[Political Activity Law]

AL:  ETHICS BILLS PASS.  AL.  “A pair of ethics bills – one that would require lawmakers to file with the state Ethics Commission if they receive a consulting contract that is beyond the scope of their day job and another that raises the threshold of a minor ethics violation – sailed through the House Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee on Tuesday.”

AR:  DECIDING ON APPEAL.   AT. “City Attorney Tom Carpenter distributed a memo to the Little Rock City Board Tuesday night outlining options for the decision against the city by Judge Tim Fox in its effort to shut down exploratory committee fund-raising for city offices.”

CA:  RECORD FOR AGENCIES.   KTLA.  “California’s campaign watchdog agency last year approved a record 340 settlements of cases involving violations of ethics and political finance rules, according to its annual report issued Monday.”

NM:  SETTLEMENT IN SUIT.   SFNM. “New Mexico’s top election official and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce are moving to settle a lawsuit over more than $900,000 in donations that Pearce wants to use in his campaign for governor.”

NY:  CUOMO AND ETHICS.  ND.  “It’s hard to pitch yourself as an ethics reformer when you keep narrowing the definition of who’s covered by your ethics reforms.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

HATCH ACT HIT.   WP.  “A member of the Trump administration has again been found in violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law prohibiting the mixing of partisan politics with official government business. But anybody waiting for Kellyanne Conway’s reckoning will have to keep waiting.”

NEW HATCH ACT AND SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE.   FW.  “Following is new guidance from the Office of Special Counsel detailing how Hatch Act restrictions on partisan political activities by federal employees apply to social media.”

EAC LIVES ON.   GE.  “These could be tumultuous times for the tiny federal agency called the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.”

WAS SANDERS FINED?   WS.  “Citing the Federal Election Act of 1971, which ‘prohibits any foreign national from making ‘a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value’ in connection with a federal, state or local election’ the FEC fined both Bernie 2016 and the ADL $14,500 each.”

OR:  LIMITS OVERTURNED.   WW.  “When Multnomah County voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to limit campaign contributions and expenditures in November 2016, they ran afoul of the state constitution, a county circuit judge ruled today.”

WV:  VIEW ON REFORM.   WVG.  “This year, a bill has been introduced into the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen Charles S. Trump, R-Morgan. This bill is the strongest statement West Virginia can make to demand an end to special interests money dominating our politics.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

ZOMBIE UPDATE.   WZZM.  “Riegle’s campaign account is one of them identified in the investigation, not necessarily because he was spending money on himself, but because he was giving money to campaigns while he had ties to the lobbying industry.”

AWARD DECLINED.   TD. “After a chat with FCC ethics lawyers, Pai appears to have finally realized that accepting the award probably wouldn’t be a particularly bright idea.”

MA:  CONSIDERING CHALLENGE.  ML.  “The Supreme Judicial Court will consider a challenge to a Massachusetts law that requires voters to register at least 20 days before an election. It will also consider a separate case challenging a campaign finance law that prohibits businesses from making political contributions.”

RI:  PROBATION IN CASE.   RIPR.  “Former Rhode Island State Rep. Peter Palumbo, a Cranston Democrat, in plea deal with the attorney general’s office in a campaign finance case, has been found guilty of unlawful appropriation of more than $1,000 from his campaign fund, sentenced to probation and ordered pay restitution.”

TX:  FINES NOT PAID.   TM.  “More than 260 candidates owe the state of Texas $1.1 million in fines for failing to file legally required campaign finance reports. Loopholes in enforcement make it difficult to collect the fines or punish the delinquents.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.