Political Law Links for May 4, 2017

BUFFETT PRESSED.   FB.  “Shareholder advisory firms are recommending that Democratic billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway start disclosing its political spending to the public, according to a Fox Business report.”

SUPER PAC FILM.  SAL.  “The upcoming documentary ‘PACmen’ gives us a look at what the super PAC forces behind Dr. Ben Carson’s failed 2016 presidential campaign were thinking and feeling…”

CA:  NONPROFIT TARGET.   SC.  ” California’s new attorney general said Wednesday that he plans to target political nonprofit organizations that he said mislead donors and influence campaigns.”

MN:  TAKING A SWING.  ST.  “A GOP provision before the Legislature would eliminate the state’s public subsidy for candidates who agree to abide by voluntary spending limits.”

NJ:  BALLOT CHALLENGE FAILS.   NJ.  “Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on Monday survived an attempt by rival Kim Guadagno to knock him off the GOP primary ballot.”  (This was a few weeks ago.)

VA:  DOMINION CONTRIBUTIONS AT ISSUE.  WP.  “In this era of populist politics and mistrust of big institutions, the crosshairs have settled on one of Virginia’s most formidable corporate titans. Dominion, which has given $425,000 to Democrats and $356,000 to Republicans in the past year, finds its role in the political process being challenged in unfamiliar ways.”

WI:   ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT BID.   DCN.  “Alex Virijevich won’t be eligible to serve in the House of Representatives until 2030, although the Chippewa Falls middle schooler didn’t let that stop him from throwing his hat in the ring — sort of.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.   I’ll send around the next set of political law links on Monday.  Have a great weekend.

Today’s Political Law Links

PAY TO PLAY DEBATE.   BNA.  “The SEC is about to face off against Tennessee and Georgia state Republicans in a lawsuit over the constitutionality of a rule restricting political payments by municipal advisors ( Georgia Republican Party v. SEC, 6th Cir., No. 16-03732, 5/4/17 ; Tennessee Republican Party v. SEC, 6th Cir., No. 16-03360, 5/4/17 ).”

AL:  VIOLATIONS ANNOUNCED.   APR.  “Alabama’s secretary of state says nearly 100 political candidates and donation groups have broken state campaign finance rules.”

CA:  STEERING NONPROFITS.   NPQ.  “It’s a time-tested and well-known way for donors to curry favor with elected officials who often control their fate, with philanthropic intent being secondary. And, if you are a nonprofit taken under the wing of a powerful politician, why would you complain, especially given the challenges of traditional fundraising?”

MN:  LAW IS COMPLEX.   MST.  “In the past five years, only one public official or employee was convicted under the state’s law against soliciting or accepting a bribe, according to state court data. Bribery prosecutions are rare in Minnesota because the state’s politics are relatively clean but also because bribery is hard to prove, said former Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, now in private practice.”

MN:  RETHINKING CAMPAIGN FINANCE.  TC.  “Minnesota Republicans want to fundamentally redesign the state’s laws governing how candidates raise and spend campaign money.”

OH:  PAY TO PLAY SETTLEMENT.  L360.  “A partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP agreed Tuesday to pay almost $95,000 to settle an Ohio federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that alleged he was involved in a pay-to-play scheme between client State Street Corp. and a Buckeye State official.”

PA:  SUPER PAC TRACK GRAB.   PPG.  “What is for sure is that a routine luncheon speech at a country club near York on Tuesday landed Mr. Wagner the role of unwitting star in a pair of YouTube videos, showing him angrily confiscating a video camera from the tracker, who works for a liberal-leaning opposition-research super PAC based in Washington.”

TN:  AUDIT RESPONSE.   TN.  “Former state lawmaker Jeremy Durham says his wife is a constituent and campaign adviser, so he claims it is legal for him to use campaign funds to buy her football tickets, food and drinks at a game and a plane ticket to accompany him to a conference in Chicago.”

TX:  BILL MOVES.   CHRON.  “State officials — including legislators — would be required to disclose their government contracts, bond counsel work and legal referral fees under a bill that the House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to on Tuesday.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Political Law Links, 5-2-17

AD ISSUE.  BI.  “President Trump’s reelection campaign pulled an advertisement it had been airing to highlight the president’s accomplishments in his first 100 days in office, The Daily Beast reported Monday.”

AL:  CANDIDATES ACCUSED.  WKRG.  “Alabama’s secretary of state says 92 political candidates and donation groups have broken campaign finance rules.”

GA:  IGNORED PROCESS.  AJC.  “Monday was the deadline for embattled Gwinnett County Commissioner Tommy Hunter to file a formal response to the ethics complaint against him, but he didn’t do so — and he’s not planning to.”

MN:  PUBLIC FUNDING SUPPORT.  MNS.   A state senator urges support for the state’s public financing program.

NY:  BOARD SEMINARS.  LCN.  “The New York State Board of Elections will host campaign finance seminars in Buffalo for Erie County and another in Rochester for Monroe County.”

TX:  ANONYMOUS DONATIONS.  AGN.   “Two candidates running for seats on the Amarillo City Council may have violated a campaign finance law by accepting anonymous donations.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.