TGIF political law links

AD KICKSTART.  AdAge.  “If all goes according to the Citizen Super PAC plan, funding will come from everyday people pledging small amounts of money to the PAC via a platform developed by Tusk.”

FINANCING PATAKI.  Yahoo.  “Even the fringiest candidates for president tend to have a wealthy backer or two able to keep them in the race for a few months. But George Pataki, the latest Republican to declare he’s chasing the nomination, may test the threshold for a low-budget campaign.”

FINANCING SANTORUM.  Yahoo.  “The former Pennsylvania senator was heavily outspent when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. He may face a similar spending shortfall now that he’s declared his candidacy for the 2016 race.”

WILL ON REFORM.  WP.  “Most political money funds the dissemination of political advocacy to influence elections, and Americans continue to exasperate reformers by finding new ways to speak about politics.”

GRAHAM SUPER PAC.  NJ.  “Allies of Lindsey Graham have created a super PAC to raise cash for the outspoken Republican senator as he prepares to launch his long-shot presidential bid in South Carolina next week.”

AZ:  WARNING UPDATE.  AZCentral.  “Fresh off of attacking the Clean Elections Commission for trying to shine a light on dark money, Secretary of State Michele Reagan told Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer that the law requiring that a candidate be notified of a last-minute attack is likely unconstitutional.”

HI:  DECIDING ON DIRECTOR.  CB.  “After meeting for more than three hours Wednesday, the State Ethics Commission retreated into a closed executive session to consider the fate of its executive director, Honolulu attorney Les Kondo.”

OR:  BROWN PLAN UPDATE.  ORLive.  “With almost no discussion, the Oregon House on Thursday unanimously approved Gov. Kate Brown’s bid to remake the state panel that investigates ethics complaints — making it the second of Brown’s proposed ethics reforms to pass a legislative floor vote.”

SC:  NO JAIL.  PC.  “Former state Sen. Robert Ford said the way he was treated over the past two years was ‘unhuman’ and unnecessary after his sentencing Thursday to five years of probation and nearly $70,000 in restitution for his ethics-related conviction.”

TX:  REFORM ALIVE.  TT.  “It’s too early to say exactly what reforms will survive, but as the deadline for getting the work done approaches, several remain viable.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Thurs. pol. law links

SCHOCK SWAP.  CT.  “Schock’s use of the Fryes’ condo and travel services may run afoul of campaign laws and House ethics rules, according to legal experts.”

ICE CREAM DONATION.  WFB.  “The co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s say the ice cream they handed out at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I., Vt.) presidential kickoff event on Tuesday was fully reported to federal regulators and worth less than the limits on individual donations to federal candidates.”

BUSH AND DOJ.  WP.  “Watchdog groups are pushing the Justice Department to step up enforcement of current campaign finance laws by investigating whether Jeb Bush is improperly coordinating political activities with a super PAC he launched.”

LANDRIEU LANDS.  The Advocate.  “Former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has signed on as a consultant with a D.C. law and lobbying firm, the firm announced Tuesday.”

AR:  LANGUAGE REJECTED.  KY3.  “Arkansas’ attorney general has rejected language for a proposed initiated act on campaign financing that would go before voters next year.”

CT:  PARTY SEEKS RULING.  RepAm.  “The Connecticut Democrat Party is now asking the state courts to declare that federal law takes precedence when federal and state laws on campaign finance overlap.”

LA:  UTILITY GIVING.  Nola.  “Louisiana is one of the few states that still allow electric and gas utilities such as Entergy and Cleco to give campaign contributions directly to the state regulators that oversee them.”

MT:  BACK TO COURT.  LAT.  “A federal appeals court Tuesday overturned a 2012 ruling that declared Montana’s restrictions on state campaign contributions unconstitutional.”

NY:  REFORM PROPOSAL.  AP.  “New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is taking another swing at ethics reform and ending corruption in Albany.”

TX:  HOUSE PASSES BILL.  TT.  “After a passionate and sometimes raunchy Tuesday night debate, the Texas House on Wednesday gave final sign-off to a far-reaching ethics reform package that would shine light on so-called ‘dark money’ while heavily restricting undercover recordings in the state Capitol.”

VA:  CASE SETTLES.  WT.  “Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli has settled a lawsuit on favorable terms with a conservative political action committee he accused of engaging in a national fundraising scam.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

5-27 (remember those?) political law links

CAMPAIGN FINANCE BASICS.  VOA News.  “Money, lots of it, is what it takes to win the presidency of the United States.”

LANGDON PROFILE.  Politico.    “[David] Langdon is a critical behind-the-scenes player among the small army of lawyers working to keep secret the origins of millions of dollars coursing through the American political system.”

AZ:  TEXTING CONNECTIONS.  AZCentral.  “Debates over solar energy — and a flood of money from non-profit groups into the campaigns for those who sought to regulate utilities — marked the 2014 Arizona Corporation Commission election.”

AZ:  DARK MONEY NEEDED.  AZCentral.  “If Arpaio is to be defeated, the business community probably has to conclude that he’s enough of a damaging menace to warrant funding an independent campaign in that range.”

HI:  YAMADA SUMMARY.  NLR.  “While restrictions on independent political spending continue to fare poorly in post-Citizens United legal challenges, courts have been much more reluctant to strike down restrictions on government contractors giving to candidates and political committees.”

OR:  WARNINGS PREFERRED.  OR Live.  “The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has negotiated reduced penalties for every case it’s handled involving a public official since 2008, an analysis of records shows.”

PA:  STINK BOMB NEWS.  Newsworks.org.  “Behold, a principle is established: There will be no anonymous stink bombs in Philadelphia elections.”

ISR:  PRISON SENTENCE.  Triblive.  “Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced Monday to eight months in prison and a $25,000 fine for illegally accepting campaign contributions from an American supporter.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.