State and Federal Communications, Inc. is upping our green-game with help and guidance from Downtown Akron Partnership and the City of Akron. We recently began a program that will allow us to participate in the city’s single-stream recycling program for not only cans and cardboard, but for bottles, cartons, cups, and many other items generated in our workplace environment!

State and Federal Communications has always taken seriously the proper disposal and recycling of our business-related electronics, batteries, legacy fluorescent bulbs, and mountains of shipping cardboard and paper; proudly reporting over 3 tons of recycled materials to Summit County ReWorks for the 2016 calendar year!

By expanding our own program and coordinating with Akron community partners, we step closer to achieving our company and employee goals of being better stewards. Many employee-generated items within the office can now be processed for collection by the city within their single-stream recycling program.

The Downtown Akron Partnership program, working with the City of Akron and others, provides resources within our downtown district to promote and build a vibrant and valuable downtown. We are proud to be part of this great community!

With this issue of LobbyComply, State and Federal Communications would like to introduce a new guest columnist, Washington D.C.-based Gabrielle Woodard, a student from Kent State University (KSU). She will be writing articles looking at the history of lobbying and political contribution, the emergence of the compliance laws and regulations governing these activities, and other interesting topics. Look for these articles to appear every few weeks. We look forward to her research and insightful writing.

Gabrielle is a senior public relations major at KSU with a minor in political science. She served as president of Kent State’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America during 2015-2016. Gabrielle spent the spring of 2015 participating in the Washington Program in National Issues and interned in the Office of Legislative Affairs within the Federal Communications Commission. She then spent her last two summers in Baltimore as a communications intern for Northrop Grumman, an international defense contractor. Gabrielle is spending this semester in Washington, D.C. and pursuing a career in government relations.

It is believed that lobbying began in the 1640s when political discussions and bargaining were held in the lobbies of the chambers of the British Parliament. The term “lobbyist” came from “lobby member” (who worked in a lobby where public officials were meeting.) The term “Lobbying” was first mentioned in print.

The term lobbyist was first used in 1831 in a reference to Ohio politics. The term quickly was adopted to label anyone who discussed issues with lawmakers based on special interest. President Ulysses S. Grant (serving from 1869-1877), who often visited Washington, D.C.’s Willard Hotel to smoke and engage in deals, made further use of the word “lobbyists” complaining they were there asking for legislative favors.

The first recorded person in the United States lobbying was William Hull, who was seeking additional compensation for the Veterans of the Continental Army.

Gifting to lawmakers began in the 1850s when Samuel Colt, the gunmaker, gifted guns to legislative leaders and their families, including a firearm to a congressman’s 12-year-old son.

Sources: The Center for Responsive Politics; RedState, WELOVEDEC; Bloomberg; and The Christian Science Monitor.

NEXT ARTICLE: The origins of lobbying disclosure laws.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

National:

Left Turns to Ballot Measures to Enact Political Change
The Hill – Reid Wilson | Published: 8/2/2016

Liberals are turning to ballot measures to pursue other progressive goals that would be impossible to advance in Republican-controlled state Legislatures. Even in states where Democrats have political power, such as in California, activists have turned to ballot measures to speed their agenda. The rush of liberal ballot issues is something of a reversal from the last several decades, when conservatives used the initiative process to pass limits on taxes, implement term limits for state legislators, roll back regulations, and push contentious social issues.

The States Where Third-Party Candidates Perform Best
The Atlantic – Russell Berman and Andrew McGill | Published: 8/2/2016

It seems that voters might be more likely to support third-party candidates when they feel their vote would not actually impact the election. Researchers collected state vote totals for every presidential election since 1980, comparing how the closeness of a state’s vote correlated to the relative popularity of outside candidates. The correlation between support for the long shots and a state’s ideological one-sidedness was stronger in elections after 2000, when many Democrats blamed Floridians who voted for Ralph Nader for throwing the presidency from Al Gore to George W. Bush. This correlation disappears when the third-party candidate is a recognizable or compelling figure.

Women Are Finally Breaking into the Top Tier of Political Donors
Washington Post – Matea Gold | Published: 8/2/2016

Slowly, more female donors are breaking into the top echelon of political donors, a domain traditionally dominated by male millionaires and billionaires. The biggest female donors of 2016 gave nearly $63 million to super PACs through the end of June. That puts them on track to surpass major female contributors in the 2012 elections. The boost reflects what donors and fundraisers in both parties say they see happening behind the scenes: while still outstripped by men, more wealthy women are seizing on the opportunities to finance super PACs and other big-money groups that opened up in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizen United decision. Their stepped-up participation is driven by an improved economic status and an increasing recognition that they need to play in the political arena to have an effect.

