OH Seminar

The Ohio Secretary of State is holding seminars on campaign finance rules.

The seminar in Tiffin is to be one of five to be held throughout the state during August. Other seminar locations are Revenna, Marietta, Lebanon and Delaware.

The rules, regulations and specifics of reporting are to be presented with an emphasis on simplifying the complexities of campaign finance, seminar information said. Time is to be set aside for questions.

Topics to be discussed include establishing a new committee; forms and instructions; where and when reports are filed; properly reporting contributions, expenditures and loans; the role of a treasurer; permitted activities and prohibited activities; penalties; the Ohio Election Commission; common mistakes and electronic filing.

New Rules Relaxed?

The WSJ reports on the recent HLOGA/LDA guidance.

New guidance released by Congress late Wednesday exempts lobbyists from reporting their financing of an array of political and charitable contributions, events and parties at political conventions.

The capital’s lobbying community has been worried about the disclosure requirements because, for the first time, willful violations could carry up to a five-year jail term. Lobbyists are required to file reports by July 30. Now, they won’t have to disclose as much.

Nor will the new ethics rules clamp a lid on industry-paid merrymaking at Democratic and Republican nominating conventions this summer. The new guidance exempts companies from revealing their sponsorship of most parties at the conventions.

CQ on Revised Guidance

CQPolitics covers the revised HLOGA guidance.

With reporting deadlines looming, congressional officers have issued revised guidelines that ease some of the lobbying disclosure requirements enacted last year.The revised guidance, issued by the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate, relaxed the rules for disclosure of lobbyist contributions to parties at this summer’s Democratic and Republican national conventions, among other changes.