ABA PROPOSES NEW LOBBYING RULES. Roll Call. “The American Bar Association has urged Congress to require the registration of more lobbyists, compel the disclosure of lobbying activities in more detail and narrow the types of contributions federally registered lobbyists can make to lawmakers running for re-election.”
PITCHING WOO TO DONORS. Politico. “They’re the kind of friends that every Republican presidential candidate is trying to make – ones with deep pockets.”
ACORN SENTENCE. Politico. “A judge on Wednesday fined the defunct grass-roots community organizing group ACORN $5,000 for its illegal voter-registration program in Nevada — but said he wishes he could have put someone in prison, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.”
NEW BALANCE CHAIRMAN’S CONTRIBUTION ISSUE. The Post. “A Boston-based sneaker manufacturer under fire from gay rights activists is seeking to distance itself from a political donation by its chairman, who gave $500,000 to an independent group supporting Republican Mitt Romney for president.”
S&P LOBBYING. The Post. “S&P’s parent company, McGraw-Hill, has spent more than $11 million on lobbying over the past 15 years, including at least $1 million on S&P-related legislation, according to an analysis of federal disclosure records by the Sunlight Foundation.”
CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND NAILING JELLO TO A TREE. Here’s an update from Colorado. “Voters won’t be asked to amend the Pitkin County home-rule charter this fall to address campaign finance after all.”
FROM GOV TO LOBBYIST IN FOUR MONTHS. Story here. “Former Gov. Bob Riley, whose last day in office was Jan. 17, has registered as a lobbyist with the state Ethics Commission and told state media that the focus of his lobbying efforts will be education reform and economic development.”
UTAH LOBBYIST RULES IN THE NEWS. Story here. “Now, because of changes to the lobbyist laws in 2010, those extracurricular activities are largely forbidden. But a loophole remains allowing lobbyists to stage a major bash for lawmakers and their families and avoid reporting it. The changes also remove spending limits on food, beverages, travel and lodging during meetings, though those expenditures must be reported.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY AND A GREAT WEEKEND. The next PoliticalActivityLaw.com post will appear Monday, August 15th.