[Political Activity Law]

VALUE OF POLITICAL LAW ADVICE.  CE. “With the 116th Congress convening and the 2020 presidential race months away from beginning in earnest, it may seem that now would be the time to care least about the complex web of rules that regulate campaign activity across the country.  In reality, it’s the time to care the most.“

ETHICS NOTED. HP. “Three former staffers said Klobuchar has tasked them or their co-workers with performing personal errands, such as making her personal appointments, washing dishes at her home or picking up her dry cleaning. Senate staff are generally prohibited by Senate ethics rules from performing personal duties for members.”

AOC ON MONEY. RC. “In a hearing about government ethics, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez turned the spotlight on her colleagues in the room.”

HR 1 VIEW. NR. “If this is the Democratic agenda, it represents the very creeping authoritarianism they purport to oppose. It should not pass the House. If it does, it must fail in the Senate.”

HR 1 HEARING. C-SPAN. “The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on H.R. 1, a bill on voting rights, campaign finance and ethics rules.”

ETHICS BLAST. GEXEC. “Republican lawmakers on Wednesday condemned a Democratic bill that includes vast new oversight to ensure ethical behavior by federal employees, though their criticism focused primarily on other provisions of the sweeping reform package rather than those aimed at the civil service.”

PROBE CLOSED. MH. “U.S. Senate ethics committee has closed its inquiry into Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez over gifts he received from a friend that led to federal corruption charges.”

MD: ETHICS REDACTION. BS. “A proposal to bring Baltimore in line with state ethics laws would shield the home addresses of city employees in public financial disclosures — a move that would make it difficult for the public to know whether residency requirements for officials are being followed.”

TX: KIDS GIVE. DM. “Can a 16-year-old knowingly and willfully give $1,000 to a candidate from his or her own funds? Yeah, maybe. But what about a 3-year-old?”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

20 PREVIEW. RC. “Even as House Democrats have made a political overhaul a top priority, numerous lawmakers, including freshman members, have filed their own campaign finance and anti-corruption bills, a sign the topic will dominate into the 2020 campaigns.”

PA 12 SPECIAL GENERAL NOTICE. FEC. The FEC issued a special election report notice.

OUTLASTING WOES. WP. “The Russia investigation may be winding down, but President Donald Trump’s legal problems are far from over.”

CO: MORE DISCLOSURE SOUUGHT. CS. “The state Senate is expected to approve legislation Tuesday that would mandate more disclosure from political committees that send mailers or air commercials in an election year.”

MA: CONSIDERING LIMIT. NBC. “Massachusetts campaign finance regulators are considering lowering the amount a labor union can contribute to a political candidate.”

MA: SUGGESTION BOX. SN. “State officials are seeking members of the public to serve on a commission that will advocate constitutional campaign-finance reforms following the success of a ballot question in the November 2018 election.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

DOCUMENTS SUBPOENED. NYT. “President Trump’s inaugural committee was ordered on Monday to turn over documents about its donors, finances and activities to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with their investigation into the committee’s activities.”

ME: RULES TABLED. MDI. “A proposal to require candidates for local office and political action committees (PACs) to disclose campaign contributions has been put on hold. The town council asked Town Manager Cornell Knight for more information how the proposed change would impact candidates for municipal office.”

MA: UNION CAP. WBUR. “Massachusetts campaign finance regulators proposed new rules last Friday that would cap unions’ political contributions at $1,000 per candidate.”

MI: SPENDING AND SETTLEMENT. MR. “Consumers Energy has agreed to stop giving money to non-profit political advocacy groups for two years, under the terms of a rate case settlement agreement with the Michigan Public Service Commission.”

OK: LEADERSHIP PAC BAN. OKC. “The rule specifically states no candidate shall establish, maintain, operate, finance, make decisions, file reports or be an officer of a political action committee.”

OR: PLAN DUEL. SMJ. “Coming off the most expensive gubernatorial race in state history, a handful of campaign finance proposals are circulating the state Capitol early in the 2019 legislative session.”

VA: SUPER PAC SPEND. POL. “A super PAC devoted to electing black Democratic candidates is prepared to bankroll a negative ad campaign against Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam calling for his impeachment.”

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CAN: DONATION DROP. OC. “Donations to political parties in British Columbia dropped significantly last year after new rules banning union and corporate contributions came into effect.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.