501(C)(3) ACTIVITIES UPDATE. GIBBONS. An updated version of “A Guide to Election Year Activities of Section 501(c)(3) Organizations,” has been published by Practising Law Institute as part of the course materials for the seminar, “Tax Strategies for Corporate Acquisitions, Dispositions, Spin-Offs, Joint Ventures, Financings & Restructurings.”
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION ISSUES. FHQ. “Remember all that chatter from last cycle about a potentially crowded field of candidates vying for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, and the possibility that the ensuing chaos would lead to a scenario where multiple (or no) candidates would control a majority of delegates from eight states and have all/none of their names placed in nomination at the convention, leading to even more chaos?”
EXPLORING EXPLORATORY COMMITTEES PART II. HILL. “‘Tis the season for these bizarre FEC distinctions on campaign committees,’ said Michael Toner, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission under President George W. Bush. ‘You can call a committee an exploratory committee, but legally it is a campaign committee.'”
BIDEN PAVED. NYT. “It has effectively become a campaign-in-waiting, poised to metamorphose if the 76-year-old Mr. Biden announces his third bid for the presidency.”
FEC 2019 PRIORITIES. BL. “The threat of foreign money influencing U.S. elections and the need for increased disclosure of campaign funding will be top priorities for Ellen Weintraub, the incoming chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission, next year.”
EAC FULL. HILL. Congrats to the newly confirmed members of the Election Assistance Commission.
ETHICS COMMITTEE ON GARRETT. HOUSEETHICS. “On June 8, 2018, the Committee authorized an investigation, pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a), into allegations that Representative Thomas Garrett may have improperly required, requested, or allowed members of his official staff to perform unofficial tasks for his and/or his wife’s personal benefit.” @BrianSvoboda read it all and summarized key points on Twitter.
SPEECH ALLEGATION. USAT. “In asking Russia to find Clinton’s emails, presidential candidate Trump violated this statutory prohibition on seeking help from a foreign country to influence an election.”
CO: GAP PRIORITIES. CS. “Griswold is convening a working group to advise her on campaign finance reform as she prepares to take office Jan. 8. And her pick for deputy secretary of state is Jenny Flanagan, who most recently served as a vice president at Common Cause, an organization that advocates for tougher disclosure laws “
NV: NEW RULES. KMVT. “The changes require candidates and political action committees to offer more information about their campaign fundraising and spending, including reporting their cash on hand at the end of a reporting period. “
NC: VETO OVERRIDE. NO. Republican lawmakers on Thursday held off Gov. Roy Cooper’s attempt to muster enough Democrats to thwart an override of his veto of an elections law bill.”
TX: UNPAID FINES. KXAN. “As the Texas Ethics Commission closed its books on 2018, the list of officeholders and candidates who owe the state ethics fines grew to some of the highest totals in years. The fines come after a candidate fails to file campaign finance reports on time.”
VA: BILLS COMING. CBS. “One of the bill would prohibit direct contributions to campaigns from publicly-regulated utilities, such as Dominion Energy. Another would require the immediate disclosure of any money spent on behalf of a campaign or candidate by an ‘independent expenditure committee.'”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.