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

Here is our March calendar:

March 2   Ohio Birthday Celebration, Washington, DC

March 7-10   National PAC Conference, Miami Beach, Florida

March 9   NCSL Foundation Luncheon, Washington, DC

March 10   Women’s Endowment Fund Annual Dinner, Akron, OH

March 16   PLEN Mentor Awards, Washington, DC

March 17   Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH

March 20-22   NASPO: How to Market to State Governments Meeting, Atlanta, GA

March 30-April 2   ACES National Conference, Portland, OR

March 31, 2016   Akron Press Club hosts State of Summit County Speech, Akron, OH

Here is our April-May calendar. State and Federal Communications will be attending these events. If you plan to be there as well, be sure to say hello!

April 13   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, DC

April 14   Ohio Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Legislative Reception, Columbus, Ohio

April 22-23   Public Affairs Council Spring Executive Meeting, Washington, DC

April 27   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, DC

April 30   DiversityBusiness.com Annual Program, New York City, NY

May 14-16   Women in Government – Western Regional Conference, Denver, Colorado

June 4-6   NCSL Executive Committee Spring Meeting, Denver, Colorado

The Legislature adjourned sine die on Friday, March 6, 2015, after passing two campaign finance bills.

House Bill 38 was originally filed to remove all contribution limits for political action committees (PACs), but amendments to the bill keep a $5,000 limit from a PAC to any candidate who is not a statewide candidate.

House Bill 39 repeals the state’s aggregate contribution limits, which conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.

Photo of the Wyoming State Capitol by Matthew Trump on Wikimedia Commons.

A bill, introduced this month, seeks to create greater transparency in campaign finance reporting for PACs. House Bill 112 eliminates a gap in PAC reporting following the seven-day pre-election report and election day, requiring disclosure of contributions of $1,000 or more during this time.

Introduced by Rep. Greg Chaney, the bill is intended to prevent circumstances where PACs are able to avoid disclosing large expenditures prior to elections.

The bill was reported out of the State Affairs Committee with a do-pass recommendation.

Photo of the Idaho State Capitol Rotunda by Kencf0618 on Wikimedia Commons.

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission’s newly promulgated Revised Constitutional Ethics Rules, effective at staggered intervals, significantly amend lobbying and campaign finance laws. Lobbyist registration provisions were effective December 1. Rules outlining lobbyist reporting due dates are effective February 1, 2015. All other revised rules were effective January 1, 2015. Except as may otherwise be provided, all current rules under Title 74, Chapter 62-Appendix, of the Oklahoma Statutes were repealed on January 1, 2015. O.S. §257:23-1-2, as it pertains to lobbyist reporting requirements, will remain effective until January 31, 2015.

Lobbyists were required to register online in December for calendar year 2015. There are now separate registration requirements dependent upon whether a lobbyist is a legislative lobbyist, executive lobbyist, or legislative liaison. Legislative lobbyists and legislative liaisons will be required to file monthly reports from February to July; executive lobbyists will file quarterly reports.

The revised rules also place new limits on lobbyist expenditures. Each lobbyist will be permitted to spend up to $500 per calendar year for meals for the governor, a legislator, or their staff. Moreover, lobbyists may spend up to $200 per year on certain gifts other than meals, provided the total for all meals and gifts does not exceed $500. New provisions also allow lobbyist principals to provide food and beverage for professional conferences, seminars, and similar events held outside the geographical boundaries of the state, subject to certain restrictions.

Changes to campaign finance laws include a new registration threshold for political action committees (PACs), new campaign contribution limits, specific reporting for out-of-state and federal PACs, and amendments to some reporting requirements. A PAC will be required to register within 10 days of receiving contributions or making expenditures in excess of $1,000. Certain contribution limits will increase and family contribution limits will no longer exist. Limited PACs registered for less than a year or that have fewer than 25 contributors will be permitted to contribute only half the amount of other limited PACs.

This article provides a summary of the major changes to the Revised Constitutional Ethics Rules. It is not exhaustive and additional changes have been made. A final annotated version of the rules is accessible on the new Ethics Commission website at http://www.ok.gov/ethics/.

Here is our September calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please stop by and say hello!

September 11-12, 2014   PLI: Corporate Political Activities Seminar, Washington, D.C.

September 22, 2014  WGR Toastmasters, Washington, D.C.

September 29 – October 1, 2014   PAC State and Local Government Affairs Conference, Alexandria, Virginia

On Wednesday, July 2, a federal appeals court affirmed the judgment of a district court; independent expenditure committees can lose the right to make unlimited expenditures in certain circumstances.

In Vermont Right to Life v. Sorrell , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled a state-level super PAC was not functionally distinct enough from a sister committee actively contributing to candidates and parties. Whether a group is functionally distinct from a non-independent-expenditure-only entity depends on factors including, but not limited to, the overlap of staff and resources, the lack of financial independence, the coordination of activities, and the flow of information between the entities.

Creating two committees and managing two separate bank accounts is not sufficient to prove the committees’ funds are actually treated as separate. To alleviate the danger of quid pro quo corruption, contribution limits may apply to super PACs when they are not functionally distinguishable from committees directly contributing or coordinating expenditures with campaigns.

