A WELCOMING RECEPTION. From today’s Politico Playbook: “HAPPENING TODAY: ‘McGuireWoods LLP & McGuireWoods Consulting LLC [holds a 5 p.m.] welcome reception for our new Political Law Group, including partners and group co-chairs Elliot S. Berke & William J. Farah — Remarks by The Honorable Evan Bayh, Partner & Former U.S. Senator from Indiana, & Richard Cullen, Partner & Chairman.’ Invitation http://bit.ly/ftr72P
HOUSE ETHICS HIGHLIGHTS RULES FOR 2011. An introductory memo is online here and the highlight document is available here.
ORNSTEIN: AND THE ENVELOPE GOES TO…: Norn Ornstein discusses the Federal Election Commission in this Roll Call piece.
INVESTIGATIVE SUBCOMMITTEES NAMED. “The House Ethics Committee moved incrementally closer Tuesday to resuming probes it started in the 111th Congress, as Democrats named 10 lawmakers to serve on investigative subcommittees.” Roll Call.
BLACK PANTHER CASE UPDATE. From The Times. “The Justice Department’s internal ethics watchdog told Congress on Tuesday that it had cleared all department lawyers of wrongdoing in relation to a voter-intimidation case involving the New Black Panther Party, a black-nationalist fringe group.” The Post reports here.
VOTER ID NEWS. From The Post’s Cillizza. “As Republican governors and legislators across the country push forward with ambitious and sometimes controversial budget-cutting agendas, the GOP in many states is also quietly encouraging another controversial measure: Voter ID.”
VERMONT CFR. Following the twists and turns of campaign finance reform in Vermont? “Members of the Senate Government Operations Committee were about to debate a proposal to ban corporations from giving campaign contributions to Vermont candidates Thursday afternoon, when Senate Majority Leader Bill Carris walked into the committee room.” What happened next? Here’s news.
LOBBYIST CODE OF CONDUCT. For Canadians only? “In Canada, four jurisdictions -the federal government, Quebec, Newfoundland and the City of Toronto -have made enforceable codes of conduct part of their lobbying laws.”
ETHICS REFORM FOR ALABAMA? Maybe. “The Senate Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Elections Committee voted unanimously Tuesday for the two bills. One would require lobbyists and the people who hire them to report to the State Ethics Commission how much they spend on lodging, travel and meals for public officials who attend approved events.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.