Federal:

Court: Super PACs can be named after candidates
Politico – Josh Gerstein | Published: 8/2/2016

A federal appeals court effectively loosened the already lax regulations governing the relationship between campaigns and outside groups. A panel of judges of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled the FEC had violated the First Amendment in restricting super PACs from naming themselves, or their fundraising initiatives, after the candidates they support. “The title is a critical way for committees to attract support and spread their message because it tells users that the website or Facebook page is about the candidate,” wrote Judge Thomas Griffith. The court said the FEC could address its concerns by forcing Super PACs to publish “a large disclaimer at the top of [its] websites and social media pages.”

GOP Reaches ‘New Level of Panic’ over Trump’s Candidacy
Washington Post – Philip Rucker, Dan Balz, and Matea Gold | Published: 8/3/2016

Donald Trump is facing a whirlwind of criticism from Republican leaders as he fends off reports of a staff shake up, an intervention, and even rumblings he could be urged to step aside as the party’s nominee. Trump allies publicly urged the candidate to reboot, furious that he has allowed his confrontation with the Muslim parents of slain soldier Humayun Khan to continue for nearly a week. They also are angry with Trump because of his refusal to endorse two of the GOP’s top elected officials, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain, ahead of their coming primary elections. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of Trump’s most loyal defenders, warned that his friend was in danger of throwing away the election and helping to make Clinton president.

Lobbyists Woo Potential Freshmen Long Before Election Day
Roll Call – Kate Ackley | Published: 8/2/2016

Lobbyists do not wait until after Election Day to begin courting next year’s freshman class in Congress. Influencers are already reaching out to prospective senators and House members, hosting fundraisers and meet-and-greets at which they can provide connections and help swell candidates’ campaign coffers. The relationships do not guarantee access once the lawmaker takes office. But they have provided outlets for lobbyists to offer advice on potential staff hires or help newly settled lawmakers and aides find their way around Washington, D.C.

From the States and Municipalities:

California – S.F. Ballot Measure Takes Aim at Lobbyists’ Fundraising
San Francisco Public Press – Noah Arroyo | Published: 8/1/2016

The San Francisco Ethics Commission has voted to put a measure on the November ballot that supporters say would restrict certain lobbyist behaviors that create – or appear to engender – a quid-pro-quo relationship between them, their clients, and the elected or appointed officials they seek to influence. If voters pass the measure this fall, beginning in 2018, lobbyists represent private interests would have to notify City Hall ahead of time when they planned to lobby specific agencies. And during elections, lobbyists could no longer give personal donations to candidates running for office in those agencies, or deliver bundle contributions on behalf of their clients or anyone else. The proposition would also ban all lobbyists from giving gifts to city and county officials or their family members.

Connecticut – Budget Director: Governor can cut watchdog agencies’ funding
Washington Times – Susan Haigh (Associated Press) | Published: 8/3/2016

Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes contends Connecticut Gov. Dannell Malloy has the legal authority to withhold funding from the state’s watchdog agencies, despite 2004 legislation prohibiting governors from reducing the annual budgets of the State Elections Enforcement Commission, the Office of State Ethics, and the Freedom of Information Commission. Carol Carson, executive director of the Office of State Ethics, said the leaders of the three groups plan to seek an advisory opinion from state Attorney General George Jepsen on whether Malloy has the ability to make the reductions. “You can only cut so much and then you start to say, ‘We can’t do our mission,'” Carson said. “Further cuts will really damage our ability to do our basic core functions.”

Florida – Petition Drive Could Change How Miami-Dade Political Campaigns Are Financed
Miami Herald – David Smiley | Published: 8/2/2016

Activists submitted more than 125,000 signed petitions to potentially force a vote in November on a referendum that would limit contributions to candidates for county commission, mayor, and school board to $250 per person or corporation. Major county vendors and their lobbyists and principals would be barred from donating to candidates. And a system that affords candidates matching public contributions for donations of up to $100 by county residents would potentially enable candidates to multiply those donations six-fold. If enough signatures are verified, county commissioners will have to decide in the coming weeks whether to adopt proposed campaign finance legislation themselves or put the issue before voters.

