[Political Activity Law]

SUPER PAC HIT. MJ. “The Federal Election Commission has hit Right to Rise USA, the super-PAC that backed Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential bid, with a record fine for accepting a seven-figure donation from a company owned by Chinese nationals who were in business with Bush’s brother, Neil, according to FEC documents obtained by Mother Jones.”

AD REMOVAL BACK TRACK. POL. “Facebook removed several ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign that called for the breakup of Facebook and other tech giants.”

FUNDING QUESTIONS. CST. “Those close to the former vice president believe he would start off at a fundraising disadvantage compared to would-be rivals, whose campaigns have benefited from an early flood of small-dollar donations from the most liberal wing of the party.”

HOLLOW PLEDGE. DB. “The PAC already appears to be engaging in familiar tactics to ostensibly ‘independent’ groups…”

WRONG CALL. WE. “Deep in H.R. 1 (page 456 of 570), the Democrats’ top bill of the session, is a plan to change the FEC from its current six-member structure to a five-member agency. “

NATURE OF TRANSACTION. WP. “Candidates are bound by limits on what they can raise to spend on their campaigns and where that money can come from. They also have to then report what was raised and spent. “

3M COMPLAINT. DNT. “A Washington-based election watchdog has filed a complaint against 3M Co., accusing the Minnesota-based company of violating a campaign finance rule that bars government contractors from donating to political groups.”

VA: GET TRAINED. SWT. “Becoming a candidate for office is much more complex than in the past, especially when it comes to campaign finance requirements. For that reason, Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) is offering a series of training seminars this month, including one in Christiansburg.”

WV: BILL TO GOV. W13. “SB 622 was debated in the House of Delegates on Friday and passed the Senate on Saturday. It raises campaign finance limits to match federal limits.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

HR 1 PASSES. WP. “The House approved a far-reaching elections and ethics bill Friday — one that would change the way congressional elections are funded, impose new voter-access mandates on states and, in one of several provisions targeting President Trump, force disclosure of presidential candidates’ tax returns.” The text should be here.

ACLU AGAINST. ACLU. “The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of its 3 million members, supporters and activists, opposes H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2019 as it was reported out of the House Administration Committee.”

ACLU AND POLITICS. 60MIN:

Lesley Stahl: You have that ad. You tell the voters of Kansas all the things that you strongly disagree with about him. And then at the bottom it says, “We don’t endorse candidates.”

Faiz Shakir: Yes, that’s right. We are also advertising to people that we are a nonpartisan organization, that we don’t endorse and oppose candidates. So when you watch an issue–

Lesley Stahl: It’s like a wink thing. Ha, ha, we don’t endorse–

Faiz Shakir: I don’t think it is a wink thing.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER ON HR 1. CONGREC:

INVESTIGATION REQUESTED. FOX. ” An investigation is needed to determine if socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the media magnet on the far-left fringe of the Democratic Party, has broken federal campaign finance laws. If convicted of criminal conduct, she could get up to five years in prison for each violation.”

CA: WARNING ISSUED. DPT. “According to documents obtained by Dana Point Times, the Enforcement Division of the Fair Political Practices Commission issued warning letters to the campaigns for Mark McGinn, Charles Payne and Joe Jaeger.”

CA: AUTHORITY SOUGHT. JDS. “In an effort to help prevent the misuse of public funds by public agencies and officials, the Fair Political Practices Commission has requested changes to California’s Political Reform Act. The FPPC wants legislation amending the PRA to authorize it to bring administrative and civil actions against public agencies and officials for spending public funds on campaign activity.”

CO: COMPLAINT DISMISSED. DP. “State election officials on Friday dismissed a campaign finance complaint that had been lodged against Colorado Rising, the group behind Proposition 112.”

MA: UNION LOOPHOLE. BG. “Rules in campaign finance law should apply equally to everyone, but since the mid-1980s, labor unions in Massachusetts have enjoyed a special privilege. Unlike employers — or, for that matter, individuals — unions have been allowed to contribute up to $15,000 to candidates in state elections.”

NV: LITTLE ENFORCEMENT. LNJ. “A government program designed to bring transparency to lobbyists’ private meetings with Clark County Commission members operates without oversight or enforcement, a Las Vegas Review-Journal investigation has found.”

WV: DAY 60 APPROVAL. MN. “A bill to raise West Virginia campaign finance limits to match federal levels, often nicknamed the ‘dark money bill,’ generated long debate at the end of the long Friday House of Delegates floor session.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

SCHOCK DEAL. AXIOS. “Prosecutors on Wednesday dropped all criminal charges against former Republican congressman Aaron Schock, who was charged in 2016 with misspending campaign and government money for his personal benefit, the Washington Post reports.”

AOC ALLEGATIONS. NBC. “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional campaign has come under scrutiny in recent days for what a conservative group has alleged is a massive violation of campaign finance law.”

HR 1 DEBATE. RC. “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — who has led opposition to House Democrats’ campaign finance, elections and ethics overhaul, HR 1 — said Wednesday he believed lawmakers who support the measure may imperil their re-election chances.”

LEADERS ON HR 1. C-SPAN (video).

FL: MATCHING FUND MOVE. WAT. “Senate Joint Resolution 270 seeks to repeal the state law that authorizes public financing of campaigns and SJR 272 asks the Legislature to place a proposed amendment banning the use of public money for campaigns on the 2020 ballot.”

NY: REFORM PASSED. 13W. “The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill banning campaign contributions from companies seeking state contracts to elected officials with authority over state entities involved in the bidding process.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.