A federal lawsuit has been filed to challenge the state law limiting campaign contributions to candidates from political action committees (PACs).

The CRG Network (CRG), a PAC working to elect conservative candidates, filed the lawsuit in the Milwaukee U.S. District Court against the state Government Accountability Board. CRG argues its rights to free speech and free association have been denied because of PAC contribution limits.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the law in 1990, but subsequent U.S. Supreme Court rulings may make the earlier state Supreme Court case irrelevant.

Elizabeth Bartz is the featured speaker in today’s Public Affairs Council State Procurement Strategies webinar. This presentation is the final installment of the four-part “Strengthening State Government Relations” series and will begin at 2:00 p.m.

You can find details of the webinar on the Public Affairs Council website.

A team of experts from State and Federal Communications is presenting the Public Affairs Council’s Compliance on the State Level webinar this afternoon from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. Join us for an hour full of compliance information you need right now.

1.  Director of Client and Product Operations Amber Fish Linke will start our program by talking about state and local lobbying laws and gift laws.

2.  Client Specialist Nola Werren will continue the conversation and discuss the pay-to-play laws, strategies for compliance, and how to avoid violations. She will follow that up with a discussion about state campaign finance laws and where you can make corporate contributions.

3.  President and CEO Elizabeth Z. Bartz will round out the discussion with what to watch for in the procurement process.

Riveting conversation for a Thursday afternoon … but so important to know in 2014. If you haven’t already, take the time to register now for the webinar by going to www.pac.org or contact Piper Evans, manager of the council’s Government Relations Practice, at 202-787-5978 or pevans@pac.org.

Your company’s reputation in its home state and where it has business operations depends on it. As we are preparing our program if you have a specific question to ask, please send me an e-mail at ebartz@stateandfed.com.

Here is our April-May calendar. State and Federal Communications will be attending these events. If you plan to be there as well, be sure to say hello!

April 6-9   Broadcast Education Association 2014 Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada

April 7-8 PAC Spring Executive Meeting, Washington, D.C.

April 11   YouToo Social Media Conference, Kent, Ohio

April 9-11 SGAC Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California

April 30 – May 2 OSBA Convention, Columbus, Ohio

May 8   Women in Government Relations Spring Reception, Washington, D.C.

October 16   WASRG Summit–Keynote Sponsor, Washington, DC

October 16-18   Public Affairs Council Fall Board Meeting, Paradise Valley, Arizona

November 4   American League of Lobbyists State Lobbying Session, Washington, D.C.

November 21   American League of Lobbyists Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

November 23-November 26   SGAC Leaders’ Policy Conference Turnberry, Miami Beach, Florida

It has been a long cold winter for most of the country and though it may be hard to see, sunshine and warm weather are fast approaching. While cold temperatures and snow are making summer seem far in the distance, Major League Baseball’s opening week is upon us and that means summer is close. With America’s pastime finally here, the Sunlight Foundation did a report on how much Major League Baseball and its clubs contributed to campaigns and PACs throughout the last election cycle.

According to the report, MLB organizations contributed more than $24 million last election cycle. The Chicago Cubs can’t win on the field (they have not been to a World Series since 1945 and have not won since 1908), but they certainly won the political spending war. The Cubs spent $13.9 million, more than $12 million more than any other team. Most of that money, more than $12 million, went to a PAC started by the Ricketts family (the team’s ownership group) established to fight wasteful spending in Washington and the defeat of President Obama. However, not all of the family veered to the right with their spending. Laura Ricketts spend more than $500,000 on Democratic candidates and PACs.

The Cubs rival, and President Obama’s favorite team, the Chicago White Sox were one of the few teams who favored the Democrats in their spending. The White Sox gave several donations to Obama, amounting to $60,000 and only $7,000 to Obama’s opponent in the presidential election, Mitt Romney.

Not all teams spend heavily though. The Toronto Blue Jays did not contribute a single penny, as federal laws do not allow foreign contributions to campaigns. The Oakland Athletics only gave a $5,000 contribution to the league’s PAC and gave nothing to either the Republican or Democratic parties. The New York Yankees, owners of the league’s highest payroll at nearly $229 million, only spent $43,000 off the field in political donations.

In addition to the individual teams contributing, Major League Baseball operates its own PAC, called the MLB Commissioner’s Office PAC. The league collects donations from each team and contributes fairly evenly to both the Democrats and Republicans. The Los Angeles Dodgers were the only team to eschew a donation to the league’s PAC.

Most of the donations coming from baseball were made by team executives and owners. However, a few current and former players decided to contribute. Players to contribute to the Republicans included White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham, New York Yankees designated hitter Travis Hafner, and San Diego Padres closer Huston Street. Los Angeles Dodgers outfield Tony Gwynn Jr. was the only current player to contribute to the Democrats, but he was joined by Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Lou Brock.

For a complete look at how each team contributed, check out the Sunlight Foundation’s report. And just remember, no matter how miserable the weather may be today, baseball is here and summer is right around the corner.