Kansas – Kansas Republicans Reject Gov. Sam Brownback’s Conservatives in Primary
New York Times – Mitch Smith | Published: 8/3/2016

Moderate Republican candidates ousted at least 11 conservative state lawmakers allied with Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback in primary elections across the state. The results were widely seen as a repudiation of a second-term governor whose popularity has plummeted amid sustained budget gaps and ensuing sharp cuts in state spending. And they likely mean the staunchly conservative state Legislature will move back toward the center in 2017. In addition, Republicans in one congressional district voted out U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a farmer who had become a tea party favorite in Washington but had annoyed party stalwarts.

Massachusetts – Mass. Insiders Turn to Lobbying Careers
Boston Globe – Mark Arsenault and Andrew Ryan | Published: 7/31/2016

Many times, consultants who help candidates win elections in Massachusetts then go on to represent corporate clients with interests before the new officeholder – even, in some cases, as they continue to advise the officials they helped elect. The relationships can be hard to scrutinize at the state level, where whole swaths of government are exempt from the public records law. Whether consultants are selling their access to officials or not, “there is almost always an appearance of conflict of interest in these situations,” said Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts.

North Carolina – 4th U.S. Circuit Judges Overturn North Carolina’s Voter ID Law
Charlotte Observer – Anne Blythe (Raleigh News & Observer) | Published: 7/29/2016

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down North Carolina’s voter identification law. The panel agreed with allegations that the state’s law selectively chose voter-ID requirements, reduced the number of early-voting days, and changed registration procedures in ways meant to harm blacks, who overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic Party. The ruling tossed out the state’s requirement that voters present photo identification at the polls and restored voters’ ability to register on Election Day, to register before reaching the 18-year-old voting age, and to cast early ballots, provisions the law had fully or partly eliminated. The court also held that the ballots of people who had mistakenly voted at the wrong polling stations should be deemed valid.

Ohio – Ethics Commission Tells Columbus Leaders to Pay Up for Buckeye Junket
Columbus Dispatch – Lucas Sullivan | Published: 8/1/2016

The Ohio Ethics Commission ordered four current and former members of the Columbus City Council to pay the market value for a trip they took to an Ohio State football game. The council members took the trip with lobbyist John Raphael. Mayor Andrew Ginther, Councilperson Shannon Hardin, Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Eileey Paley, and former council member Michele Mills were told to pay nearly $700 for the trip, not just the $250 they each spent to attend the Big Ten Championship game in 2014. Raphael was sentenced to 15 months in prison in a separate case after he pleaded guilty to extorting money from Columbus’ red-light-camera vendor for campaign contributions to city officials.

Virginia – Lobbyists Spend Less on High-End Eats, Lawmakers Spend More
Albany Times Union – Alan Suderman (Associated Press) | Published: 8/2/2016

Revelations that former Gov. Robert McDonnell and his family accepted more than $175,000 worth of gifts and loans from a businessperson led Virginia lawmakers to put limits on the largess they could legally receive in 2014. Lobbyists remain big spenders, shelling out more than $543,000 on their efforts to convince state officials to favor their clients in the six months that ended April 30, which includes the entertaining that traditionally accompanies General Assembly sessions. But lobbyists seem to be taking legislators out to somewhat cheaper restaurants, while lawmakers are more frequently covering the cost of eating out with their campaign accounts. The reforms requiring more disclosure of gifts say lobbyists must identify officials attending their events if the average cost exceeds $50.

Wisconsin – Judge Strikes Down Wisconsin Voter ID, Early Voting Laws
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Patrick Marley and Jason Stein | Published: 7/30/2016

A federal judge threw out as unconstitutional a host of Wisconsin election laws passed in recent years, saying they unfairly benefited Republicans who had enacted them and made it more difficult for Democrats to vote. U.S. District Court Judge James Peterson’s ruling keeps in place the state’s voter identification law, unlike recent rulings in North Carolina and Texas, but he ordered broad changes. The sweeping ruling will not affect Wisconsin’s August 9 primary, but will take effect for the November presidential election unless overturned on appeal.

State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 60 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.

