4-15 political law links

INSIGHT ON POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION.   Steptoe (Abel and Sinder).    “Firms engaged in ‘political intelligence’ activities may soon face new requirements, following a recent announcement by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) that he will once again push for legislation that requires disclosure of these activities.”

“CRITICAL NEED” FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS.  WSJ.  “There is ‘a critical need’ for criminal prosecutions, even in cases where misconduct can be handled through civil or regulatory action, a top U.S. Department of Justice official said Tuesday.”

HRC ON CFR.  WP.  “Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for changes to the nation’s campaign finance system, saying here Tuesday that she would support a constitutional amendment if that’s what it takes to fix what she called a ‘dysfunctional’ system.”

READY FOR FUNDRAISING.  Politico.  “Within hours of the former secretary of state’s digital foray, Democratic Action 2016 began making robocalls to voters in Virginia and perhaps in other states. The calls are seeking small-dollar donations to aid Clinton and other Democrats.”

SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENTIAL CFR EO.  MSNBC.  “He can issue an executive order to expose secret political spending by federal contractors. The only question is whether he will follow through.”

CA:  LAW REVISED.  VCStar.com.  “Despite pleas for a delay, county supervisors Tuesday set up a new system for enforcing the county’s campaign finance law.”

MO:  FOCUS ON RACE.  StLToday.com.  “Bev Randles, the Republican candidate for Missouri lieutenant governor who landed an unprecedented $1 million political donation last year from mega-donor Rex Sinquefield, is stepping down from the conservative lobbying group Missouri Club for Growth in order to focus on her campaign, her campaign announced today.”

RI:  TWO BILLS APPROVED.  PJ.  “The full House on Tuesday approved two of three bills aimed at plugging some of the loopholes that allowed former House Speaker Gordon D. Fox to loot his campaign fund — undetected for years — to pay more than $100,000 in personal expenses.”

TX:  CITY LOBBYING RULES CHANGE.  Statesman.com.  “To improve transparency, we must implement electronic and searchable filing for campaign financing and lobbyist registration. This system will improve the public’s access to information on who is funding candidates and lobbying City Hall. We will bring up to date and more in-line with state legislative practice our lobbyist registration and reporting requirements in a way that’s fair and fits with our board and commission structure.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

political law links for today

THROW OUT PROPOSAL.  Sen. Hatch.  “Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen calling for the agency to cancel its plans to broaden a proposed rule that would further restrict the speech and activities of a wide range of tax exempt organizations.”

CRUZ STRUCTURE.  Star Tribine.  “Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign is asking top allies to collect at least $500,000 each from their circle of friends and colleagues and is promising those elite fundraisers coveted access.”

CLINTON STRUCTURE.  WSJ.  “Hillary Clinton’s fundraising machinery cranked up on Monday, a day after she launched her presidential bid, with senior campaign officials holding an afternoon conference call aimed at recruiting people to raise the $1 billion her team hopes to collect.”

FOUR SUPER PACS.  NPR.  “Since 2010, when federal courts approved these “independent expenditure” groups, financed by unlimited but disclosed contributions, Super PACs have gone from luxury to standard equipment for a serious presidential bid. It’s changing the nature of presidential campaigns.”

ALONG FOR THE RIDE.  WP.  “Through the years, O’Malley has received more than $77,000 in donations from Coale, including in-kind contributions, as well as a $500,000 loan at the last make-or-break juncture of his political career.”

MARRIAGE ISSUES.  RC.  “Questions about the influence of lobbyist spouses have confounded lawmakers for decades, and now confront the House Ethics Committee as it probes whether Kentucky Republican Edward Whitfield broke rules because of his staff’s work with his lobbyist wife.”

DISCLOSURE VIEW.  Politico (Bauer).  “For all the intense conflicts over campaign finance law, there should be bipartisan agreement that voters are entitled to some useful information about the hundreds of millions in political spending that, as matters stand, will go unreported. Action to rework the model of regulation we inherited from our grandparents’ concern over misbehavior in the 1972 presidential election is long overdue.”

SUPER PAC TRAIL.  NYT Ed.  “Court decisions have established that super PACs are supposed to act independently of a candidate, with no coordination permitted. But the indictment focused on the suspicious timing of hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to Mr. Menendez’s re-election campaign from a generous friend who allegedly sought government favors through the senator’s influence.”

CA:  CONTRACT APPROVED.  Patch.com.  “To ensure the county’s interests are represented in the state Legislature, the Board of Supervisors this week approved a $30,000 contract with a lobbying firm that will continue to work on the county’s behalf for another seven months, despite objections from one board member.”

IN:  QUESTIONS IN CARMEL.  Currentcarmel.com.  “Now, information has come out about a company involved in an old lawsuit with the city, Hagerman Corporation, that has reportedly donated $5,000 to Sharp’s campaign.”

MD:  PUBLIC FINANCING PASSES.  WBAL.   “Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who became the first Maryland candidate to win the governor’s race using public campaign financing, proposed restoring the check off. Former Del. Heather Mizeur, who lost the Democratic primary for governor, also used public campaign financing last year.”

MT:  CONFIRMATION OPPOSED.  HIR.  “The statutes and laws under jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Political Practices, while written carefully and with specificity, leave broad discretion with the commissioner.”

NY:  LOOPHOLE TARGET.  WAMC.  “Not only is the State Board of Elections a toothless watchdog, it goes out of its way to make a bad campaign finance system worse.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Mon. 4-13 political law links

CALLS COMING.  Desert Sun.  “Last week, the National Republican Congressional Campaign announced the coming of thousands of live phone calls in the 36th Congressional District that would be intended to link the Palm Desert Democrat to the Hillary Clinton email scandal.”

SUPER PAC REQUEST.  Cincinnati.com.  “A pro-Clinton super PAC, American Bridge, filed a public records request this month for correspondence between Enquirer statehouse reporter Chrissie Thompson and Gov. Kasich’s office.”

KY:  GUILTY PLEA.  WHAS11.  “Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the plea of guilty and sentencing of former Kentucky State Representative Forrest ‘Ben’ Waide, of Madisonville, Ky., for violations of Kentucky campaign finance laws.”

MO:  GIFT LIMIT SUPPORT.  KC.com.  “The issue at hand was an amendment to place a $25 limit on lobbyists’ gifts to lawmakers.”

NY:  LLC ISSUE.  Auburnpub.com.  “The Brennan Center for Justice, along with the law firm Emery, Celli, Brinckerhoff and Abady, sent a letter to the state Board of Elections this week urging commissioners to rescind a 1996 opinion issued by the agency that created the so-called LLC loophole.”

OR:  STILL IN PURSUIT.     Bend Bulletin.  “State lawmakers are grappling with a familiar question after the ouster of former Gov. John Kitzhaber over alleged influence peddling from his office: How far should they go to create rules that govern themselves and their spouses to respond to an outraged public?”

TX:  ETHICS BILL PUNCH.  Tribune.  “After sparking blowback among legislators, a Senate proposal to overhaul ethics rules at the Capitol could lose some of the punch Gov. Greg Abbott was looking for.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.