Wed. political law links

2013 DONORS.  Roll Call.  “Eight trade associations, companies, and individuals are already million-dollar donors to Section 527 political groups in 2013.”

COUNSEL ENGAGED.  KPBS.  “A Mexican tycoon at the heart of a federal campaign finance probe in San Diego has hired high-powered Washington, D.C. law firm Williams & Connolly LLP.”

BRONCOS V. SEAHAWKS CONTRIBUTION SUPERBOWL.  SportstalkFlorida.com.  “Broncos’ owners, employees and their relatives have contributed at least $84,000 to federal candidates and political parties since Jan. 1, 2011 — nearly twice what people affiliated with the Seattle Seahawks have donated, a USA TODAY analysis finds.”

CA:  BAIL SET.  UTSanDiego.com.  “A San Diego lobbyist charged in an illegal campaign financing scheme was granted bond Tuesday.”

CT:  SESSION BAN APPROACHING.  The Courant.  “State legislators are feverishly soliciting campaign contributions from state Capitol lobbyists before Feb. 5, the opening day for the 2014 legislative session, when it becomes illegal for lobbyists to make contributions during the three months of the session.”

GA:  ATTORNEY TERMINATED.  AJC.  “The state ethics commission met on Tuesday and fired its attorney, 20 days after a Capitol police officer said she appeared intoxicated at work.”

KY:  FISHY ETHICS.  State Journal.  “The former head of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and three employees face 19 potential ethics violations, from misusing agency resources, getting Kentucky Derby guest passes from the Kentucky State Police and creating a sexually charged work environment.”

MN:  ACCUSATIONS FLY.  Star Trib.  “According to Minnesota law, parties are supposed to clearly report their spending designed to elect or defeat candidates on a candidate by candidate basis.”

NY:  REQUESTS REJECTED.  Democrat & Chronicle.  “Four lobbying groups that had been seeking to keep their donors private will now have to disclose them publicly, the state’s joint ethics board ruled Tuesday.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Tuesday’s top political law links

RADEL RESIGNS.  Roll Call.  “An already brewing and nasty battle to oust an embattled Florida Republican escalated Monday when Rep. Trey Radel announced his resignation from Congress.”

RESIGNATION AND ETHICS.  Roll Call.  “When embattled Florida Rep. Trey Radel ends his tenure in Congress at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the House Ethics Committee is also expected to end its investigation into the Republican freshman’s arrest for cocaine possession.”

16 STARTS. Marketplace.org. “‘Is it just me, or are we raising campaign money earlier?'”

REP. SEEKS CFR.  Concord Monitor.  “To that end, this month I am joining U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland in sponsoring a proposal that would enhance the impact of everyday people on our elections. Together, we are introducing the Government by the People Act, a package of reforms designed to amplify the voices of individuals in congressional elections.”

CA: INDEPENDENT COUNSEL BRIEFING. LAT. “The state Senate’s ethics panel was briefed behind closed doors Monday by an independent counsel on his investigation into misconduct allegations involving Sen. Ronald S. Calderon (D-Montebello).”

CA: CORRECTION. SF Chron. “In a story Jan. 24 about a campaign committee that paid the state $300,000 after an investigation by California’s political watchdog agency, The Associated Press reported erroneously the reasons for the penalty against the Small Business Action Committee. The committee was required to return the money because two groups that gave it improperly concealed their contributions, not because the committee incorrectly reported the contributions.”

FL: SCOTT SUPPORT. Jacksonville.com. “With the growth of outside committees — known as political committees or electioneering communication organizations — that face no contribution caps, it makes no sense for campaigns to hustle for paltry four-digit checks.”

FL: SINGLE SUBJECT SUPER PAC. PR Newswire. “In hopes of providing a simple non-partisan solution for the way Congress does business, Single Subject Amendment, a Super PAC, is spearheading an effort to add an amendment to the United States Constitution.”

GA: ETHICS COMMISSION ISSUES. OnlineAthens.com. “The agency has been dealing with the fallout of lawsuits filed by former commission employees alleging retaliation for work investigating ethics complaints against Gov. Nathan Deal. A handful of current and former employees have also received federal subpoenas.”

MD: PUBLIC FINANCING PROPOSED. WP. “Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews is preparing to introduce legislation that would establish the Washington region’s first system of public financing for local elections.”

NH: FORMER LEADER CLEARED. PressHerald.com. “New Hampshire’s Legislative Ethics Committee voted unanimously Monday to clear former Senate President Peter Bragdon of using his position to win a $180,000 job with a quasi-governmental organization, but wants his agreement to informally resolve two issues.”

NY:  IS CUOMO SERIOUS?  Democrat & Chronicle.  “Still, the question remains: Which Cuomo will push the issue this year?”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Monday morning political law links

ALTHOUSE ON D’SOUZA.  Althouse.  “Laws need to be enforced neutrally, across the board, or we need to be free of them.”

K ST.:  NEW CLIENTS.  The Hill.  “Several K Street firms reeled in dozens of new clients in 2013 despite a down year for the influence industry.”

SUPER PAC READY. WP. “The former secretary of state’s early advantages under­score the new legal landscape that allows independent groups to more easily raise unlimited money. In addition to assembling grass-roots coalitions in early voting states, Ready for Hillary is hosting fundraisers and grass-roots events from New York and San Francisco to less traveled locales such as Grand Rapids, Mich., and Youngstown, Ohio.”

SUPER PAC CHIEF NAMED.  The Hill.  “Brad Woodhouse, president of the progressive group Americans United for Change, has been named the new president of Democratic super PAC American Bridge.”

SUPER PAC IA MOVES.  USAT.  “Organizers hoping for a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign in 2016 met here Saturday with Iowa Democrats and labor leaders to initiate an early effort to get the former secretary of state on the ballot.”

CA:  PAYMENT MADE.  Sierra Sun Times.  “Last October the FPPC announced a record civil settlement against the Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR) and Americans for Responsible Leadership (ARL).”

CA:  LOBBYIST TO APPEAR.  NBC.  “According to a complaint filed by the FBI and unsealed by a U.S. magistrate judge Tuesday, [Marco Polo] Cortes allegedly conspired with Ravneet Singh, CEO of electionmall.com, and former San Diego Police Department Detective Ernesto Encinas to funnel more than $500,000 into San Diego political races, mostly in 2012 and 2013.”

CO:  LEVEL THE FIELD.  Denver Post.  “Colorado lawmakers need to level the campaign finance playing field. That’s the lesson from a successful legal challenge to a system that is clearly unfair.”

SC:  MORE TO COME.  HeraldOnline.com.  “Former Charleston Sen. Robert Ford faces more allegations that he used campaign donations for personal expenses and misrepresented his spending.”

VA:  FLAGS WAVED.  DailyProgress.com.  “The email exchange was at the center of a quiet legal battle last fall between the federal prosecutors and McDonnell’s legal defense team in an intensifying investigation into the governor’s relationship with Williams.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.