Fri. political law links

PAY TO PLAY AND 16.  NBC.  “The SEC rules can be fuzzy and even experts say it’s not always entirely clear which donations trigger a violation. Determining which officials are covered by the rules requires a deep reading of state law. And while donations to outside groups — like the leadership PAC Christie is reportedly launching – could be kosher, lawyers warn that the nuances of the rules remain the subject of much debate.”

CU EVENT AND BOOKS.  CCP.  “This Wednesday, January 21st, CCP will be holding a conference on Citizens United v. FEC’s fifth anniversary.”

SUPREME PREVIEW.  Daily Signal.  “On Tuesday, Jan. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in its first campaign finance case since it threw out the aggregate limit on campaign contributions to federal candidates last year in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.”

SUPER SANTORUM.  The Hill.  “Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and his main financial backer, billionaire Foster Friess, are gathering supporters together to plot out another presidential bid.”

GA:  BOND SETTLEMENT.  11Alive.com.  ” Councilman Michael Julian Bond has signed a settlement with the city of Atlanta’s Ethics Office admitting guilt to a long laundry list of ethics violations.”

IL:  RAUNER LIST.  Sun Times.  “Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday said he plans to make public the names of all of his administration’s political hires to help ‘restore faith in state government.'”

IL:  EMANUEL GRIP.  Sun Times.  “Mayor Rahm Emanuel maintained a stronghold over campaign finances in Chicago’s mayoral contest, having spent $4.7 million in the race in the final weeks of 2014 and closing out the year with $6.4 million in the bank.”

IN:  ETHICS OVERHAUL.  Indy Channel.  “Indiana legislators would face more financial disclosure requirements and elected officials would be expressly prohibited from using state resources for political purposes under a proposed overhaul of ethics laws introduced Thursday.”

NV:  WHAT REPORTS SHOW.  LV Sun.  “With the 2014 election in the books, politicians at the state and county levels will get to take some time away from the campaign trail. But for candidates running in the upcoming municipal elections in June, the race is just beginning.”

WI:  DA TO INVESTIGATE.  Fox11.  “A special prosecutor is now investigating the campaign finance reports for Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt.”

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.  I’ll send around the next set of links on Tuesday.

Today’s political law links

THE SUPREMES AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE. BW. “Here are some highlights or—depending on your opinion of the heavy-spending industrialist Koch brothers on the right, or money-where-his-mouth-is climate activist Tom Steyer on the left—lowlights…”

R REFORMERS. Minnpost.com. “A University of Minnesota law professor and a political consultant who’s worked on five Republican presidential campaigns – both alumni of the George W. Bush administration – launched a campaign finance reform group Wednesday tilted toward the conservative point of view.”

FREE TO LOBBY.  NLJ.  “Since Jan. 1, 22 onetime Hill denizens have finished their ‘cooling-off’  periods, which barred them from lobbying Congress for up to two years after they left the legislative branch’s payroll.”

CA: CHAIR REAPPOINTED. Sacbee.com. “Gov. Jerry Brown has reappointed Jodi Remke chairwoman of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, his office said Tuesday.”

CT: SENTENCING DELAY. WFSB. “Lisa Wilson-Foley was supposed to be sentenced earlier this week, but a federal judge pushed it back to Jan. 20.”

NC: FOCUS ON ETHICS. News and Observer. “Blue and House Democratic Leader Larry Hall of Durham said legislation would be introduced to ban outside earned income, including deferred compensation, for elected state officials, and require more detailed disclosure of financial interests, similar to federal reporting requirements.”

SC: FOCUS ON ETHICS. Post and Courier. “In her 10-minute inaugural address from the south steps of the Statehouse, Haley left little doubt that she hoped ethics reform would be among the legacies of her final four years as governor.”

VA:  MISSING FUNDS.  WP.  “Federal officials are investigating the theft of more than $600,000 from the campaign account of Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, the Fairfax Democrat disclosed Wednesday.”

VT: FIRST COMMITTEE. Sevendaysvt.com. “The Vermont House is expected to appoint its first-ever ethics committee this week, according to House Speaker Shap Smith (D-Morristown).”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

1-14 political law links

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

SUPER PAC UP. Hill. “A conservative super-PAC will begin running ads on Wednesday accusing Comcast of overseeing the creation of biased, liberal news at NBC and MSNBC, both of which it owns.”

CA: ILLEGAL CONTRIBUTIONS ALLEGED. Courthousenews.com. “A former employee sued political lobbyist Kevin Sloat and his firm Sloat Higgens Jensen & Associates, in a tale alleging unreported campaign donations, lavish gifts and accounting fraud.”

IL: LOBBYIST BAN EO. JG-TC. “Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has issued an executive order banning some state employees from negotiating for a lobbying job while working for the state.”

NJ: CLC CHRISTIE HIT. NJ.com. “The Washington-based watchdog group headed by comedian Stephen Colbert’s election lawyer has asked the New Jersey State Ethics Commission to investigate Gov. Chris Christie’s acceptance of free flights and tickets from the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who has a share in a company that holds a Port Authority hospitality services contract.”

NY: BILL ON FEES. Times Ledger. “The Astoria Democrat said he is drafting legislation to prevent New York from having to repeat its recent move in paying a $2.4 million refund to former Sen. Majority Leader Joseph Bruno’s dormant war chest and legal fund following his acquittal on federal corruption charges.”

UT: LATE TRAINING. Stltrib.com. “Legislative rules require Utah lawmakers to complete three short, ethics training exercises online by the end of each year. Many of them cut it close in 2014, and a few missed the deadline.”

TX: HOUSTON BLACKOUT PERIOD NEWS. Najvar Law Firm. “Last Friday afternoon, a federal court in Houston issued an injunction prohibiting the City from enforcing section 18-35(a) of the code of ordinances, which for more than twenty years has forced candidates to wait until February of the election year to begin raising funds.”

WI: CFR OVERHAUL. Press Gazette. “The board that oversees Wisconsin elections is poised to ask lawmakers to overhaul the state’s campaign finance laws.”

WI: COMPLICATED DOE. Watchdog.org. “If Chapter 11, Wisconsin’s campaign financing statutes, is too difficult for all but the most beautiful campaign finance minds to decipher, why did the agency pair up with Democrat Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm on an investigation that relies on a strained interpretation of Chapter 11?”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.