Wed. top political law links

TOMORROW’S FEC MEETING. The agenda is online here.

KASHMIR HILL ON BITCOIN. Forbes. “Whether donors can send cryptocoins to their party and politician of choice — and how that gets tracked — will get another look from the FEC this Thursday.”

SUPER PAC LAUNCH. Casper Star Tribune. “Obamacare is the crux of a new radio and TV ad campaign sponsored by Wyoming’s Own, a super PAC supporting Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.”

CA: DNA ON FLIERS CITED. NBC. “For months, she’s been investigating the case of illegal campaign mailers sent during a San Jose City council race.”

CO: COMPLAINT TO PROCEED. ABC7. “The state Independent Ethics Commission has voted to proceed with an ethics complaint filed against Gov. John Hickenlooper.”

NC: NEW FIRM HIRED. Here. “The city of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the Fayetteville Regional Chamber will hire the firm of Faegre Baker Daniels for a quoted price of $7,500 a month, starting early next year. The initial contract will be for six months.”

NJ: FREEHOLD PAY TO PLAY. News here. “The ordinance establishes thresholds for contributions to municipal candidates and political parties by individuals or firms that are seeking to perform services for or are performing services or holding a contract with Freehold Borough.”

SC: ETHICS BILL CRITICISM. FITSNEWS. “The ingredients for real ethics reform in the Palmetto State are surprisingly simple: Tough laws, tougher penalties and independent enforcement.”

IRELAND: ANONYMOUS GIVING. Belfast Telegraph. “At present, the anonymity of donors is protected for fear they would be targeted by terrorists who oppose their political views.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Tues. political law links, 11-19-13

MICHELLE TO THE MAX.  Roll Call.  “First lady Michelle Obama urged donors in New York on Monday to contribute to Democrats’ efforts to hold the Senate majority in 2014, saying ‘the midterm elections matter’ in helping the president’s agenda move forward.”

HOUSE EXTENDS AND EXPANDS CAMPAIGN FINANCE FINE PROGRAM. House Floor action on HR 3487 yesterday: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.”

LOBBYIST GROUP UPDATE.  The Hill.  “It’s official: The American League of Lobbyists is no more.”

GPS FORM.  Politico.  “Crossroads GPS, the nonprofit affiliate of the super PAC American Crossroads, reported receiving three eight-figure contributions —of $22.5 million, $18 million and, $10 million, during 2012, according to tax documents released Monday.”

SUPER PAC BUY.  Roll Call.  “After recent polling showed a smaller lead over rivals, a national Democratic Super PAC purchased $195,300 of media time supporting Sen. Kay Hagan in her 2014 re-election campaign.”

JOHN EDWARDS UPDATE. Politico. “He has been otherwise largely out of the public eye since May 2012, when he was acquitted of misusing campaign donations to hide an affair during the 2008 election. A jury deadlocked on other counts, but the prosecution declined to retry him.”

LIKES, FOLLOWS, HATCH ACT, AND HEALTHCARE. WFB. “A former chief White House ethics lawyer has filed a Hatch Act complaint against a D.C.-based health care exchange, alleging that its online communications with liberal activist group Organizing for Action (OFA) violated rules against federal political activity.”

AR:  RETURNING FUNDS. ADG.  “The attorney for former state Sen. Paul Bookout says Bookout is set to return thousands of dollars in campaign contributions while a criminal investigation continues into Bookout’s personal use of campaign cash.”

CT:  SENTENCING.  CBS.  “A former labor union official was sentenced to three years of probation Monday in a scandal involving nearly $28,000 in illegal contributions to former state House Speaker Christopher Donovan’s failed congressional campaign last year.”

MN:  ERRORS PROMPT HEARING.  Here.  “The Minnesota Legislature plans to hold a joint hearing to explore the inconsistencies the Star Tribune found in the state’s electronic campaign finance data.”

NY:  SUPER PAC POWER.  Crain’s.  “A top state GOP operative has set up a new super PAC as Republicans and Democrats gear up for what will be a bruising statewide election in 2014.”

NY:  PARTY LOBBYING ISSUE.  NYDN.  “In a complaint filed Monday with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, NYPIRG officials asked the watchdog agency to look into the lobbying activities of political parties and require that they formally register with the state as lobbyists.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Monday’s top political law links

WINNING IN WASHINGTON.  WP. “It’s hard to say exactly how many of Washington’s households in the top 1 percent draw their incomes from the broad business of serving, supplying or influencing the government. But an analysis of tax data by the Economic Policy Institute shows that the area’s 1-percenters are most likely to be lawyers and executives, or those who work in management consulting or IT. Nearly 1 in 10 of those households is headed by a government worker.”

EARMARK BAN AND LOBBYING.  Roll Call.  “The modern lobbying business was built largely on helping clients secure member- directed pots of money in annual appropriations bills. And many of the firms that pioneered the practice have taken a serious hit since lawmakers banned earmarks in 2010.”

TRAVEL GIFT UPDATE.  The Hill.  “The House ethics panel has determined that a House Democrat accepted an “impermissible gift” from a private sponsor of a trip to Taiwan in 2011.”

RULING ON AIDE.  WBUR.  “The U.S. Senate Committee on Ethics has dismissed a complaint filed by the Massachusetts Republican Party against Sen. Elizabeth’s Warren’s chief of staff after it determined that Mindy Myers did not violate Senate rules by lending her name to a fundraising appeal for New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.”

ON THE CALENDAR.  Leader’s Weekly Schedule:  “H.R. 3487 – To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act to extend through 2018 the authority of the Federal Election Commission to impose civil money penalties on the basis of a schedule of penalties  established and published by the Commission, to expand such authority to certain other violations.”  More on H.R. 3487 here.  The FEC’s 2012 legislative recommendation addressed extending the program, not expanding the types of reports covered.

CA:  ETHICS BURST.  Sacramento Bee.  “On a single day this week, the Democratic leader of the state Senate stood before the Capitol to address the latest allegations in an FBI corruption probe, a Republican state senator took the witness stand to testify he had not engaged in money laundering, the state’s political watchdog handed down fines to one current and two past lawmakers who admitted campaign finance violations, and three former government officials who were recently fined for not registering as lobbyists sat through a required ethics class.”

VA:  FEES TOTAL.  The Post.  “Private attorneys representing the office of Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and other government officials grappling with federal and state investigations of McDonnell’s interactions with a wealthy political benefactor have now charged taxpayers more than $575,000.”

WI: SUBPOENAS FLY. WSJ. “In recent weeks, special prosecutor Francis Schmitz has hit dozens of conservative groups with subpoenas demanding documents related to the 2011 and 2012 campaigns to recall Governor Walker and state legislative leaders.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.