8.27 political law links

CAMPAIGN SPENDING ON FOOD.  Tampabay.com.  “USA Today crunched numbers to find lawmakers spent $14.5 million in donors’ money on food since 2011. And the late Rep. Bill Young was ‘one of the bigger spenders.'”

SPLIT VOTES AND “UNOFFICIAL LAW.”  NYT.  “Campaign lawyers of both parties say the deadlocks have profoundly, if informally, affected the rules governing campaigns, particularly on questions involving whether political nonprofit groups must disclose their finances and the threshold for starting an investigation.”

LOBBYIST CONTRACTS DISCLOSED.  Yahoo.  “Several lobbying contracts obtained by the Center for Public Integrity through federal court filings do, however, reveal the hourly market rate at one notable firm for lobbyists of different skill and experience levels.”

CANDIDACY DECISION.  Daily Times.  “Sestak spokesman Edwin Wee confirmed Friday the former 7th Congressional District congressman will sign a conciliation agreement with the FEC that includes a $500 civil penalty and requires him to file a statement of candidacy for violating a provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.”

CANDIDACY THRESHOLD.  Breitbart.  “Sean Haugh, the 53-year-old pizza deliveryman and Libertarian Party candidate who is polling at 8% of voters in the North Carolina Senate race, has just passed a $5,000 in donations threshold requiring him to file his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, his spokeswoman said.”

CA:  SODA TAX FIGHT AND THE LAW.  SFGate.com.  “The campaign to pass Prop. E, which would levy a two-cents-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks and use it to fund children’s anti-obesity programs, thinks something is amiss. It has filed complaints with the San Francisco Ethics Commission and the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission, alleging that the No on E committee and its principal source of funds, the American Beverage Association, are violating financial disclosure requirements.”

NH:  CONTRIBUTION ALLEGATIONS.  NHPR.  “Alleged violations of the state’s campaign finance rules are once again front and center in the New Hampshire governor’s race, with the top candidates on the receiving end of accusations that they accepted illegal donations.”

PA:  PERMANENTLY ENJOINED.  Post Gazette.  “Pennsylvania’s law barring corporations and associations from making political contributions, which had been in direct conflict with Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, has now been permanently enjoined.”

VA:  LOBBYIST SPENDING POST-MCDONNELL.  WP.  “Lobbyists spent 10 percent less on wining and dining Virginia lawmakers during this year’s legislative session compared with the previous year, but it’s unclear whether that was a result of the scandal over gifts accepted by former governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) and his family.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.  I’ll send around the next set of links on Tuesday.  Have a great Labor Day weekend and I’ll see you then.

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