Fri. political law links, 3-7-14

CU II READY TO LAUNCH.  Newsweek.  “Due any day now, the court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission could overturn a nearly 40-year-old law that limits what individuals give to campaigns and what they can give in total.”

OFA FUNDRAISER FIRED.  Star Tribune.  “Organizing for Action, a group formed to back President Barack Obama’s agenda, has fired one of its fundraisers and acknowledged falling short of its standards as questions were raised Friday about whether the group solicited donations in exchange for access to Obama or White House officials.”

IL:  LAW UNSETTLED.  Quad-City Times.  “At issue is the group’s contention that donation limits imposed in the wake of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s ouster are unconstitutional because contributions from legislative leaders are not capped in general elections.”

KS:  TRANSFER MEASURE MOVES.  Topeka Capital-Journal.  “Rep. John Alcala was a minority of one on the House Elections Committee in opposition to legislation permitting Kansas political figures to transfer contributions made to previous campaigns for state office to their race for a different state post.”

MA:  MORE SUPER PAC DISCLOSURE?  CommonWealth.  “The Massachusetts legislature is likely to take up a campaign finance package that would impose stricter disclosure rules on super PACs soon, but the new regulations are unlikely to take effect before November’s gubernatorial contest.”

WI:  REWRITING LAWS.  Cap Times.  “The bill would repeal a law that prohibits registered lobbyists from contributing to legislators during the legislative session. Currently, lobbyists cannot donate money to campaigns until June 1 of an election year.”

CAN: WHAT’S FAIR?  Montreal Gazette.  “With its euphemistically named Fair Elections Act, the Conservatives have managed to introduce one of the worst electoral bills to date. Among other things, it would strip Elections Canada of its investigative powers when, in fact, those powers need to be improved; increase the limit of political donations (they apparently haven’t been paying attention to the Charbonneau commission); and disenfranchise youth, seniors and aboriginal voters.”

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.

Thurs. political law links, 3-6-14

CHEAT SHEET.  NJ.  “A Democratic group is hoping to shine a light into an opaque corner of the conservative money machine, with a new searchable database of hundreds of right-leaning nonprofit groups, foundations, business leagues, wealthy individuals, and other political players whose actions are difficult to scrutinize.”

MOST PATHETIC.  NRO.  “Taken together, this level of corruption may have had a material influence on the outcome of the 2012 election.”

LATHAM REFUNDS.  Des Moines Register.  “The Federal Election Commission has strict rules about what federal candidates can and can’t do with leftover campaign balances when they lose an election or retire.”

HUSBAND OF POKE BUTTON PIONEER ACCUSED.  WFB.  “New York Republicans filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission last month alleging that Sean Eldridge, a Democratic candidate for a New York House seat, accepted an illegal contribution from a local business group.”

COMPLAINT FILED.  Billings Gazette.  “Two Washington, D.C.-based advocacy groups filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday accusing a U.S. House candidate in Montana of illegally coordinating with the political action committee he created.”

CA:  GIFTS REPORTED.  San Jose Mercury News.  “California lawmakers, including two Democrats who are on leave after being charged with criminal offenses, have reported thousands of dollars in gifts and travel expenses they received from donors.”

CA:  ALJ ON BERRYHILL.  LAT.  “A scheme by state Sen. Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto) to launder $40,000 in campaign funds through two county GOP committees to his brother Bill’s 2008 Assembly campaign was a ‘serious and deliberate’ violation of state regulations, an administrative law judge concluded in a report released Wednesday.”

NY:  STUMPING FOR REFORM.  TimesUnion.com.  “An overwhelmingly XX-chromosome gathering of advocates and Democratic legislators argued for the gender impact of New York approving public financing of campaigns as part of the reform package that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has rolled into his executive budget proposal.”

WI:  REFORM INTRODUCED.  Daily Cardinal.  “The bills would remove financial reporting requirements for political advertisements that do not explicitly advocate for the election or defeat of individual candidates or include the words ‘vote for,’ ‘elect,’ ‘support’ or five other similar terms.”

WI:  BILLS NOT PRIORITY.  Post Crescent.  “Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that he’s not pushing for Republican-sponsored bills loosening campaign donation and spending regulations that are opposed by a variety of government watchdog groups and a major private-sector union.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Wed. political law links, 3-5-14

HONDA WON’T GIVE.  DetroitNews.com.  “Honda Motor Co. said this week it will not make contributions to support or oppose any U.S. political candidate at any level.”

PAY TO PLAY ALLEGED.  Fox News.  “A deal between Univision and Hillary Clinton to promote childhood education is raising questions, again, about whether TV networks are effectively giving free airtime to the possible Democratic presidential candidate.”

SELF-FUNDER ISSUES.  Seattle Times.  “DelBene was one of only four millionaires who financed half or more of their 2012 campaigns and won; 28 other millionaires were defeated and two dropped out, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign-finance watchdog group in Washington, D.C.”

NOBLE BACK.  Roll Call.  “A leading campaign finance lawyer has joined a national advocacy organization to focus on campaign finance litigation and Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulatory oversight.”

CA:  COST OF ALLEGATIONS.  WP.  “Two California state senators in legal trouble are taking indefinite leaves of absence from their jobs, rejecting Republicans’ calls for them to resign and costing Democrats their supermajority, at least temporarily.”

IL:  IT’S A RECORD.  CBS.  “[Bruce] Rauner’s spending is now historic. Campaign finance records show he contributed another million to his campaign Monday, bringing the total amount of his personal cash contributions to just over $6 million – more than any other candidate for governor in state history.”

MA:  DISCLOSURE CALL.  Boston Globe.  “An advocacy group concerned with the flood of outside money in politics is warning that the creation last week of a super PAC aimed at the Massachusetts gubernatorial race presages a torrent of shadowy spending heading toward November.”

NY:  DID SHOOTING VICTIM NEED TO REGISTER?  Newsday.  “Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius was not a registered lobbyist, even though he was hired to help get laws passed that would boost his client Interceptor Ignition Interlocks Inc.”

NY:  SUIT SETTLED.  CrainsNewYork.com.  “The city Campaign Finance Board demands rigorous transparency from candidates for public office, but itself secretly settled a botched case last year, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.