Political Activity Law/Political Law/Election Law

Category: Utah

  • 2.23 political law links

    LONE BILLIONAIRE.  HuffPo.  “Ken Griffin, the hedge fund billionaire who once complained about the wealthiest Americans having “insufficient influence” in politics, has become the first — and so far only — donor to report giving the maximum amount to a national political party under newly loosened campaign contribution limits.”

    DATA FIRM COMPLAINT.  WFB.  “A Democratic data firm run by supporters of a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign may be illegally supporting and coordinating with the Democratic Party and the offices of senior members of Congress, according to a legal complaint filed on Friday.”

    CLINTON FOUNDATION SUPER PAC.  WSJ.  “Republican presidential aspirants are already launching political-action committees, gearing up for the expensive elections to come. They’ll be hard-pressed to compete with the campaign vehicle Hillary Clinton has been erecting these past 14 years. You know, the Clinton Foundation.”

    VIRAL SUPER PAC.  NJ.  “Lucas Agnew wants his generation to hold more sway in politics. So he did what any college kid would do: He started a super PAC.”

    CA:  REPORTING FINE.  SLO.com.  “The state Fair Political Practices Commission has fined county Supervisor Adam Hill $2,500 for failing to report 15 payments totaling $68,058.73 made by subcontractors on behalf of his 2012 election campaign.”

    MT:  HIGHER LIMITS.  MT Standard.  “A Great Falls representative is proposing that candidates for the Montana Legislature be allowed to receive more money from political action committees.”

    NM:  REPORTING TASK FORCE.  KOB.com.  “New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas and Secretary of State Dianna Duran announced Friday they are forming a campaign finance reporting task force that will look into ensuring the reporting of campaign finance records are done in accordance with state law, and that the laws in place to enforce those rules are also enforced.”

    UT:  BADGES?  WE DON’T NEED BADGES.  SLTrib.com.  “Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, is seeking to repeal the requirement that lobbyists wear special badges issued by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.”

    ISR: COPYRIGHTS AND CAMPAIGNS. JPost.com. “A Jordanian rap group is incensed over the use of their song in Likud’s latest campaign video, which was released Saturday night.”

    HAVE A GOOD DAY.

  • 2.6 political law links

    COMPLAINT FILED. The Hill. “A liberal watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission arguing that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has violated campaign finance laws.”

    SEC RULE FIGHT. Bond Buyer. “The Republican parties of New York State and Tennessee will square off against the Securities and Exchange Commission in a federal court on March 23 over rules restricting finance professionals from giving money to political candidates.”

    MT: DISCLOSURE PUSH. MT PR. “Montana’s governor has made good on a promise contained in last week’s State of the State Address, introducing a package of four bills designed to increase transparency in campaign financing.”

    PA: FINE FOR REPORT. Triblive.com. “An obscure political action committee co-owned by the former top staffer of ex-Gov. Ed Rendell was fined for not filing paperwork disclosing where it raised $125,000 donated to former Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord’s failed gubernatorial bid.”

    UT: NEW RULE POSSIBLE. Herald Extra. “If passed, House Bill 91, sponsored by Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, will require that anonymous contributions made to political candidates that are more than $50 must be donated to the state’s general fund or to a 501(c)(3).”

    CAN: STRANGE BREW OF BEER AND DONATIONS. Globe and Mail. “The Beer Store’s corporate owners have funnelled more than $1.1-million to Ontario politicians in the past decade, as they successfully held on to their lucrative private monopoly.”

    HAVE A GOOD DAY.

  • 8.11 political law links

    PAY TO PLAY SUIT.  CNBC.  “The Republican state committees from New York and Tennessee said the federal securities regulator had flouted due procedure when adopting its Political Contribution Rule, which they said also violated the constitutional right to freedom of speech.”

    CHAPMAN ON CFR.  Chicago Tribune.  “What it boils down to is that both sides find some types of political communication offensive to them and, therefore, undeserving of protection. Censorship is a bipartisan affair.”

    E-FILING FOR THE SENATE?  Dispatch.com.  “The U.S. Senate is wasting taxpayer money and keeping the public in the dark about its donors by letting the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act languish.”

    DE:  DONATION DISCLOSURE.  Philly.com.  “Under the DRPA’s current rules, adopted in November 2012, contractors doing or seeking business with DRPA must disclose to the agency any political contributions made in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The DRPA, however, withholds those reports from the public.”

    MA:  WYNN DONATIONS.  Boston Globe.  “The state’s gambling law prohibits applicants for casino licenses from donating, directly or indirectly, money or in-kind contributions to ‘any group, political party, committee, or association organized in support’ of a Massachusetts candidate. The association is a major funder of a television ad that is currently airing in the Boston market supporting Baker’s candidacy.”

    MT:  LATE REPORTS.  Great Falls Tribune.  “Two dozen candidates for state and local offices face removal from the general election ballot if they don’t file campaign finance reports by next week, the commissioner of political practices said Friday.”

    UT:  BADGES NEEDED.  ABC.  “The Utah lieutenant governor’s office, where lobbyists must register, expects to hand out about 100 badges during the next few months to be worn at a handful of meetings before the next legislative session in January.”

    VA:  CASE WEAK ON QUO.  WP.  “The ‘quo,’ however, consists mainly of increased access for Williams and a product launch at the governor’s mansion. No state contracts, or even the government-funded research that Williams sought.”

    HAVE A GOOD DAY.