New (c)(4) and more political law links

NEW (C)(4).   NYT.  “Onward Together is registered as a 501(c)(4) group, the Internal Revenue Service designation for so-called social welfare nonprofits, which are often cited for a rise in dark money in politics because of their ability to protect donor anonymity.”

GS HIRE.   Hill.  “Global investment banking firm Goldman Sachs has hired a top official from President Trump’s winning 2016 campaign as a lobbyist for the Trump administration, according to a Politico report.”

LOBBYING AND RACE.   DC.  “The lobbying activities of the wife of an expected West Virginia Republican Senate candidate could harm his chances in the primary.”

CA:  LOCAL PARTY FINE.   SDT.  “The San Diego County Democratic Party has agreed to pay fines totaling $6,000 for failing to report late contributions made to separate campaigns in 2012 and 2013, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.”

CA: COMMISSION CASE.  SB.  “The California Democratic Party will pay $3,500 in fines for reporting violations, but was largely cleared of headline-grabbing allegations that it illegally funneled large donations from oil companies to Gov. Jerry Brown’s re-election campaign.”

CA:  MEASURE COMMITTEE PAYS.   LAT.   “Gov. Jerry Brown’s committee for the 2012 tax measure Proposition 30 has agreed to pay $1,500 in fines to the state’s campaign watchdog commission for not properly reporting all contributions.”

IL:  FINE ISSUED.   IP.  “The Illinois State Board of Elections, or ISBE, voted 6-2 on May 15 to fine Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino’s defunct campaign committee $5,000 for ‘willfully failing to comply with a board order’ related to campaign finance disclosure requirements.”

TN:  LIMITS TO BE REVISITED.   KNS.  “In the last minutes of the 2017 legislative session, a group of Republican legislators proposed a major increase in the amount of political campaign contributions lawmakers can collect – then backed off after many GOP colleagues sided with Democrats opposing the notion in a trial vote.”

TX:  AUSTIN REFORM.  AM.  “City Council Member Leslie Pool will be bringing forward an amendment to the city’s campaign finance law in June. Pool’s proposal is an attempt to remedy the city’s First Amendment problem with part of the old law, which federal Judge Lee Yeakel ruled was unconstitutional last July.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Bonuses, rent, FBI raid, and more Political Law Links

BONUS BLOWBACK.   WP.  “Gov. Tom Wolf says the committee that raised public and private money to put on last summer’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia should have returned surplus funds to the taxpayers rather than handing out staff bonuses and grants.”

RENT QUESTIONED.  WE.  “A top House Democrat used campaign money to pay his brother’s company nearly $70,000 over the past decade.”

SEIZURE FROM LOBBYIST.   WSJ.  “Federal agents have seized nearly a half-million dollars from a Washington lobbyist accused of helping the ruling family of Gabon and other clients evade money-laundering regulations.”

NEW SUPER PAC.  TB.  “Gov. Rick Scott will chair a national Super PAC aiming to ‘change and rebrand the way the Republican Party approaches the challenges of the future.'”

FIRM SEARCH.  WP.  “Federal authorities on Thursday searched the offices of a political consulting firm in Annapolis that has worked with Republican candidates locally and nationwide and was sued in 2014 on allegations of fraudulent fundraising practices.”

CA:  INDICTMENT.   LAT.  “Mark Orozco was charged in a 10-count indictment alleging he falsely identified campaign funds in a Fair Political Practices Commission disclosure form, Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin said in a statement. Orozco is set to surrender to authorities on May 25 at a Riverside courthouse.”

MI:  ETHICS STALL.  DN.  “Despite tacit support from the Republican House Speaker Tom Leonard and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, the Michigan House appears to be stalemated on a major ethics reform because of opposition from a powerful committee chairman.”

OR:  PORTLAND REFORM.  PM.  “Reformers had an easy time last year convincing Multnomah County voters to put limits on campaign contributions for county races. Now they’re hoping to make the same plea at the city level—even as the legality of their reforms remains an open question.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

5-11 p.l.l.

RESTORING SPEECH.   Hill.  “The idea behind the Free Speech Fairness Act is to restore the First Amendment freedom of speech to pastors and other 501(c)(3) organizations’ leaders, while ensuring churches and other non-profits do not become about ‘dark money’ or transition into political action committees.”

SALE AND ETHICS.   NPR.  “President Trump’s trust is selling off a Caribbean resort, which creates an ethical dilemma.”

DC:  POSSIBLE INQUIRY.    CP.   “Among the issues likely to drag on deep into the D.C. Council legislative session is campaign finance reform.”

MO:  RECAP OF OPINION.   CN.  “A federal judge overturned portions of Missouri’s new campaign finance law, including bans on heavily regulated industries contributing to political action committees and contributions between PACs.”

NC:  RECUSAL CALL.   NO.  “A voting-rights advocacy group on Tuesday called on Sen. Ralph Hise, chairman of the Senate’s elections committee, to recuse himself from matters concerning restructuring the State Board of Elections because of pending complaints against him.”

NH:  NO ACTION ON TWEET.   MUR.  “The Democratic Party charged that the tweet was an attempt by the governor to promote a business he formerly headed and in which members of his family remain involved as members of the board of directors and in which they continue to have a financial interest.”

RI:  EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGES.   WPRI.  “Providence City Council President Luis Aponte was arraigned Wednesday on four charges – including embezzlement – stemming from a Rhode Island State Police investigation into his alleged misuse of campaign funds.”

WT:  POTENTIAL BALLOT MEASURE ON FUNDS.   SM.  “[Chestek’s] goal is to place an initiative on the November 2018 ballot that would make Wyoming join 18 other states calling for a constitutional amendment to counter Citizens United.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.