It’s OK to Pay Family with Donations” by Seanna Adcox (Associated Press) for Aiken Standard

Elections

“Hillary Clinton Selects Tim Kaine, a Popular Senator from a Swing State, as Running Mate” by Amy Chozick, Alan Rappeport, and Jonathan Martin for New York Times

“DNC Chairwoman Will Resign in Aftermath of Committee Email Controversy” by Anne Gearan, Philip Rucker, and Abby Phillip for Washington Post

Texas: “Appeals Court Says Texas Voter-ID Law Discriminates Against Minorities” by Robert Barnes for Washington Post

Wisconsin: “Judge Issues Injunction, Allows Voters without IDs to Cast Ballots” by Patrick Marley and Jason Stein for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Lobbying

“In Brussels and London, Lobbyists Retool for Brexit Unknowns” by Quentin Ariès and Kalina Oroschakoff for Politico

Pennsylvania: “Consulting Business Owned by Mike Fleck Fined $11,850 by State” by Emily Opilo for Allentown Morning Call

Campaign Finance

Colorado: “Political Consultant Files Legal Challenge to Stop Denver Campaign Finance Reform Proposal” by Jon Murray for Denver Post

Maine: “Top Legislators’ PACs Reap Thousands from Key Donors” by Colin Woodard for Portland Press Herald

Montana: “Review of Montana’s Political Party Committees Underway, Some Will Be Reclassified” by Troy Carter for Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Washington: “Supporters of Campaign Finance Measure Submit Signatures” by Rachel La Corte (Associated Press) for Yakima Herald

Ethics

California: “Beaumont, Stunned by Years of Alleged Corruption, Has Been ‘Turned Upside Down’” by Paloma Esquivel for Los Angeles Times

New Mexico: “Former Sen. Phil Griego to Face Trial on Nine Corruption Charges” by Dan Boyd for Albuquerque Journal

Virginia: “Crime Commission Attorney Named New Director of Va. Ethics Council” by Graham Moomaw for Richmond Times-Dispatch

Elections

“Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Struggle to Be Unifying Voice for Nation” by Patrick Healy for New York Times

Lobbying

Missouri: “Andy Blunt Came to Washington – Was It Lobbying?” by Chuck Raasch for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Rhode Island: “Providence Landlords Face Pressure to Register as Lobbyists” by Dan McGowan for WPRI

Ethics

“US Rep. Corrine Brown Indicted After Fraud Investigation” by Jason Dearen and Curt Anderson (Associated Press) for ABC News

Alabama: “Mike Hubbard Sentenced to Four Years in Prison” by Kim Chandler (Associated Press) for Tuscaloosa News

Florida: “Court OKs Rivera Ethics Fine – But Will State House Speaker Impose It?” by Patricia Mazzei for Miami Herald

Hawaii: “Councilman Calls for Audit Amid Honolulu Ethics Commission Chaos” by Nick Grube for Honolulu Civil Beat

Kentucky: “Ethics Complaint Challenges Bevin Executive Order” by Joseph Gerth for Louisville Courier-Journal

New York: “Fight Over Emails Yields New Details on Role of Outside ‘Agents’ for de Blasio” by J. David Goodman for New York Times

Texas: “Ken Paxton’s ‘Family Friends’ Help Foot Legal Bill, Disclosure Shows” by Jim Malewitz for Texas Tribune

Utah: “Are Utah Taxpayers Footing Bill for Land-Transfer Lawyers’ Lavish Travel?” by Brian Maffly for Salt Lake Tribune

Washington: “Ethics Panel Approves $10K Fine for Seattle Transportation Chief” by Daniel Beekman for Seattle Times

Elections

“Would Donald Trump Quit if He Wins the Election? He Doesn’t Rule It Out” by Jason Horowitz for New York Times

Lobbying

“The Lobbying Reform That Enriched Congress” by Isaac Arnsdorf for Politico

Arizona: “Arizona Governor Fires State’s Contract Lobbyists” by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez for Arizona Republic

Missouri: “Aldermen Vote Down Measure Banning Lobbyists on the Floor” by Rachel Lippmann for St. Louis Public Radio

Campaign Finance

“‘Feel Bern’ PAC Comes Under Scrutiny” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

