Ethics moves in the states and other political law links

GORSUCH ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE.  Obs. “If U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is confirmed, rulings involving campaign finance law can be expected to follow the same course as when the late Justice Antonin Scalia served on the Court.”

EAC SUNSET VOTE.  USAT.  “While President Trump is promising to launch an investigation into his belief that millions of illegal ballots were cast in 2016, the Republican-led House Administration Committee voted Tuesday to shut down the federal agency set up to help states improve their election systems.”

ROBO COP ACT.  NLJ.  “As revised, the TSR would prohibit calls to telephone numbers listed on the Do-Not-Call registry using prerecorded messages: (i) ‘the purpose of which is to promote, advertise, campaign, or solicit donations, for or against any political candidate or regarding any political issue;’ or (ii) that ‘use in the recorded message any political candidate’s name.'”

ROBOCALL SUIT.  Politico.  “The lawsuit surrounds two Chicago-area people who sued the Trump campaign last year over texting, claiming the campaign used auto-dialing equipment to blast out bulk messages in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.”

AZ:  ETHICS COMMISSION FOR PHOENIX?  AZ.  “Phoenix’s rules regarding ethics for the mayor and City Council are unenforceable, a fact that has troubled legal experts — and some city leaders — for the better part of four years.”

NJ:  PAY TO PLAY ALLEGATIONS.  NJ.  “Keyport officials notified Wisniewski earlier this month that a $1,000 donation his firm, Wisniewski & Associates LLC, made to the Monmouth County Democratic Party in 2014 ran afoul of a law that bars borough contractors from making political donations.”

OR:  PAC HIT.  SJ.  “A political action committee backed by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce has been fined thousands of dollars by the state for breaking campaign finance rules, though the committee has since paid those penalties off.”

TN: FLOUTING ALLEGED.   TN.  “The state investigation into ex-lawmaker Jeremy Durham found the expelled state representative routinely flouted campaign finance laws, including using donor money to make dozens of illegal expenditures and loaning more than $100,000 of campaign funds to his wife, a wealthy GOP donor and a professional gambler who has a criminal record.”

TX:  ETHICS BREEZE.  DN.  “A sweeping ethics measure that would expose lobbyists’ wining and dining, increase financial disclosures and punish corrupt lawmakers sailed through the Senate on Tuesday and heads next to the House.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Good morning! Here are today’s “Political Law Links”

DEBATES:  WHAT’S NEXT?   IVN.  “n a blistering 28-­‐page decision, Judge Tanya Chutkan told the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that in its rejection of a complaint by Level the Playing Field, a non-­‐profit group trying to open up debates to a third candidate, it had acted in a manner that was ‘arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law.'”

CA:  CONTRACTOR REGULATION.  SGVT.  “In an attempt to limit the influence of special interests in local elections, the City Council has adopted an ordinance prohibiting city contractors from making campaign contributions to council members, the city clerk and the city treasurer.”

CA:  FACING FINE.  SB.  “California’s political ethics watchdog and a Republican campaign committee controlled by party legislative leaders have agreed to a $30,000 fine to settle allegations of illegal campaign-finance disclosures by GOP candidates during the 2012 and 2014 election cycles.”

KS:  FINES FOR LATE REPORTS.  CJO.  “The House Elections Committee considered a bill Monday that would slap a $500-a-day fine on campaign finance reports that are more than 48 hours late.”

PA:  CAP WEIGHED.  MC. “The Whitehall Township Board Commissioners plans to vote next week on legislation that would cap campaign contributions from individuals and political action committees to candidates for elected office.”

TN:  LOBBYIST DISCLOSURE SOUGHT.  CA.  “The primary example is that there are no ways to find out exactly how much money companies spend on lobbyists and their activities. Tennessee law permits businesses and organizations to report their spending on lobbyists and related activities within a range of figures, not a specific amount.”

TX:  BOPP IN TEXAS.  ABC.  “With his win in the Citizens United case and lawsuits lodged nationwide, Bopp has become ‘the most prolific anti-campaign finance litigator in U.S. history,’ and the Texas lawsuit could be a proxy for a future challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court…”

TX:  ETHICS FAST TRACK.   ST.  “Passage of the Ethics Reform and Anti-Corruption Act of 2017 would be the most comprehensive ethics overhaul since 1991. The measure includes features to curb conflicts-of-interests, broaden disclosure of lobbying activities and make elected officials more accountable to the public.”

FRA:  SARKOZY TRIAL.  TG.  “The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is to face trial for alleged fraudulent financing of his failed 2012 bid for re-election, a legal source has said.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Round-up of today’s political law links

AL:  CLAIM DISPUTED.  WAAY.  “An attorney for Gov. Robert Bentley said Friday that the governor didn’t violate any campaign finance laws when money from his campaign fund went to legal representation for a former aide.”

AR:  E-FILING BILL.  KASU. “Republican State Rep. Jana Della Rosa of Rogers is renewing her effort to make Arkansas political candidates’ campaign finance reports more searchable. Della Rosa filed a bill this week requiring legislative, judicial and constitutional office candidates to enter their campaign finance information electronically through a new online system.”

CT:  PROBE UPDATE.   DP.   “Officials from the Connecticut Democratic Party said Thursday they’ve learned federal officials have ended a criminal investigation into fundraising for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s 2014 re-election campaign.”

MS:   GOING DIGITAL.  DJ.  “Searchable annual campaign finance reports for statewide officials became accessible online to the public for the first time this week on the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website.”

MT:  BILL TO INCLUDE FEES.  GFT.  “In other action, lawmakers are considering a bill that would include filing fees as campaign expenditures.”

VT:  WHAT’S ALLOWED?  BFP.  “The Legislature is considering an ethics package which would require political candidates to disclose their financial information and create a new office to serve as the starting point for ethical complaints.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.