ETHICS ALARM. Story here. “A growing trend in the state capital is raising alarms for ethics watchdogs: political consultants who work to elect lawmakers, then turn around and lobby them on behalf of private clients.”
YAHOO: DISCLOSURE RESOLUTION NEWS. Here. “Another proposal would require Yahoo to disclose its political contributions. That would ‘bring our Company in line with a growing number of leading companies, including Exelon, Merck, and Microsoft, that support political disclosure and accountability,’ the proposal says. The board also opposes the plan saying that it ‘contains ambiguities that would be difficult in practice to implement.'” Which reminds me to mention Proxyfacts.org, a new CCP site devoted to corporate political disclosure issues.
MORE MORESOFTMONEYHARDLAW.COM. Perkins Coie’s site is back online with new posts here.
CA: DOWNLOAD RESISTANCE. LA Times. “California Secretary of State Debra Bowen is resisting a push by activists and journalists for better disclosure of campaign finance data, arguing in essence that it would cost too much to comply.”
NY: LOBBYIST BOARD PROPOSALS. News here. “Proposed changes to ethics rules unveiled Tuesday would make it easier for lobbyists to conceal their donors and clients and funders from public view and would broaden a ban on gifts to politicians in Albany, where numerous corruption cases have ensnared state lawmakers.”
SC: ETHICS UPDATE. Story here. “The S.C. House passed a bill Tuesday that would end the practice of lawmakers policing themselves without public oversight.”
UT: LOBBYIST REPORTING ISSUE. Story here. “Of 435 registered lobbyists in Utah, only 15 reported spending any money on disclosure forms to dine lawmakers during the first quarter this year. And the relatively little they reported was spread among only 51 of the state’s 104 legislators.”
VA: ETHICS DOMINATES RACE. Story here. “The controversy involving Star Scientific could end up making significant waves, though, in the race this year to succeed McDonnell as governor of Virginia, a position that can serve as a launching pad for further political ambitions.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.