Arizona: “Drive to Expand Public Campaign Financing Fizzles” by Mary Jo Pitzl for Arizona Republic

Georgia: “Atlanta City Councilman Faces Hundreds of Campaign Finance Allegations” by Maggie Lee for Creative Loafing

Ethics

Hawaii: “ACLU Lawyer to Be State Ethics Chief” by Rui Kaneya for Honolulu Civil Beat

New York: “Operative Tied to Cuomo Is Accused of Bribing Judge to Get Favorable Rulings” by Vivian Yee for New York Times

Lobbying

Massachusetts: “Uber Proves Profitable for at Least One Group – Lobbyists” by Jim O’Sullivan for Boston Globe

Campaign Finance

“Pro-Hillary Group Takes $200K in Banned Donations” by Harper Neidig and Jonathan Swan for The Hill

Maine: “Maine Ethics Panel Aims to Close Loophole ‘You Could Drive a Truck Through’” by Darren Fishell for Bangor Daily News

New Jersey: “Proposed Pay-to-Play Reforms Pit Fulop Against Longtime Foes” by Terrence McDonald (Jersey Journal) for Newark Star-Ledger

Ethics

California: “Supervisors Approve Budget and Staffing Plan for Ethics Commission” by Nick Gerda for Voice of OC

California: “At the Corner of Power and Poverty” by Laurel Rosenhall for CALmatters

Massachusetts: “Grand Jury Indicts Second Official in Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s Administration” by Gintautas Dumcius for MassLive.com

New York: “Ethics Reform Brings Less Information About JCOPE Probes” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Oregon: “Lawmaker’s Actions Questioned by Portland Police Officer” by Gordon Friedman for Salem Statesman-Journal

Elections

Utah: “Two Transgender Candidates – Both Named Misty – Just Made History by Winning Primaries” by Amber Phillips for Washington Post

On June 13, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Marie Raimondo signed two bills into law changing the state’s lobbying laws. Senate Bill 2361 and House Bill 7388 both repeal the current lobbying laws in Title 22 and Title 42 in the state’s statutes and enact the Rhode Island Lobbying Reform Act.

Among the changes in the bills are the simplification of lobbyists’ reporting requirements, an increase in penalties for failing to comply with lobbying requirements, and the allowance for more investigative and administrative authority for enforcing the lobbying laws, including administrative subpoena power.

The effective date for the two bills is January 1, 2017.

On June 2, the California Assembly passed AB 2002.

The bill requires consultants lobbying the California Coastal Commission to register as lobbyists. It also bans private communications between commissioners and lobbyists within 24 hours of a commission hearing.

The bill passed 54-23 and is being sent to the Senate.

Lobbying

Nebraska: “Money Spent on Lobbying Nebraska Legislature Hit Record $15.6 Million in 2015” by Joe Duggan (Omaha World-Herald) for Kearney Hub

Texas: “Texas Ethics Commission Tightens Rules on Trips Paid by Lobbyists” by Sean Collins Walsh for Austin American-Statesman

Campaign Finance

“The Price of Public Money” by Marilyn Thompson for The Atlantic

California: “In California, Varied Election Filing Practices Reveal a System Struggling to Catch Up” by Kaitlyn Landgraf and Ana Santos for Los Angeles Times

Minnesota: “DFL Rep. Joe Atkins, GOP Rep. Joe Hoppe Hit for Campaign Violations” by Rachel Stassen-Berger and David Montgomery for St. Paul Pioneer Press

Oregon: “Another Strikeout for Limiting Big Money in Oregon Politics” by Taylor Anderson for Bend Bulletin

Ethics

Alabama: “Former Ethics Director Says He Advised Hubbard of Law” by Brian Lyman for Montgomery Advertiser

Arizona: “Judge Tosses Last Bid to Get Arizona Regulator Stump’s Texts” by Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) for Arizona Daily Star

Florida: “Prison Inspectors Detail Alleged Interference in Their Investigations” by Mary Ellen Klas for Miami Herald

New York: “De Blasio Doled Out City Appointments from Shady Spreadsheet of Big Campaign Donors” by Jennifer Fermino and Greg Smith for New York Daily News

Elections

“I Can Watch It on TV’: Excuses for Republicans skipping a Donald Trump” by Jeremy Peters for New York Times

“Can Donald Trump Win? These Battleground Regions Will Decide” by Jonathan Martin, Alexander Burns, Trip Gabriel, and Fernanda Santos for New York Times

The City of Rochester Ethical Practices Board has formally requested the City Council and Mayor Ardell Brede review the process for appointing community members to advisory commissions and boards.