Lobbying

“A Cool Million Was Spent Lobbying Hawaii Lawmakers in Two Months” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat

“Dem Gets Free Penn State Tickets and Bills Taxpayers for the Mileage as Lobbying Soars in Pa.” by Candy Woodall for Harrisburg Patriot-News

Campaign Finance

“Unlimited Campaign Contributions in Pa. Create ‘Investments in Power’” by Candy Woodall for Harrisburg Patriot-News

“Yes, ‘Citizens United’ Gives Republicans an Electoral Edge. Here’s Proof.” by Tilman Klumpp, Hugo Mialon, and Michael Williams for Washington Post

Ethics

“The Pentagon Isn’t Tracking if Former Employees Violate Revolving Door Laws” by Eric Katz for Government Executive

“Emails Raise ‘Pay to Play’ Concerns” by Chris Sikich for Indianapolis Star

“Spat Escalates over Secret Legislative Records in NM” by Morgan Lee (Associated Press) for Las Cruces Sun-News

“New Executive Director Named for OK Ethics Commission” by Rick Green for The Oklahoman

Elections

“American Anger: It’s Not the Economy. It’s the Other Party.” by Lynn Vavrick for New York Times

“The Messy Way Colorado Is Picking Its GOP Delegates May Actually Matter This Year” by Ed O’Keefe for Washington Post

“Trump’s Rise Shows Religion Is Losing Its Political Power” by Eduardo Porter for New York Times

“In Reddit’s Unruly Corners, Trump Finds Support” by John Herrman for New York Times

Lobbying

Minnesota: “Governments Spend Millions Lobbying Government” by J. Patrick Coolican for Minneapolis Star Tribune

Missouri: “State Law Murky on Who Qualifies as a Local Lobbyist” by Caitlin Campbell for Columbia Tribune

Campaign Finance

“Marco Rubio’s Secret (Money) Legacy” by Shane Goldmacher for Politico

“House Wants Campaign Finance Study” by Geoff Pender for Jackson Clarion-Ledger

Ethics

“Ethics Advocates Decry Opaque Budget Negotiations” by Casey Seiler for Albany Times Union

Florida: “Opa-locka’s ‘Shadow’ Force Moves Millions in City Contracts” by Jay Weaver, Michael Sallah, and Katie Lepri for Miami Herald

Ohio: “City Hall Scandals Prompt Ginther to Propose New Ethics Rules” by Lucas Sullivan for Columbus Dispatch

South Carolina: “Solicitor David Pascoe Says He Won’t Step Down from Corruption Probe Unless Court-Ordered to Do So” by Cynthia Roldan and Glenn Smith for Charleston Post & Courier

Elections

“How Clinton’s Email Scandal Took Root” by Robert O’Harrow, Jr. for Washington Post

“Campaign Manager for Donald Trump Is Charged With Battery” by Maggie Haberman and for New York Times

Legislative Issues

Maryland: “Maryland Lawmakers Want Gender Pay Gap Closed. They Should Look at Their Own Payroll.” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Campaign Finance

California: “Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Legacy Could Be How He Raises Money from So Many People” by Evan Halper for Los Angeles Times

Arkansas : “Ex-Judge Gets 10-Year Sentence for Taking Bribe” by John Lyon for Arkansas News

Ethics

Kentucky: “Ex-State Lawmaker Keith Hall Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison” by John Cheves for Lexington Herald-Leader

Elections

“Feeling G.O.P. Peril, Muslims Try to Get Out Vote” by Alan Rappeport for New York Times

“Bernie Sanders Seizes 3 States, Sweeping Democratic Contests” by Amy Chozick for New York Times

“Donald Trump Can’t Stop Saying Nasty Things about Women. It Could Cost Him.” by Jose DelReal and Jenna Johnson for Washington Post

Arizona: “Angry Arizona Voters Demand: Why Such Long Lines at Polling Sites?” by Fernanda Santos for New York Times

Lobbying

Massachusetts: “Bill Would Have Lobbyists Disclose Clients” by Michael Norton (State House News Service) for The Sentinel & Enterprise

Campaign Finance

“Jeb Bush’s Ambitions Paid Dividends for GOP Admaker Over the Years” by Matea Gold for Washington Post

California: “California’s Ethics Watchdog Opposes Donor Stickers for Politicians” by Alexei Koseff for Sacramento Bee

New Jersey: “Another Birdsall Exec Pleads Guilty, Faces Jail” by Kathleen Hopkins for Asbury Park Press

Ethics

Pennsylvania: “Menendez’s Lawyers Argue That Public Corruption Case against Senator Should Be Thrown Out” by Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

District of Columbia: “Ethics Group Urges Inquiry of Mortgage Banking Lobbyist Who Led F.H.A.” by Gretchen Morgenson for New York Times

New Mexico: “Governor OKs Upgrades to State’s Campaign Finance Reporting System” by Heath Haussamen for New MexicoPolitics.net

