[Political Activity Law]

MEANING OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE.  SCPR.  “As the general election on Nov. 8 draws closer, you’re hearing more and more about donor limits, dark money, super PACs and other campaign jargon that attempts to describe the role of money in the U.S. political process.”

SWING DONOR LAUNCH.  CDN.  “Three Cornell graduates launched a New York-based, non-partisan startup Monday called Swing Donor, an organization which aspires to counter the influence of big money in politics by enabling small donors to make a meaningful impact in congressional races.”

HATCH ACT SEASON.  FPR.  “With only one more month left to go until the presidential election, the Office of Special Counsel wants to remind federal employees of a few Hatch Act guidelines meant to keep political activity out of the workplace.”

LOBBYISTS AS DIRECTORS.  WSJ.  “A Wall Street Journal review of lobbying data and securities filings found that despite such efforts, financial ties persist between some corporate directors and CEOs—ties running through Washington’s lobbying corps. They involve directors whose lobbying fees are paid either by the company where they are a board member or by an industry association where the company’s CEO has influence.”

FOUNDATION AND RUN.  RCP.  “From 2011 through 2014, Trump harnessed his eponymous foundation to send at least $286,000 to influential conservative or policy groups, a RealClearPolitics review of the foundation’s tax filings found.”

BERA UPDATE.  EGC.  “The U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI on Sept. 16 completed its investigation pertaining to contributions made to the campaigns of U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) from 2009 through 2012.”

CA:  49ERS AND CITY COUNCIL.  NN.  “A group called Stand Up For Santa Clara is alleging the San Francisco 49ers are behind ‘dark money’ coming into the current Santa Clara city council election campaigns.”

WA:  MISSED DEADLINES.  ST.  “The office of the Washington attorney general has filed a complaint against Secretary of State Kim Wyman, alleging that her re-election campaign missed campaign-finance deadlines. Wyman says it was a minor error and is being addressed.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

COURT WON’T HEAR.  NYT.  “The Supreme Court on Monday turned away without comment an appeal in a campaign finance case arising from an investigation into campaign spending in Wisconsin.”

(C)(4)’S AND STATUS.  Politico.  “A new conservative outside group with deep pockets is planning a robust ad campaign urging Congress to impeach the IRS commissioner — a move sure to cause GOP leaders some headaches this fall.”

USING THE RULES.  HP.  “Every election cycle, politicians and their ethically flexible consultants aim to stretch the boundaries of campaign finance law a bit further. These day, they’re ably assisted by a Supreme Court eager to deregulate campaign finance and a bitterly divided Federal Election Commission.”

CHARITABLE ORG. REGISTRATION.  NBC.  “New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office on Monday ordered the Donald J. Trump Foundation to ‘immediately cease soliciting contributions’ after a report that the charity lacked the proper authorization to seek public donations.”

ETHICS AND TRUMP PRESIDENCY.  WP.  “To the extent voters believe that conflicts of interest and an ability to add to his personal wealth while in office present a real problem with Trump’s candidacy, government ethics laws do not offer much in the way of comfort.”

LEGAL BILLS NOTED.  DB.  “In a 10-week span from mid-June to the end of August, Trump’s campaign spent $1.1 million on law firm Jones Day, nearly as much on legal services as the $1.15 million Mitt Romney’s campaign did over the course of his entire 2012 campaign.”

MA:  CASE RESOLVED.  PL.  “Canton-based businessman Vincent Barletta has agreed to pay $185,000 to resolve a complaint that corporate funds he controlled were contributed to Massachusetts candidates in another person’s name.”

MO:  IMPROVING ETHICS.  CM.  “Under current law, there is no ban on lobbyist gifts in Missouri. Other states have more stringent laws. In Kansas, gifts cannot exceed $40, according to the Kansas legislature’s website.”

MT:  QUIETER YEAR.  BDC.  “The number of complaints against third-party political groups in Montana is down compared to years past.”

NC:  ROLE OF INDEPENDENT GROUPS.  CH5.  “The group is one of many non-candidate organizations from both sides of the political spectrum vying for the attention of North Carolina voters on their doorsteps, in their mailboxes and over the airwaves. With a little more than a month to go before Election Day on Nov. 8, North Carolina’s status as a swing state in the presidential election and close races for governor and U.S. Senate have combined attract spending from a number of players with a stake in the outcome of elections.”

WA:  BIG CHANGE.  ST.  “Publicly funded campaigns. Strict limits on political contributions from lobbyists and state contractors. A cooling-off period before public officials can become lobbyists. New transparency requirements for super PACs. A tax hike for Oregonians shopping in Washington.”

EU:  TRANSPARENCY MOVE.  Mon.  “The European Commission has proposed yesterday a mandatory Transparency Register covering all three main EU institutions – the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the Commission. The proposal aims to strengthen and extend the current voluntary scheme which covers only the European Parliament and the Commission.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.