Here are today’s political law links, 12/6/12

WHITE HOUSE DONOR PARTY. Story here. “President Barack Obama hosted an exclusive White House dinner on Friday for some of his most elite fund-raisers, including a group from Chicago.”

OCE UPDATE. The Hill. “The outside ethics board will cease to exist in less than a month unless Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) replace at least four of the panel’s six members.”

TIES TO NEW CHAIRMEN. Story here. “The post-election shake-up on House committees has enhanced the brands of lobbyists who are considered close to the new leaders.”

ORNSTEIN ON CFR. Roll Call. “I hope lawmakers of both parties, who have been alarmed, or at least made uneasy, by the 2012 campaign would take a careful look at [the Empowering Citizens Act] and see it as a very positive and constructive step to make the broken system work better.”

DC: ALLEGATION GRAY CONCEALED. The Post. “Federal officials investigating Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s 2010 campaign have recently focused on allegations that campaign staff members encouraged some supporters to donate by promising that their contributions would not be reported, several people familiar with the investigation said.”

CA: LOBBYIST FINED. Story here. “The state Fair Political Practices Commission has fined Sacramento lobbyist Lori Kammerer and her firm $2,000 for sending a letter to lawmakers last year on behalf of a fictional Coalition of Small and Disabled Veteran Businesses.”

CO: COMPLAINT SETTLED. Story here. “According to the Colorado Campaign and Political Finance Manual, candidates and their committees must list the individual LLC member’s name and the name of the company he or she represents in an effort to make sure that the LLCs are not ‘corporations or labor organizations; natural person who is not a U.S. Citizen; foreign government; professional, volunteer lobbyist of a principal of a lobbyist.'”

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

Political law links for 12/5/12

SUPER PAC BURN RATE. BW. “Entrepreneurs who set up super-PACs wrote their own paychecks. The new groups sometimes moved as much money into the pockets of employees as they did into races. And some showed evidence of self-dealing.”

VON SPAKOVSKY ON POTTER. Here. “What is it about the First Amendment and the right to engage in political speech that so upsets liberals and so-called ‘reformers’ such as former FEC Commissioner Trevor Potter?”

REPORT ON YESTERDAY’S PANEL. Roll Call. “The $6 billion spending record set in the 2012 elections will soon be outstripped by future campaigns, but it also opens the way for new political money restrictions, a team of election law experts said at the National Press Club on Tuesday.”

MORE LOBBYIST RULES? Roll Call. “Lobbyists already chafing under the Obama administration’s lobbying restrictions and congressional ethics rules could soon have a brand new headache: a nascent grass-roots movement that’s placed reining in lobbyists at its center.”

POLLING ON ETHICS. Here. “Would you buy a used car from a member of Congress?”

AZ: AG IN THE NEWS. Story here. “Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is being investigated by the State Bar over allegations stemming from an investigation into alleged campaign finance violations.”

CA: FPPC IN THE NEWS. Story here. “Since the election, Ravel has continued her efforts to get the bottom of the anonymous campaign contribution from Arizona.”

CA: KJ FINED. Story here. “California’s political watchdog agency has fined the mayor of Sacramento for failing to report donations he solicited for charity organizations.”

CA: LOBBYIST FINES. Story here. “The state Fair Political Practices Commission is cracking down on state lobbyists and their clients for failing to disclose their activity or otherwise crossing ethical lines, handing out $53,000 in fines to seven firms and organizations.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Good morning, here are today’s political law links, 12/4

NEW LEAGUE CHIEF. Roll Call. “[Monte] Ward is the newly elected president of the American League of Lobbyists, a group that’s existed since 1979 to lobby on behalf of lobbyists, because in Washington even the influencers need representation.”

CFR AND POTATO CHIPS. Here. “While it may be true that Americans spend more on potato chips than political campaigns, there are of course several important differences worth considering…”

EMERSON TO LEAVE. Story here. “Rep. Jo Ann Emerson announced Monday that she would be leaving Congress in February, giving up a seat she’s held for 16 years to take the helm of the powerful National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.”

DISPOSITION OF ONLINE ASSETS. Politico. “Though it’s not clear that Ryan would be violating campaign regulations by adopting his own veep handle, lawyers are confused about whether Ryan should go out and grab it anyway. While the political uses of technology have matured, the legal framework around them is still in its infancy.”

ADELSON TALLY. Story here.

FEC MEETING. The agenda for Thursday’s Federal Election Commission meeting is online here.

DC: NO TIME FOR REFORM. The Post. “D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) on Monday all but declared campaign finance reform dead for the session, saying there is almost no chance the body can complete work on the issue before the Christmas recess.”

KY: FINES FOR VIOLATIONS. Story here. “Two former state employees have agreed to each pay a $10,000 fine for using their official positions in state government to boost their private businesses, the Executive Branch Ethics Commission released Monday.”

NJ: CONTRACTOR BAN. Story here. “Upper Township Committee approved an ordinance last week that prohibits any contribution from contractors to candidates running for local political office.”

VT: LOAN PAYMENT. Story here. “State Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, R-Willsboro, who is leaving office at the end of the year, repaid a $10,000 loan on Sunday that her husband made to her campaign fund a little over a decade ago, a new campaign finance report shows.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.