August 2, 2013 •
Legislation We Are Tracking
More than 1,000 legislative bills
At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in the State and Federal Communications digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying, and can be found in the client portion of the State and Federal Communications’ website.
Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly e-mail updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regards to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.
May 9, 2013 •
Legislation We Are Tracking
More than 1,000 legislative bills
At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in the State and Federal Communications digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying, and can be found in the client portion of the State and Federal Communications’ website.
Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly e-mail updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regards to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.
May 9, 2013 •
Thursday News Roundup
Here are some great articles for today’s government relations news summary:
Lobbying
“Lobbyists Snag Top Staff Positions on Capitol Hill” by Lee Fang in The Nation.
Tennessee: “Tom Ingram faces possible fine for failing to register as lobbyist” by Tom Humphrey in the Knoxville News.
Texas: “Lobbyist transparency bill sent to Perry” by The Associated Press in the Houston Chronicle.
Campaign Finance
FEC commissioners speak: “Hard truths of campaign finance” opinion piece by Donald F. McGahn, Caroline Hunter and Matthew Petersen in Politico.
“Why Big Money Still Won in 2012” by Jonathan Backer in the Huffington Post.
Alabama: “Bill before House today repeal state limit on corporate campaign contributions; Lawmaker says it’s a ‘pretend’ cap” by Kim Chandler in the Birmingham News.
New Jersey: “Lawmakers Get Cold Feet About Campaign Finance” by Hank Kalet in NJ Spotlight.
New York: “Carlucci, other senators study plans for campaign finance reform” by Laura Incalcaterra in the Journal News.
Ethics
New York: “Ex-lawmaker to be sentenced in NYC in fraud case” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Daily Star.
Political Advertising
“House Backs Updating Rules on Political Ad Disclosures” by Becca Aaronson in the Texas Tribune.
Government Tech and Social Media
“Ohio City Deploys 2-in-1 Email and Social Media Archiving” by Sarah Rich in Government Technology.
Procurement
“Most Top Contractors Increased Business With Federal Government in 2012” by Eric Katz in Government Executive.
April 26, 2013 •
Florida Ethics Bill Heads to Governor Scott
Adds prohibitions on lobbying by former legislators
Perhaps the most talked-about piece of legislation this session, Senate Bill 2 was passed unanimously by both houses of the Florida Legislature.
The final ethics bill:
- Prohibits members of the legislature from acting as lobbyists for compensation before an executive branch agency, agency official, or employee for two years after leaving office. The version passed by the House eliminated an original provision preventing legislators from becoming lobbyists or principals of lobbying firms lobbying the legislature;
- Provides for a fine of up to $5,000 for executive branch lobbyists who fail to disclose required material facts as required or knowingly provide false information;
- Allows the Commission on Ethics to investigate whether a lobbyist has made a prohibited expenditure if a complaint is filed; and
- Prohibits vendors from providing gifts to a reporting individual or procurement employee for vendors doing business with the reporting individual’s or procurement employee’s agency.
The ethics bill was a top priority of Senate President Don Gaetz. He called the bill his “proudest moment as a senator.” The bill was sent immediately to Governor Rick Scott, who has seven days to sign or veto the bill.
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.
November 27, 2012 •
Elizabeth Bartz Presents Public Affairs Council Webinar
Part Two of State Procurement Series
Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, is presenting the second installment of the Public Affairs Council’s State Procurement Webinar Series. The webinar, “Procurement Prospects: Learning to lobby for government contracts,” will take place today from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST.
Bartz will be speaking on state pay-to-play laws, the effective elements of a pay-to-play compliance program, and current trends in procurement.
According to the Public Affairs Council website:
Not adhering to the rules and regulations for acquiring government contracts could put your entire business at risk. Many of the laws for compliance in the procurement process differ from those commonly followed in other areas of government relations. Part two of this three-part series will cover how to build a sustainable state procurement compliance strategy and how to legally interact with government officials.
September 27, 2012 •
Here is Our Thursday News Roundup
Campaign Finance, Lobbying, Pay-toPlay, Ethics and more
Lobbying
“Trade groups fear gift ban after the election” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Florida: “Senate president scolds lobbyists who opposed his candidates” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Tampa Bay Times.
Campaign Finance, Campaigns and Elections
“How the presidential campaigns are spending money, in one chart” by Sean Sullivan in the Washington Post.
“‘Super PACs’ Finally a Draw for Democrats” by Nicholas Confessore in the New York Times.
“Money trouble: Barack Obama faces a cash gap in the final weeks of the campaign” in The Economist.
“Attentive.ly, a Tool to Mine Your Supporters’ Minds, Just Launched” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.
Pay-toPlay
“Goldman Sachs Will Pay $14.4 Million to Settle Pay-to-Play Cases” by Joshua Gallu, Michael McDonald, and Christine Harper in Bloomberg’s Businessweek.
