[Political Activity Law]

LAWSUIT HOPES.  CC.  “The Republican Party of Louisiana has been fighting to end restrictions on ‘soft money’ political donations.”

UPDATED (C)(3) GUIDE.  Steven Sholk’s “A Guide to Election Year Activities of Section 501(c)(3) Organizations” has been published by Practising Law Institute as part of its “Tax Strategies for Corporate Acquisitions, Dispositions, Spin-Offs, Joint Ventures, Financings & Restructurings 2016” offering.  Here‘s the updated article.

LISTS LIVE ON.  RC.  “Candidates — even failed ones — hold onto those email lists and use them to advance future endeavors, whether it’s their next political venture or someone else’s, or simply a cause they’re passionate about.”

MAKING SUPER PACS IRRELEVANT.  WE.  “A bill being floated by Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Mark Meadows would centralize the campaign finance system, increase transparency of donations, and effectively put an end to super

MA:  CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS.  BG.  “The same law that demands transparency of campaign contributions shields those accused of violations from being called out too close to Election Day.”

MO:  GIFTS DOWN.  STL.  “Between 2004 and 2014, lobbyist gifts to public officials in Missouri each year hovered reliably around $1 million, with most of the money going to members of the Legislature. While items like free trips and World Series tickets garnered headlines, the vast majority of freebies came in the form of an endless supply of meals for state legislators.”

NY:  SWEEPING NEW RULES.  TU.  “Abel also addressed a proposed regulation requiring lobbying groups to disclose third-party ‘beneficial That’s defined as a person or organization that actually benefits from a lobbying group’s efforts, not just the lobbying group itself.”

OR:  CAMPAIGN FINANCE RUSH.  PT.  “Also on the agenda is Commissioner Amanda Fritz’s proposed public campaign finance program, officially called the Open and Accountable Elections Process.”

TX:  ALLEGED LOOPHOLE.  SM.  “Seeking re-election, Austin City Council Member Sheri Gallo says in a mailer to voters in West Austin’s District 10 that challenger Alison Alter ‘exploited a campaign loophole to obtain over $64,000 in public dollars to fund her campaign.'”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

DATA FIRM FUNDRAISER.  WFB.  “Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has helped raise tens of millions for a Democratic data firm comprised of Obama campaign alumni.”

BROCK LAUNCH.  Hill.  “Liberal political operative David Brock, a close ally of former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, told reporters on Tuesday that his super PAC, American Bridge, has established a war room that will act as an aggressor and a watchdog for the Trump transition team and his incoming administration.”

COGEL IN THE BIG EASY.  COGEL.  “You don’t want to miss the four-day, 38th Annual COGEL Conference in the Big Easy! Join colleagues and experts from throughout the U.S., Canada, and the world in one of America’s most exciting cities, where you’ll have the opportunity to learn what’s new in the fields of campaign finance, governmental ethics, elections, lobbying, and freedom of information.”  It’s Dec. 11th through 16th.

TOMORROW AT THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION.  The agenda for the meeting is here.

BUSH JOINS.  TH.  “For the first time since leaving the Florida governor’s mansion, Jeb Bush will be going back to Tallahassee. He is set to be an advisor for a U.S. law firm with a major lobbying presence. Bush will be a ‘strategic advisor’ to Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, a law firm with offices in several major cities across the country.”

CA:  MAYOR BORROWED.  PE.  “Former Menifee mayor Scott Mann borrowed from his campaign accounts for personal expenses on ‘approximately 147 occasions from December 2009 through June 2014,’ investigators for a state political oversight agency found.

MT:  TOUGH COPP.  BG.  “Despite a deluge of campaign cash, Montana’s 2016 elections were more transparent than ever — thanks to the 2015 Disclose Act, Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl and the six other hard-working public servants in the COPP office in Helena.”

MT:  COMMISSIONER SUED.  KGVO.  “Montana Political Practices Commissioner Jonathan Motl is being sued for comments made during the last weeks of the 2016 general election.”

TX:  PER DIEM GUIDANCE.  EN.  “Heading into what’s expected to be a tight budget session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus have instructed the Texas Ethics Commission to keep the daily stipend for lawmakers’ living expenses during the upcoming session flat at $190.”

WY:  REFORM OUTLINED.  CDA.  “Secretary of State Lawerence Denney last week outlined some possible changes to the state’s Sunshine Laws that he’ll be putting forward more formally during the upcoming session. According to Idaho Reports, here are some of the changes Denney would like to see…”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.    I’ll send around the next set of links early next week.

CA:  DA FINED.  EBT.  “In the years after winning a hotly contested election, Contra Costa District Attorney Mark A. Peterson spent more than $66,000 in campaign contributions on movie tickets, restaurant meals, phone bills, and a litany of other personal expenses, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.”

CA:  MOTHER/DAUGHTER FINE.   VOC.  “A double-sided mailer that promoted both Rice and her daughter sent to Westminster households on Oct. 11 failed to include boilerplate language disclosing the source of funding for the campaign literature, according to  the state Fair Political Practices Commission.”

MI:  CU BILL.  MPR.  There’s “progress on a state bill that’s similar to Citizens United that’s been passed by the Michigan Senate and is on track to get through the House, likely during this lame duck session.”

NY:  NOT GUILTY PLEAS.  BN.  “Eight defendants, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s longtime friend Joseph Percoco and Buffalo businessman Louis Ciminelli, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Manhattan Thursday to a range of corruption charges.”

TN:  PROBE TO CONITINUE.  T.  “The probe into Durham’s campaign money began in June after Attorney General Herbert Slatery told campaign finance officials about a former Durham employee who said the now-expelled lawmaker directed him to move money between a campaign account and an account for Durham’s former title company.”

LOAN WOLF LOBBYIST:  MISS SLOANE.  CT.  “It’s a wannabe Aaron Sorkin-meets-Shonda Rhimes glimpse into the hollow and cynical world of inside the beltway dealings from first-time screenwriter Jonathan Perera that’s never quite snappy, insightful or salacious enough to be as fun or damning as it should be.”  Wait until it hits Netflix?

HAVE A GOOD DAY.