Here are today’s political law links (3/17/14)

SUNSHINE WEEK.  You’d never know it from the snow and cold we have here in Washington, but it’s Sunshine Week: “Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.”

ELECTRONIC FILING EDITORIAL.  KC Star.  “Join us and make sure that the next Senate candidate donors are easy for anyone with a computer to review. Requiring disclosure while not making information available in a timely fashion is unreasonable.”

ICKES IN THE NEWS.  WP.  “In February 1995, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Harold Ickes sent White House Counsel Abner Mikva a two-page memo sharing class-action lawyer Bill Lerach’s concerns about bills that would make securities class actions harder to file. ‘He is a very successful attorney in this area and is a substantial contributor to the Democratic Party,’ Ickes wrote.”

SUPER PAC HEADS UP.  Tampa Bay Times.  “Though the Values are Vital PAC is pro-[Paige] Kreegel, he is barred by law from coordinating with the group.”

SUPER PAC CIVILITY.  WRAL.  “Super PACs were created by recent court rulings. They may raise and spend unlimited money but may not coordinate with any particular candidate.”

CO:  FINES NOT PAID.  9News.com.  “A 9NEWS investigation has uncovered nearly $90,000 in unpaid fines by Colorado lobbyists, among them a current state senator, and an ineffective system in state government to force those fines to be paid.”

IL:  CHICAGOLAND.  Hyde Park Herald.  “In addition to his legislative duties, state Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-26) has been a registered lobbyist and staff member at a public affairs firm, which has led opponents to question his ethics.”

LA:  NEW PERSONAL USE RULES?  Nola.com.  “Preventing Louisiana politicians from using campaign contributions for personal expenses will require stricter enforcement and clearer laws, including a specific ban on uses such as paying for country club fees and personal clothing, a watchdog organization said Friday (March 14).”

MA:  MUNICIPAL CANDIDATE REPORTING.  Salem News.  “Candidates in municipal elections will be held to the same record-keeping standards as those running for county and state office, once Gov. Deval Patrick signs into law new campaign finance reporting legislation.”

UT:  REPORTING BILL PASSES.  WT.  “Both chambers in the Utah Legislature have approved a measure aiming to improve campaign finance reporting and better disclose lobbyist efforts at the state Capitol.”

VA:  MCDONNELL UPDATE.  WP.  “A federal judge on Friday rejected requests from former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell’s attorneys that prosecutors immediately turn over a variety of documents they sought to prepare for a corruption trial this summer.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Good morning, here are today’s political law links

THE IRS AND UKRAINE.  Reuters.  “Some House Republicans have suggested that they would back the IMF measure in the Ukraine bill if the Obama administration ends its plans to reform the way such groups engage in political activity.”

SUPER PACS AND THE PRESIDENT.  HuffPo.  “Senior Obama administration officials confirmed on Thursday that President Barack Obama would be appearing at two super PAC events this election cycle to help support Democratic candidates.”

USE OF VIDEO IN THE NEWS.  NJ.  “Candidates and the super PACs that support them aren’t allowed to share videos, or any other information, in private. So campaigns have increasingly gone public, posting B-roll clips of their candidates shaking hands with all sorts of constituents in hopes that the images wind up in future TV ads.”

SEC WINS.  Bond Buyer.  “A federal judge has ordered seven defendants to disgorge millions in ill-gotten gains and imposed other administrative penalties stemming from a pay-to-play case involving the New York State Common Retirement Fund.”  More at Pensions & Investments.

AZ:  FIESTA BOWL CASE SENTENCE.  Star Tribune.  “A former longtime Fiesta Bowl chief executive was sentenced to eight months in federal prison on Thursday after acknowledging that he participated in an illegal campaign contribution scheme.”

CO:  APPEAL REJECTED.  The Independent.  “Denver District Court Judge Herbert L. Stern on Wednesday rejected an appeal filed by Secretary of State Scott Gessler and affirmed the decision of Colorado’s Independent Ethics Commission that the secretary violated state laws when he spent public money on partisan activities.”  The opinion is online here.

DC:  TREASURER CHARGED.  WP.  “Former D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown’s campaign treasurer has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 from the candidate’s bank account in a case that bolsters the politician’s explanation of the missing money.”

NY:  GROUP FINED.  NYDN.  “The independently-financed group that helped end former Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s mayoral ambitions was fined $7,050 by the Campaign Finance Board Thursday morning for failing to report $70,000 in expenditures.”

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HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.

Thurs., 3-13 political law links

AIDE LINKED TO SCANDAL.  NYT.  “A wealthy Washington businessman embroiled in a campaign finance scandal communicated with a longtime adviser to Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton on an illegal canvassing effort to bolster Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, according to court documents.”

VANDEN HUEVEL ON THE NEXT CU.  WP.  “The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission any day now.”

WALDEN HIT.  Oregonlive.com.  “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint Wednesday against Walden with the Office of Congressional Ethics for approving what the group called ‘fraudulent campaign fundraising websites’ in his role as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.”

CA:  BROWN GETS BILL.  Sacramento Bee.  “State lawmakers sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill Monday designed to strengthen California’s campaign finance standards in response to a recent case that prompted the largest campaign reporting fine in state history.”

KS:  LOBBYIST DEFINITION PROPOSAL.  Topeka Capital-Journal.  “The measure would raise to $500 the level of expenditure on political activity needed to apply a mandate for registration as a lobbyist of state government.”

MA:  COMPANY FINED.  MetroWest Daily News.  “The owner of a Framingham roofing business that once replaced the roof on Boston City Hall agreed to pay $45,000 to the state for making improper corporate campaign contributions to Mayor Martin Walsh’s campaign last year.”

NY:  INCLUDE CFR?  Newsday.  “With budget negotiations set to advance today, the politically split state Senate is divided over whether to include any campaign-finance proposals in its one-house budget, several sources said.”

NY:  BOARD SUED.  NYDN.  “Failed mayoral candidate John Liu slapped the Campaign Finance Board with a federal lawsuit for dealing a death blow to his mayoral campaign by denying him millions in city matching funds.”

VA:  DEADLINE CHANGED.  WP.  “The State Board of Elections has opened up a comment period on its decision to revise the deadline for filing campaign finance reports after Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s administration asked the board to seek public input on the change.”

WA:  BILLS APPEARS DEAD.  The Olympian.  “A bill that would have required lobbyists to file spending reports electronically at the state Public Disclosure Commission has appeared to die in the Republican-steered Senate.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.