[Political Activity Law]

FORMER CONGRESSMAN CHARGED.   STX.  “Stockman is facing two charges of conspiracy to make campaign contributions and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. He was arrested March 16 and later released on $25,000 bond. If convicted, Stockman faces federal prison.”

LEGO BATMAN CASE CLOSED.   LAT.  “A top government ethics official said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should not be disciplined for plugging ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ — as long as he keeps his promise not to do it again.”

TWITTER AND ETHICS.  ML.  “A Washington, D.C.-based ethics group has filed complaints against U.S. Rep. Justin Amash and Donald Trump aide Dan Scavino for a Twitter dispute last week.”

WHO IS AT EAC?   AG.  “Thomas Hicks served a one-year term as chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) beginning in March 2016.”

AL:  PROBABLE CAUSE.  CW.  “The scandal that has been sitting in murky Alabama political waters for over a year now comes face-to-face with Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley as the Alabama Ethics Commission voted yesterday evening that there is probable cause that Bentley violated state ethics and campaign finance law.”

MT:  ELECTION COST.    MTS.  “With mail-only ballots to replace Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke in Congress off the table, Butte-Silver Bow officials must find extra money and judges to hold a traditional poll election next month.”

OR:  DUCKING RULES.   KXL.  “According to the 2016 Campaign Finance Manual from the Elections Division at the Secretary of State’s Office, prohibited use of campaign funds include admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other from of entertainment.  However it also says use of campaign funds are prohibited unless that event is part of a specific campaign or office holder activity.”

SC:  TICKET QUESTIONS.  TS.  “Ethics forms filed last month show three Myrtle Beach City Council members received free concert tickets to the Carolina Country Music Festival, an event that recently was granted thousands in tax dollars in addition to thousands of dollars of city services.”

SD:  CAMPAIGN FINANCE COME BACK.  TPO.  “Area lawmakers say two topics that will return during the 2018 South Dakota legislative session include campaign finance and additional juvenile justice reforms.”

VT: SEEKING INPUT.  RH.  “Secretary of State Jim Condos and Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced Tuesday that the recently formed Joint Committee on Campaign Finance Education, Compliance and Reform will hold several meetings through June.”

VT:  ETHICS BILL MOVING.  WT.  “Vermont lawmakers are inching closer to creating an ethics commission and thereby taking Vermont off the list of a handful of states without an independent body that investigates ethics complaints in state government.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

ANTI-GORSUCH GROUP AND DISCLOSURE.   TH. “I guess so-called dark money and transparency concerns are only relevant when a Republican is in the White House.”

PAC REGISTRATION.  CPI.  “Unscrupulous PACs could continue to hoodwink less sophisticated donors, commissioners and campaign finance experts say, as efforts to tighten PAC rules and increase oversight have so far failed.”

DEBATE CASE UPDATE.   IVN.  “In March, the FEC chose not to appeal the decision. Instead, they complied with the judge’s order and re-issued an opinion that ‘considered’ the evidence.”

AL:  COMPLAINTS CONSIDERED.  AL.  “The Alabama Ethics Commission is expected to hear testimony about complaints against Bentley and could vote on whether there is probable cause that the governor broke the ethics law or campaign finance laws.”

CO:  INDEPENDENT GROUP ISSUE.  DP.  “So here’s a little unsolicited advice to all these players caught in this twisted web: Try not to use campaign finance activism for personal vendettas; disclose conflicts of interest so as not to mislead readers; and 501(c)4s operating in Colorado should make sure that their ‘primary’ purpose is not to support or oppose political candidates.”

NM:  SODA TAX DISCLOSURE.  SFNM.  “A political group involved in the fray over a proposed Santa Fe tax on sugary beverages to fund early childhood education programs has not filed a campaign finance disclosure statement with the city despite spending unknown amounts on radio advertising and gathering petition signatures, and a spokesman says it has no intention to do so.”

ND:  HOUSE PASSES BIll.  PR.  “It expands what candidates have to report to the Secretary of State to include campaign expenditures and the amount of contributions under that $200 threshold. Contributions over $200 are reported individually. It also prohibits a candidate form using campaign contributions for personal things.”

TN:  HIGHER LIMITS.   TP.  “With not much discussion Monday, the Tennessee State Senate moved to double the amounts that can be donated to their personal campaigns every four years.”

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BRAZIL:  PRESIDENT COULD BE UNSEATED.  CGTN.   “The country’s Superior Elections Court began a trial to establish whether the Rousseff-Temer ticket received illegal donations for their 2014 campaign. If they’re found guilty, Temer will also be removed from power. A new president would be chosen indirectly by congress to serve the remainder of this term, until 2018.”

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HAVE A GOOD DAY.

OBSERVING LOBBYING.  GAO.  “For the 2016 reporting period, most lobbyists provided documentation for key elements of their disclosure reports to demonstrate compliance with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as amended (LDA). For lobbying disclosure (LD-2) reports filed during the third and fourth quarters of 2015 and the first and second quarters of 2016, GAO estimates that

• 90 percent of lobbyists filed required reports for the quarter in which they first registered; the figure below describes the filing process and enforcement;
• 83 percent (down from 92 percent in 2015) could provide documentation for income and expenses; and
• 94 percent filed year-end 2015 LD-203 reports as required.”

GORSUCH AND THE HATERS.  Hill/Warrington.  “This fundamental lack of understanding and respect for the Constitution by some of members of the Judiciary Committee was on full display as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) relentlessly pressed Judge Gorsuch on the issues of political speech and campaign finance disclosure.”

LAWMAKERS AND RULES.  WE.  “The Justice Department investigation into allegations that Rep. Duncan Hunter dipped into his campaign coffers to cover personal expenses is the latest example of lawmakers getting tripped up over rules about how they can and can’t spend the money they raise.”

FL:  COMPLAINT REVIEWED.  OS.  “The Florida Commission on Ethics will hold a hearing later this month to review an ethics complaint against Attorney General Pam Bondi over her solicitation of a $25,000 campaign donation from President Donald Trump in 2013. Bondi’s office later decided not to investigate Trump University, a real estate investment seminar that many attendees say defrauded them.”

ME:  LYING AND LOBBYISTS.  PH.  “A legislative committee voted Monday in favor of a bill to make it a crime for lobbyists to lie to the Legislature after narrowing a bill to exclude the public – and themselves.”

PA:  PITTSBURGH QUESTIONS.    TL.  “Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Darlene Harris did not file a campaign finance report Monday with the city’s Ethics Hearing Board as required under a 2015 ordinance.”

TX:  COMMISSIONER FINED.  DN.  “Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel was fined $1,500 by the Texas Ethics Commission for violations in her campaign finance statements, records show.”

VT:  LAW SURVIVES.   USN.  “Dean Corren, an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor, sued the state in Vermont’s federal district court for violating his First Amendment rights, alleging that a restriction on fundraising for publicly-financed candidates is unconstitutional. The court issued its decision Tuesday.”

WA:  EYMAN SUED.  KREM.  “Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Friday that his office will file a $2 million dollar civil campaign finance enforcement lawsuit against longtime anti-tax activist Tim Eyman.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.