Oklahoma: “Credit Card Purchases, Gifts Questioned by Oklahoma’s State Audit” by Randy Ellis for The Oklahoman

Elections

“How America’s Dying White Supremacist Movement Is Seizing on Donald Trump’s Appeal” by Jonathan Mahler for Washington Post

“Inside the Clinton Team’s Plan to Defeat Donald Trump” by Amy Chozick and Patrick Healy for New York Times

“Donald Trump Overwhelms G.O.P. Rivals from Alabama to Massachusetts” by Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin for New York Times

“Minority Voters Push Hillary Clinton to Victories” by Patrick Healy and Amy Chozick for New York Times

Legislative Issues

Wyoming: “‘Leg’-Mart’ Growing on Wyoming Lawmakers, Public” by Laura Hancock for Casper Star-Tribune

Lobbying

“Senator Defends Lobbyists after Ethics Reform Hearing in Capitol” by Max Londberg for Cass County Democrat

California: “Female Lobbying Firm Thrives in Male-Dominated Capitol” by Laurel Rosenhall for CalMatters.org

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Appeals Court Rules against Ex-AG Horne in Campaign Finance Case” by Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) for Arizona Daily Star

Massachusetts: “New Rules Clarify ‘Cooperation’ between Candidates, Super PACs” by   for NewBostonPost.com; Statehouse News Service

Ethics

“Aides’ Email-Server Testimony Could Throw Clinton Campaign a Curveball” by Spencer Hsu and Rosalind Helderman for Washington Post

Massachusetts: “Joyce’s Role in Solar Project Probed” by Andrea Estes for Boston Globe

New York: “Despite ‘Crickets’ on Ethics, Galef Presents a Tall Stack of Fixes” by Casey Seiler for Albany Times Union

Washington: “Scalia Led Court in Taking Trips Funded by Private Sponsors” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

Elections

“To Fight Critics, Donald Trump Aims to Instill Fear in 140-Character Doses” by Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman for New York Times

New Jersey: “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump for President” by Jose DelReal for Washington Post

South Carolina: “Hillary Clinton Wins South Carolina Primary”  by Amy Chozick and Patcrick Healy for New York Times

Legislative Issues

Missouri: “Missouri Supreme Court to Rule on Advocacy Group’s Right to Film Senate Hearings” by Zachary Reger for Columbia Missourian

Lobbying

California: “California Bill Would Ban Legislative Junkets Funded by Interest Groups” by Jeremy White for Sacramento Bee

Missouri: “Curtis Presents Bill to Cut Union Exemption for Lobbying” by Travis Zimpfer for Missouri Times

Campaign Finance

“Democratic Party Fundraising Effort Helps Clinton Find New Donors, Too” by Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger for Washington Post

“Can You Sell Marijuana Pipes to Help Fund Bernie Sanders?” by Michael Beckel for Center for Public Integrity

Massachusetts: “Baker Taps Wealthy Donors in Bid to Shape Mass. GOP” by Frank Phillips for Boston Globe

Mississippi: “Elected Officials Use Campaign Finds for Private Gain in Mississippi” by Geoff Pender, Mollie Bryant, and Katie Royals (Jackson Clarion-Ledger) for The Sun-Herald

New Jersey: “Birdsall CEO Pleads Guilty in Huge N.J. Pay-to-Play Scheme” by S.P. Sullivan (NJ Advance Media) for Newark Star Ledger

Ethics

New York: “Watchdog Group Asks for Inquiry into Nonprofits Tied to de Blasio” by J. David Goodman for New York Times

Elections

“Univision Aims to Make Hispanic Voting Bloc Even More Formidable” by Nick Corasaniti for New York Times

Nevada: “In Nevada Caucuses, Trump Gets a Third Straight Win” by Philip Rucker and David Weigel for Washington Post

Lobbying

Alaska: “Local Interests Paying More for Lobbyists at Cash-Strapped Alaska Capitol” by Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Dispatch News

California: “Coastal Chief’s Ouster Prompts Bill to Require Transparency between Lobbyists and Panel” by Dan Weikel and Tony Barboza for Los Angeles Times

Campaign Finance

“How Scalia’s Death Could Shake Up Campaign Finance” by Richard Hasen for Politico

“Big-Money Liberals Vow to Back Bernie Whether He Likes It or Not” by Jonathan Swan for The Hill

