PAY TO PLAY SETTLEMENT. PIO. “According to the SEC, a Sofinnova employee made a $2,500 campaign contribution to Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner in April 2014. Mr. Rauner won that election and in the position of governor has the ability to influence the selection of money managers for the $54.1 billion Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System, Springfield.” More from the SEC here (PDF).
ELECTION LAW NEWS. WILEY. “Developments in all aspects of political law” promised and delivered in the July 2018 edition.
CHANGE ON NON-PROFITS. VP. “Monday’s announcement by the Treasury Department that it will no longer collect information about donors to some political non-profits was met with applause from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, perhaps the leading advocate for unrestricted campaign donations, even as it ignited a campaign finance fight in the middle of the 2018 midterm election.”
CA: STATE WON’T PURSUE. VOC. “California’s political ethics enforcement agency won’t pursue enforcement action over OC Supervisor Andrew Do’s taxpayer-funded mailers during his 2016 re-election campaign, saying they mostly did not violate California’s main campaign ethics law at the time.”
CT: PUBLIC FINANCING AWARD. MH. “Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Obsitnik (ob-SIT-nik) has finally received public campaign financing for the Aug. 14 primary.”
ID: REFORM CONSIDERED. BPR. “After never getting a floor vote earlier this year, state lawmakers looking to overhaul Idaho’s campaign finance law could return to the capitol next year with several bills in hand.”
MA: CHILD CARE UPDATE. ML. “Massachusetts lawmakers did not include a provision in the final state budget bill that would have allowed state candidates to use their campaign funds for childcare.”
MO: CHANGES EXPLAINED. SD. “On Nov. 8, 2016, Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 2. Among its provisions, according to the Missouri Ethics Committee, the amendment imposes campaign contribution limits on certain candidates for state office including statewide, legislative and judicial offices.”
NY: TINY DONATIONS. NYP. “A donor with ties to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign gave small-dollar contributions to the two-term incumbent almost six dozen times, as the longtime pol faces continued criticism for his reliance on big-dollar donors.”
NY: GUILTY AGAIN. NYT. “Dean G. Skelos, once one of the most powerful figures in New York State politics, was found guilty of bribery, extortion and conspiracy on Tuesday, the latest in a drumbeat of corruption convictions to roil Albany in a heated election year.”
TX: TEC ELECTION. CDS. “The Texas Ethics Commission re-elected Steven Wolens, formerly of Corsicana and a principal at law firm of McKool Smith June 28.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.