Today’s political law links

PRAISE FOR PROSECUTION.  The Post.  “There are important lessons for the whole country in the California case, which resulted in a record $500,000 civil fine imposed on each of the two groups involved.”

VH HEARING TODAY. The hearing in Van Hollen will be in Courtroom 3, 2nd fl. at 10 a.m.

RENZI SENTENCED. Politico. “A federal judge on Monday sentenced former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi to three years in prison for convictions on public corruption, money laundering and other charges.”

DONATIONS DISCLOSED.  HuffPo.  “The report listed 24 corporations that voluntarily disclosed their 2012 contributions to the Chamber of Commerce on their own websites.”

E-FILING ANYONE?  Here.  “The U.S. Senate’s old-fashioned campaign finance rules make the already complicated job of tracking donations more difficult.”

GOING GLOBAL. The Hill. “Patton Boggs is reportedly in the early stages of merger talks with the Dallas-based law firm Locke Lord, a move that could take the powerhouse firm to new heights.”

CA:  DOG WALKING ISSUE.  Here.  “A Humane Society lobbyist is coming under scrutiny for her close relationship with a member of California Gov. Jerry Brown’s inner circle: his dog Sutter.”

FL:  RESTAURANT VISITS REPORTED.  Here.  “A copy of Miami City Commission candidate Richard P. Dunn II’s most recent campaign finance report shows an unusually high number of visits to restaurants, and a particular fondness for fast food, seafood and barbecue.”

LA:  ETHICS APPOINTEE.  Congratulations!  “The governor’s office said Friday that William J. Larzelere Jr. will represent the 1st Congressional District on the board, which administers and enforces conflicts of interest legislation, campaign finance disclosure requirements and lobbyist registration.”

NH:  PERSONAL GAIN ALLEGED.  Here.  “New Hampshire’s Legislative Ethics Committee voted Monday to investigate a complaint that former Senate President Peter Bragdon used his public office for personal gain.”

NY:  INVESTIGATION REQUESTED.  Here.  “GOP chairman Ed Cox says state ethics laws require government officials to tell their supervisor when they apply for a private sector job.”

NY:  UNION DONATIONS HIGHLIGHTED.  NY Post.  “Bill de Blasio is taking advantage of a campaign-finance loophole — which he helped establish as a City Council member — that allows unions not representing municipal workers to contribute without limit.”

SC:  HALEY AND ETHICS LAW.  Here.  “According to an October 4 agreement between Haley’s office, the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the S.C. State Ethics Commission (SCSEC) – the governor’s campaign organization will no longer reimburse taxpayers for transportation and security costs.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Mon. political law links

FIFTH CIR. ON IE GROUPS.  BNA via Chris Gober.  “Texas can’t stop corporations from contributing to independent expenditure-only political action committees, or Super-PACs, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held Oct. 16, in a case that it said was ‘one step removed from the facts of Citizens United.'”

CA:  LIST RELEASE.  AllGov.  “The state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) announced record penalties for two members of ‘the Koch brothers network of dark money political nonprofit corporations’ and let slip out a surprising list of rich California donors who fueled their attempt to influence the election in November 2012.”

CA:  NO EVIDENCE.  WFB.  “The California Fair Political Practices Commission (CFPPC) is attempting to link the Koch brothers to violations of campaign finance disclosure laws without any evidence the Koch’s were involved.”

CA:  AFTERMATH.  New Yorker.  “And yet, yesterday, Melissa Cohlmia, a spokeswoman for Koch Industries, insisted that the brothers were not involved in the California campaign scandal in any way.”

VA:  BILLS GROW.  The Post.  “The list of publicly funded lawyers hired to deal with issues related to federal and state investigations into Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) is growing — as is the price tag for Virginia taxpayers.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Fri. political law links

SOROS IN. The Hill. “The super-PAC, Ready for Hillary, tweeted on Thursday that Soros would serve as one of the co-chairs of the group’s national finance council.”

CA:  SETTLEMENT ANNOUNCED.  CA AG.  “California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the California Attorney General’s Office and the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) have jointly secured a $1 million civil settlement against two out-of-state organizations for violations of the California Political Reform Act.”

CA:  LAST HURRAH.  LAT.  “Ann Ravel is finishing her tenure as California’s top campaign finance watchdog with a splash.”

CA:  MASSIVE FINE.  The Post.  “Two groups that are part of a conservative political network maintained by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch have agreed to a record $1 million civil settlement with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the largest campaign fine in state history.”

CA:  LARGEST FINE.   Story here.  “In a case seeking to unmask the murky multimillion-dollar trail of money pouring into state and national political campaigns, California’s political watchdog agency on Thursday announced the largest fine in its history for campaign-reporting violations and ordered two political action committees to pay the state $15 million for failing to properly report the source of funds spent in the 2012 election.”

CA:  HISTORIC PENALTIES.  Here.  “Two Arizona nonprofit groups that failed to disclose the source of more than $16 million in political donations last year will pay a record $1 million fine under a settlement announced Thursday by the state’s attorney general and political watchdog.”

CA:  GROUP FINED.  The Times.  “‘This case highlights the nationwide scourge of dark money nonprofit networks hiding the identities of their contributors,’ said Ann Ravel, the commission’s chairwoman, in a statement.”

CA:  LOBBYIST FIRED.  Story here.  “Earlier this week, the city fired its Sacramento lobbying firm, Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni, after the firm took on a new client that city officials thought created a conflict of interest.”

DE:  LAWSUIT TARGET.  Here.  “Last year, Delaware passed broad new laws on campaign finance ‘reform’ that politicians claimed would lead to more ‘transparent’ government.”

MI:  INVESTIGATION.  Story here.  “The state is investigating Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and two of his campaign aides over allegations they violated state campaign finance law.”

NY:  APPEALS COURT RULES.  The Times.  “A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that a conservative group supporting the mayoral candidacy of Joseph J. Lhota may accept contributions of any size, saying New York State’s limit on donations to independent political groups was probably unconstitutional.”

NY:  CU CITED.  CSM.  “A unanimous three-judge panel of the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010).”

PA:  LOBBYIST GIFTS.  Here.  “In Pennsylvania, lobbyists have access to policymakers from before the start of the business day until well after the sun goes down. It’s the product of a fundraising culture that’s essentially built into the legislative schedule.”

RI:  PAC DISSOLVED.  Story here.  “The National Rifle Association has dissolved its Rhode Island political action committee, one month after the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats filed a complaint against the organization for failing to disclose its donors.”

VA:  SBE RULES.  Here.  “The State Board of Elections (SBE) said Thursday an out-of-state group did not break a major campaign finance rule after contributing to Democrat Mark Herring’s campaign for attorney general.”

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.