8.27 political law links

CAMPAIGN SPENDING ON FOOD.  Tampabay.com.  “USA Today crunched numbers to find lawmakers spent $14.5 million in donors’ money on food since 2011. And the late Rep. Bill Young was ‘one of the bigger spenders.'”

SPLIT VOTES AND “UNOFFICIAL LAW.”  NYT.  “Campaign lawyers of both parties say the deadlocks have profoundly, if informally, affected the rules governing campaigns, particularly on questions involving whether political nonprofit groups must disclose their finances and the threshold for starting an investigation.”

LOBBYIST CONTRACTS DISCLOSED.  Yahoo.  “Several lobbying contracts obtained by the Center for Public Integrity through federal court filings do, however, reveal the hourly market rate at one notable firm for lobbyists of different skill and experience levels.”

CANDIDACY DECISION.  Daily Times.  “Sestak spokesman Edwin Wee confirmed Friday the former 7th Congressional District congressman will sign a conciliation agreement with the FEC that includes a $500 civil penalty and requires him to file a statement of candidacy for violating a provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.”

CANDIDACY THRESHOLD.  Breitbart.  “Sean Haugh, the 53-year-old pizza deliveryman and Libertarian Party candidate who is polling at 8% of voters in the North Carolina Senate race, has just passed a $5,000 in donations threshold requiring him to file his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, his spokeswoman said.”

CA:  SODA TAX FIGHT AND THE LAW.  SFGate.com.  “The campaign to pass Prop. E, which would levy a two-cents-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks and use it to fund children’s anti-obesity programs, thinks something is amiss. It has filed complaints with the San Francisco Ethics Commission and the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission, alleging that the No on E committee and its principal source of funds, the American Beverage Association, are violating financial disclosure requirements.”

NH:  CONTRIBUTION ALLEGATIONS.  NHPR.  “Alleged violations of the state’s campaign finance rules are once again front and center in the New Hampshire governor’s race, with the top candidates on the receiving end of accusations that they accepted illegal donations.”

PA:  PERMANENTLY ENJOINED.  Post Gazette.  “Pennsylvania’s law barring corporations and associations from making political contributions, which had been in direct conflict with Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, has now been permanently enjoined.”

VA:  LOBBYIST SPENDING POST-MCDONNELL.  WP.  “Lobbyists spent 10 percent less on wining and dining Virginia lawmakers during this year’s legislative session compared with the previous year, but it’s unclear whether that was a result of the scandal over gifts accepted by former governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) and his family.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.  I’ll send around the next set of links on Tuesday.  Have a great Labor Day weekend and I’ll see you then.

8.26 political law links

APP FOR POLITICS.  LAT.  “Finding out where your favorite brands lie on the political spectrum is now as easy as scanning bar codes with your iPhone.”

AL:  CONTRIBUTION ALLEGATIONS.  AL.com.  “The Democratic candidate for Alabama attorney general on Monday accused his Republican opponent of breaking state law by accepting a campaign donation from the campaign account of former U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile.”

AZ:  COMPLAINT FILED.  InMaricopa.com.  “State Senate candidate Scott Bartle filed a complaint Friday with the Secretary of State and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission against his Legislative District 11 Republican primary opponent, Steve Smith.”

CT:  DGA GIVES.  CTnewsjunkie.com.  “The Democratic Governors Association donated $1.25 million to Connecticut Forward, the Super PAC formed to help Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s re-election efforts.”

FL:  SUPER PAC FORMED.  New Times.  “[Cheryl] Shuman has been scrambling to put together a super PAC in time for the elections. She says that plans for ‘Moms for Marijuana’ were finalized only last Thursday and that she plans to register with the Federal Elections Commission this week. Currently, there are only three other marijuana-themed super PACS registered, and none of them has raised any cash.”

MA:  LOBBYING FIRM IN THE NEWS.  Boston Herald.  “A politically wired Beacon Hill lobbying firm let off with a light penalty by Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Martha Coakley for a possible violation of state law hosted a fundraiser for Coakley’s U.S. Senate campaign in 2009, the Herald has learned.”

NY:  FREE SPEECH CONCERNS.  Fox.  “The New York State Board of Elections has enacted emergency regulations to keep a closer eye on political spending by special interest groups, but critics say the changes are over-reaching and will stifle free speech.”

OH:  WHAT’S NEW?  Dispatch.com.  “Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ed FitzGerald’s campaign confirmed yesterday that it is diverting money back to the Ohio Democratic Party’s ‘field and voter turnout program’ in an apparent nod to what party leaders have been saying for a week.”

TN:  A FIRST.  Leaf-Chronicle.  “For the first time in its history, the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance board has voted to audit a local candidate’s campaign finance reports, in this case a candidate from Montgomery County.”

TX:  PAYING THE LAWYERS.  Bizjournals.com.  “Texas Gov. Rick Perry will pay for his own defense against two felony indictments, the Texas Tribune reported Wednesday night.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

8.25 political law links

CA:  TWO BILLS MOVE.  Capradio.org.  “One would require the disclosure of the top five contributors to ballot measures; the other would require that paid actors appearing in campaign ads be identified as such.”

CT:  SUPER PAC MOCK.  CT Post.  “Though legal, here’s what’s wrong: The money coming through the polical action committees makes a mockery of the state’s public campaign finance reform.”

NM:  HEARING VACATED.  KOB.  “The state Supreme Court has scrapped a planned hearing on a campaign finance lawsuit after the legal dispute was resolved between Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gary King and Secretary of State Dianna Duran.”

NY:  DONOR ALLEGATIONS.  Bizjournals.com.  “Tanski, who has several businesses with interests in the Town of Halfmoon, allegedly contributed a total of $6,000 to the campaign of Wormuth through the straw donors, in violation of the $1,000 contribution limit, Schneiderman’s Office said.”

TX:  INDICTMENT FUNDRAISING.  WP.  “Rick Perry’s Super PAC is now selling $25 t-shirts with his mugshot on the front.”

TX:  RULE CONSIDERED.  Lubbockonline.com.  “The Texas Ethics Commission has moved forward with a measure to out secret campaign donors despite a pending federal lawsuit by a conservative group over whether the commission has the authority to regulate dark money disclosure.”

WI:  COORDINATION ISSUES.  WP.  “The documents released Friday by a federal appeals court also show that prosecutors believe Walker personally solicited donations for conservative group Wisconsin Club for Growth to get around campaign finance limits and disclosure requirements as he fended off the recall attempt in 2012.”

WI: WHAT EMAILS SHOW.  NYT.  “The investigation has pulled back the curtain on the ways politicians and their aides seek to get around the welter of state and national campaign finance restrictions to accommodate donors, and it has clouded the White House prospects of Mr. Walker.”

WI: WALKER DOCS LATER WITHDRAWN. Politico. “A fresh batch of emails emerged Friday night that shows Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was deeply involved in raising money for an ostensibly independent group focused on fending off the recall.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.