Ethics
“Watchdog Groups Urge House Leaders to Fill Vacancies on Ethics Board” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
California: “After shoplifting plea, lawmaker seeks another office” by Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times.
Maryland: “Alston’s Maryland law license lifted for ethical violations” by David Hill in the Washington Times.
Procurement
“New federal contracting jobs site launches” by Kedar Pavgi in Government Executive.
September 26, 2012 •
Executive Order Against Human Trafficking in Federal Contracts
Signed September 25
President Obama has signed an Executive Order “to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not contribute to trafficking in persons.”
The Executive Order, “Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking In Persons In Federal Contracts,” signed yesterday, orders the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council to amend its regulations and implement specific requirements of federal contractors.
For example:
- Vendors will be required to agree to cooperate fully in providing reasonable access to allow audits, investigations, or other actions to ensure compliance;
- Contractors will be prohibited from charging employees recruitment fees;
- Contractors will be prohibited from destroying, concealing, and confiscating an employee’s identity documents, such as passports or drivers’ licenses; and
- Contracting officers will have a duty to notify the government if they become aware of any activities concerning the use of forced labor, trafficking in persons, and other specified illegal activities.
While the order is effective immediately, it will apply to solicitations issued after the FAR Council makes its rules. FAR has six months to realize the regulations.
September 14, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – September 14, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
National:
Democrats Risk No Female Governor, First Time in 17 Years
U.S. Election System Criticized Over Finance Rules and Voting Restrictions
Federal:
Andrews Used wife to Vet Use of Campaign Funds on Trip
Look-Alike Sites Funnel Big Money to Mystery PAC
From the States and Municipalities:
Arizona
Ex-Fiesta Bowl Lobbyist Takes Plea Deal in Probe
Illinois
Appeals Court Upholds Illinois Campaign Disclosure Law
Minnesota
Despite Campaign Finance Ruling, Regulators to Continue Requiring Disclosures
Montana
Republicans Ask Court to Axe Montana’s Campaign Contribution Laws
Nebraska
AG: Sen. Council withdrew campaign funds at casinos
New Jersey
Mayor of NJ’s Capital Arrested in Corruption Probe
New York
West Virginia
West Virginia Court Candidate Denied ‘Rescue Funds’
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.
August 6, 2012 •
Governor Cuomo Signs Bill Expanding New York Procurement
New law allows municipalities to piggyback off current public contracts
Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill he hopes will help ease the financial burdens facing some local governments within the state. Senate Bill 5525, which was passed by the state legislature in late June, allows all New York cities and counties to piggyback contacts from other cities and counties.
If a public contract already exists, a city or county may choose to use the contract already in existence, instead of having to solicit the work itself. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, the original contract must have followed all state and local laws involving the procurement of government contracts, including competitive bidding requirements.
The law takes effect immediately.
July 5, 2012 •
Del. Governor Markell Signs Procurement Bill into Law
New law will increase online presence
Governor Jack Markell signed Senate Bill 212 into law in an effort to improve the online presence and public notice capabilities of the state’s procurement office.
The bill mandates that the state create, by May 1, 2013, a one-stop website which will post all bids with an estimated value of more than $50,000.
This website must be accessible to all contractors and the general public. Further, the website will allow the state’s municipalities to advertise their bidding opportunities on the same site.
June 28, 2012 •
New York Legislature Passes Bill Aimed at Saving Counties Money
Bill awaits Governor’s signature
Both houses of the New York state Legislature recently passed a bill aimed at lowering procurement costs for municipalities. Senate Bill 5525 authorizes state municipalities to piggyback off existing public contracts entered into by the federal government, any state, or any municipalities within those states.
New York state municipalities will still have to abide by state contracting rules when utilizing this piggybacking ability. Therefore, the original contract must have utilized competitive bidding when necessary and the municipalities must still comply with the laws regarding minority and women owned businesses as well as any preferred source requirements.
The bill will now head to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s desk where he will decide whether to sign it into law or veto it.
Photo of the New York State Capitol by UpStateNYer on Wikipedia.
May 14, 2012 •
iProcurement Comes to Nashville and Davidson County
New online procurement system
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County rolled out a new online procurement system today. The system, iProcurement, was developed by Oracle Procurement Software.
Vendors and suppliers, as well as all subcontractors, wishing to do business with the Metro Government will have to register with the new system. The new system can be accessed through the Metro Government’s Procurement Division website.
April 25, 2012 •
State and Federal Communications Contributes to NASPO White Paper
Covers vital information about procurement compliance
Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, and John Cozine, Research Manager for the company, contributed to a publication by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). The white paper, “Effective Communication between State Procurement and Industry,” was presented at NAPSO’s recent national meeting.
The How to Market to State Governments Meeting was held April 15-17 in Orlando, Florida.
State and Federal Communications’ contribution can be found in the “Vendor Reporting and Disclosure” section, which covers compliance issues regarding lobbying, vendor disclosure, and pay-to-play.
“We felt it was important that we participate to make sure the paper included information about compliance,” said Bartz.
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.