The board requests review in the following five areas of the current process: announcing new positions to the public; conducting interviews for open positions; establishing a reasonable time between the mayor selecting a candidate and City Council’s review; putting a concerted effort into gender and ethnic adversity on boards and commissions; and developing a consistent and transparent appointment process.

The request includes recommended changes and comes in response to concerns over appointing former lobbyists to boards directing public funds or steering policy.

On May 25, the Reno City Council unanimously voted to defer the question of whether to pass a lobbying law for the city. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve objected to the ordinance because it only applied to city council members and not to city staff employees, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The “Registration and Regulation of Lobbyists” ordinance would require lobbyists to register with the city clerk, to inform the city of their clients, and to wear a lobbyist badge when in city hall. The ordinance also includes civil and criminal penalties.

Lobbying

Missouri: “Impact of Missouri’s ‘Revolving Door’ Lobbyist Law Questioned” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Campaign Finance

“Despite Recommendations, FEC Won’t Pursue Charges that Murray Energy Coerced Campaign Donations from Employees” by Sabrina Eaton for Cleveland Plain Dealer

“NRA to Pay $15,000 for Breaking State Campaign-Finance Rules” by Joseph O’Sullivan for Seattle Times

Virginia: “Officials: Federal prosecutors investigating Virginia Gov. McAuliffe” by Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

Ethics

“Facebook Says an Investigation Found No Evidence of Bias in a News App” by Mike Isaac for New York Times

“NFL Tried to Influence ‘Unrestricted’ Research Gift, Congressional Report Says” by Rick Maese for Washington Post

Massachusetts: “Legislature Poised to Pass Public Records Measure” by Joshua Miller for Boston Globe

Elections

“Getting a Photo ID So You Can Vote Is Easy. Unless You’re Poor, Black, Latino or Elderly.” by Sari Horwitz for Washington Post

“Democrats Are Gay, Republicans Are Rich: Our stereotypes of political parties are amazingly wrong” by John Sides for Washington Post

“Reeling from 2016 Chaos, G.O.P. Mulls Overhaul of Primaries” by Jeremy Peters for New York Times

Lobbying

Pennsylvania: “Pa. Officials, Lobbyists Split on How to Vet Business Propositions” by Brad Bumsted for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Campaign Finance

“Key G.O.P. Donors Still Deeply Resist Donald Trump’s Candidacy” by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns for New York Times

Massachusetts: “New Bill Would Rein in State GOP’s Fund-Raising” by Frank Phillips for Boston Globe

Ethics

Alabama: “One-Time Rising Star Hubbard to Stand Trial on Ethics Charges” by Mike Cason for AL.com

Colorado: “Audit: Colorado ethics commission rarely helps those filing complaints” by Joey Bunch for Denver Post

Hawaii: “Hawaii Lawmakers Again Balk at Ethics, Lobbying Reform” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat

Elections

“Why Democrats Are Set to Retake State Legislatures in 2016 (and It’s Not Just Trump)” by Amber Phillips for Washington Post

“Bernie Sanders Makes a Campaign Mark. Now, Can He Make a Legacy?” by Jonathan Mahler and Yamiche Alcindor for New York Times

Legislative Issues

Montana: “Term Limits Have Weakened Legislature, Some Observers Say” by Jayme Fraser for Helena Independent Record

Redistricting

Virginia: “Supreme Court Upholds Virginia Redistricting” by Richard Wolf for USA Today

Last week, Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed Senate Bill 692, approving changes to the state’s ethics laws yet again.

Among the changes, lobbyists will only have to file one disclosure report each year, down from two, on July 1 for the preceding 12-month period. The bill also creates an exception in the definition of gifts for any item with a value of less than $20 and limits the definition of a procurement transaction, in terms of lobbying executive action, to contracts costing $5 million or more.

While most of the bill is effective January 1, 2017, an emergency clause applies to the definition change of procurement transaction, rendering it effective upon passage, and lobbyists will not be required to report until July 1, 2017.