Good morning, here are today’s political law links, 6/6

FEC GC TO LEAVE. Roll Call. “Covington & Burling announced today that Tony Herman, the General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission, is returning to work at the firm. Herman was named the FEC General Counsel in September 2011.”

MEMBER PAYMENTS QUESTIONS. USAT. “Over the past 10 years, Rep. Luis Gutierrez has paid a Chicago lobbyist more than $500,000 in taxpayer funds to work side-by-side with his congressional staff.”

GUILTY PLEA IN CONTRIBUTIONS CASE. DOJ Release. “According to the plea documents, Cenac obtained cashier’s checks using his personal and corporate funds in names of individuals other than himself, including people he knew professionally, personally, or through family relations. Cenac neither sought nor obtained the permission of the individuals he listed as remitters on the cashier’s checks. He then submitted the checks as campaign contributions to the campaigns of two U.S. Senate candidates, causing the campaigns to submit materially false information regarding the source and the amount of the contributions to the FEC.”

FCPA VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE CONSIDERATIONS. Inside Counsel. “One of the most difficult and consequential decisions a company faces when presented with a corruption allegation is the decision whether or not to self-report to the government.”

NY: (C)(4) DISCLOSURE UPDATE. Here via HVJ Blog. “The groups will have to report the share of spending that goes to federal, state and local electioneering and file itemized expenses and list contributions.”

OR: LOBBYISTS LOBBYING LOBBYISTS LOOPHOLE. News here. “The bill is intended to eliminate a requirement that lobbyists report the cost of their meals when they lobby other lobbyists.”

VA: CONCERN OVER EVENT. The Post. “Newly released emails show Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell attended an event at the Executive Mansion to promote a new product from a generous campaign donor despite concerns from top aides.”

VA: POST VIEW ON MCDONNELL. Here. “His reticence and what appear to be repeated instances of using definitional sleight of hand to skirt state disclosure laws have deepened suspicions that more damaging revelations about the governor may be forthcoming.”

WI: LIMIT INCREASE? News here. “Records show Assembly Republicans were seriously considering a proposal to boost the maximum amount a donor can give to a state or local political candidate by 100% and then to adjust the limit after that based on inflation.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY. I’ll send around the next set of links on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Good morning, here are Wednesday’s political law links, 6/5

SPECIAL ELECTION SET. The Hill. “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Tuesday called an Oct. 16 special election to fill the late-Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D) seat, sending voters to the polls just weeks before he faces his own reelection.”

EMAIL SECRETS. Story here. “The Associated Press reported Tuesday that officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other departments employed a second email address to separate important internal messages from overflowing their public email accounts.”

TEA TARGETS TESTIFY. News here. “Today, Wetumpka Tea Party leader Becky Gerritson delivered a thumping to the Internal Revenue Service and to politicians in Washington.” Via Althouse.

PAY TO PLAY SETTLEMENT. Story here. “Without admitting or denying wrongdoing, Neil Morrison, 38, accepted what the SEC said was the first industry ban for violating ‘pay-to-play’ rules governing the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market.”

EAC TERMINATION. USAT. “A House committee approved legislation Tuesday to shut down the federal commission set up more than 10 years ago to help states improve their election systems.”

CO: GESSLER HEARING. Story here. “The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission decided Monday to proceed with a hearing Friday on whether Secretary of State Scott Gessler misused office money, including nearly $1,300 to go to Florida last year for a Republican lawyers conference.”

CT: PACKAGE APPROVED. Story here. “Independent political groups that violate Connecticut’s campaign disclosure laws could face bigger fines, but big-time donors would be able to give thousands more to parties and candidates under a bill approved by the Senate early Tuesday.”

UK: LOBBYISTS BANNED. Daily Mail. “More than 80 lobbyists have been suspended from the Palace of Westminster in a dramatic attempt to end the latest sleaze scandal.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Good morning, here are today’s political law links, 6/4

UNION PAYS. WFB. “One of the Democratic Party’s largest political contributors must pay a former employee who was fired from his job because he refused to donate to a union political action committee (PAC).”

MORE HEARINGS.  The Post.  “Congress on Monday held its fourth hearing on the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups, this time with questions coming from the House lawmakers who control funding for the agency.”

CT: CFR DIRTY DAYS. Here. ”The legislation increases the amounts of money that an individual can donate to party committees and political action committees and removes limits on what the committees can spend in support or opposition to candidates. It would bring back the ad book (booklets handed out at political events). It would lift the contribution ban on state contractors and allow them to give to their local town committees.”

DC: CFR ON BACK BURNER. The Post. “What is clear is that the council hasn’t been in a hurry to act and that its members — including some who plan to run in primaries that could take place as early as April 1 — can meanwhile benefit from a system that makes it easier to raise money from interests who may hope they’ll get something in return.”

NJ:  LAUTENBERG’S SEAT.  The Times.  “The option that is being pushed by many in Mr. Christie’s own party would be to name a Republican to hold the seat and then delay an election on a replacement until 2014. This would give his national party an unexpected gift: a reliable vote in the Senate — for a year and a half, at least — from a state that has not elected a Republican to the upper house in 41 years. But it would also open Mr. Christie up to allegations of sidestepping the electoral process.”

SC: ETHICS UNFINISHED. Story here. “The first year of the 2013-2014 legislative session is winding down with only one week left, but the issue of ethics is still up in the air.”

TX: ETHICS BILL OPPOSITION. Story here. “Allen Blakemore has launched an effort to recruit about 30 fellow Republican political consultants and their clients to push the governor to veto the omnibus ethics bill.”

VA: GOVERNOR’S WIFE PAID. The Post. “Maureen McDonnell, the wife of Virginia’s governor, was paid $36,000 last year to attend a handful of meetings as a consultant to the philanthropic arm of one of the state’s major coal companies, a top coal company official said.”

EU: LOBBYING FRAMEWORK NEEDED. Story here. “The Commissioner said that such a lobbying framework is established by the ‘Transparency Register’ operated jointly by the Commission and the European Parliament. The register has more than 5,600 entries and provides direct and single access to information about who is trying to influence the EU decision-making process.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.