INAUGURAL ASK. Politico. “Fundraising for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration has kicked into high gear with organizers soliciting contributions up to $1 million.”
INAUGURAL TIP. FEC. “Apart from a ban on donations from foreign nationals, the federal campaign finance law and FEC regulations do not restrict donations to inaugural committees.”
LOBBYING DISCLOSURE. The Post. “Lobbying is not only illegal in India, it is also a dirty word.”
SEC PAY TO PLAY IN THE NEWS. Story here. ”The Einhorns’ contributions to Walker could trigger a rule enacted in 2010 by the SEC, the federal agency that regulates financial firms. That’s because Walker effectively appoints the executive director of WHEDA as well as eight of the 12 members of the board of the quasi-governmental authority. The rule could prevent Einhorn from collecting compensation on the $1 million for two years after the contributions were made. U.S. Treasury Department conflict of interest rules might also apply.”
LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ENGANCEMENT ACT. Politico. “Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) says he’s definitely putting forth a new version of the Lobbyist Disclosure Enhancement Act, which among other things, requires lobbyists to publicly report contacts with specific members of Congress, forces all paid lobbyists to register with Congress regardless of how much time they spend lobbying and mandates that lobbyists register within five days of making a contact with a government official.”
CA: SAN JOSE UPDATE. Story here. “Secret electronic communications between San Jose’s elected officials and lobbyists during public meetings is now permanently banned.”
MA: OCPF RULES ON GIFTS. Story here. “State Rep. Carolyn Dykema’s campaign committee did not violate state campaign finance laws by accepting corporations’ door prize donations for Dykema’s anual picnic for area seniors this August, the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Financesays.”
MN: POTENTIAL FEES. Story here. “A Minnesota campaign finance oversight board is weighing whether to impose new fees on lobbyists, candidates and political parties to address budget strains that have been exacerbated by added calls for investigations.”
SC: POLL ON ETHICS. Story here. “A majority of South Carolinians believe state ethics laws on politicians should be more strict, according to a new Winthrop University poll.”
TX: SUPER PAC CASE. Story here. “The ruling from Judge Lee Yeakel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin prevents the Texas Ethics Commission from enforcing the contribution restrictions in Sections 253.003(b) and 253.094(a) of the Texas Election Code against Texans for Free Enterprise until the conclusion of the lawsuit. Notably, Judge Yeakel held that Texans for Free Enterprise has already established a likelihood of success on the merits of its claims.” The opinion is online here. Congrats to Chris Gober on the news.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.