WA: LARGE FINE. WAAG. “The ruling against GMA — a Washington, D.C.-based trade group representing major food, beverage and consumer companies — is believed to constitute the largest campaign finance judgment in United States history.” $18 million in penalties and damages.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND WASHINGTON INFLUENCE. WP. “Many K Street leaders view social media and digital advocacy, not traditional lobbying, as the fastest-growing segments of the influence industry, according to a recent survey of Washington lobbyists, lawyers, association executives and think tank leaders.”
DONOR DISCLOSURE. WFB. “Hacked emails contain documents revealing hundreds of donors to the Center for American Progress and Media Matters for America, liberal nonprofits that have resisted efforts to disclose their funders.”
REP. ISRAEL ON REFORM. WP. “The Disclose Act would require corporations, unions, super PACs and other outside groups to disclose contributions of $10,000 or more within 24 hours to the Federal Election Commission, as well as disclose their source of funding in ads. It would also require them to disclose their spending to their shareholders and require lobbyists to disclose campaign-related expenditures in conjunction with their lobbying activities.”
LOBBYIST BUNDLERS AND FEINGOLD. WFB. “Russ Feingold, the Democratic senate candidate challenging Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R.), has accepted $700,000 in contributions bundled by lobbyists this election cycle.”
ACLU SHIFT ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE? Prospect. “While Cole agrees with Citizens United that corporations deserve the same spending protections as individuals, he rejects the Court’s finding that the only form of corruption that may be regulated is the case of an explicit quid pro quo in exchange for a donation. He also points to other rationales for regulating political money, such as the need to protect electoral integrity and advance equality. All this gives Cole fodder to help the ACLU rethink a campaign-finance stance that has aligned itself with near-total breakdown of laws limiting the role of political money.”
CA: LAWSUIT FILED. DC. “The California Fair Political Practices Commission, or FPPC, alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that District 3 City Council candidate Al Murray and his campaign violated the Political Reform Act by failing to file required campaign finance documents.”
CT: AD PROMPTS REFORM. HC. “Currently, the top five donors to the political action committees must be disclosed. Democrats say they will propose legislation in 2017 to expand that number and extend it to all donors beyond certain levels.”
MO: WHAT AMDT 2 WOULD DO. C17. “If passed, Amendment 2 would limit campaign contributions to candidates for state and judicial offices.”
VT: AG REJECTS. TE. “The Vermont attorney general’s office has rejected a Republican Party complaint that a political committee affiliated with Planned Parenthood illegally coordinated activities with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter’s campaign.”
WA: COST OF REFORM. TD. “A ballot initiative aimed at getting money out of politics would introduce the biggest overhaul of the state’s campaign financing system seen in decades. Yet retailers in border communities including Longview are concerned with how the initiative would be financed — by eliminating the sales exemption for out-of-state shoppers.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.