Ethics

“The Year of ‘Enormous Rage’: Number of hate groups rose by 14 percent in 2015” by Niraj Chokshi for Washington Post

“Justice Scalia’s Death and Questions about Who Pays for Supreme Court Justices to Visit Remote Resorts” by Mark Berman and Jerry Markon for Washington Post

“San Francisco D.A. Gascón, FBI Launch Corruption Task Force”  by Vivian Ho for San Francisco Chronicle

“FBI, IRS Raid Canton Law Office of State Senator Brian Joyce” by Milton Valencia for Boston Globe

Elections

“Donald Trump Is a Conundrum for Political Comedy” by James Poniewozic for New York Times

Lobbying

California: “L.A. Ethics Commission OKs $47,000 in Fines for Lobbying Violations” by Emily Alpert Reyes for Los Angeles Times

Michigan: “Lansing Power Brokers: Law firms, others strengthen their lobbying corps” by Lindsay Vanhulle for Crain’s Detroit Business

New Mexico: “Ethics Commission Hits Dead End in Senate Panel” by Dan Boyd for Albuquerque Journal

Utah: “Free Lunches Becoming More Rare for Utah Legislators” by Lee Davidson for Salt Lake Tribune

Campaign Finance

Alaska: “North Slope Borough Mayor Charlotte Brower Pays $35,000 Campaign Fine” by Alex DeMarban for Alaska Dispatch News

Minnesota: “Minnesota Legislators Use Campaign Funds for Child Care, Pet Urns and Travel” by J. Patrick Coolican and Maya Rao for Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ethics

California: “Taking the Oath of Office Seriously to Fight Corruption in Southeast L.A. County” by Ruben Vives for Los Angeles Times

Ohio: “Convention Center Food Contract Prompts Criminal Investigation” by Lucas Sullivan for Columbus Dispatch

Elections

“Snapchat Bets Big on Quick-Fire Approach to Campaign Coverage” by Nick Corasaniti for New York Times

“Battle over Scalia’s Replacement Already Spilling into Senate Races” by Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin for Washington Post

“Campaigns Secretly Prep for Brokered GOP Convention” by Ben Schreckinger for Politico

Procurement

Texas: “Some Contractors Say New Texas Disclosure Law Confusing” by   for KXAN; Associated Press

Lobbying

“DNC Rolls Back Restrictions on Lobbyist Donation” by Tom Hamburger and Paul Kane for Washington Post

“Apopka’s Hired Lobbyist Not Registered to Lobby for City in 2014, 2015” by Bethany Rodgers for Orlando Sentinel

“Senate Rules Panel Redoing Rules on Ethics Disclosures” by Jim Nolan for Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Amid Federal Gridlock, Lobbying Rises in the States” by Liz Essley Whyte and Ben Weider for Center for Public Integrity

“Two Nonprofits Face More Than $47,000 in Fines over L.A. Lobbying Forms” by Emily Alpert Reyes for Los Angeles Times

Campaign Finance

“Md. Lawmakers Run Afoul of Fundraising Ban on Online Donations” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

“Agency Says Inauguration Money Can’t Go to Politics” by Tom Loftus for Louisville Courier-Journal

“SEIU 925 to Pay $31,715 Regarding Allegations of Campaign Finance Law Violations” by Mark Iandolo for Legal Newsline

Ethics

“Alan Grayson’s Double Life: Congressman and hedge fund manager” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

“Michele Fiore, the Gun-Toting, Calendar-Posing Politician Who Negotiated the Ore. Occupiers’ Surrender” by Michael Miller for Washington Post

“Chicago Aldermen Water down Watchdog Ordinance, Avoid Some Scrutiny” by Hal Dardick and John Byrne for Chicago Tribune

“N. Kingstown Senator Tries to Address Ethics Bill Critiques” by Jennifer Bogdon for Providence Journal

Every year, State and Federal Communications hosts a holiday charitable service project called Stock the Sleigh. This year we gathered a mountain of gifts for the patients at Akron Children’s Hospital and had a blast doing it. Santa is going to have a hard time getting the sleigh off the ground.

Of course, Elizabeth Bartz’s army of very-hard-to-get LeBron James dolls made quite an impression!

Research Associate Katlin Newman and I delivered the gifts to the hospital and met Whitney Romine and the rest of the wonderful staff at the Volunteer Services office. We even had the chance to take a tour of the amazing facility! Thank you to everyone at Children’s Hospital for the crucial work you do and Happy Holidays to the patients and staff.