Political law links for 1/25/18

TECH LOBBYING.  TIME.  “When it comes to corporate lobbying efforts, Google outspent other major technology firms last year by millions of dollars, and took the top spot among companies more broadly.”

LOBBY BIZ STATUS.   POL.  “Lobbyists across town raked in a total of more than $3.3 billion during the first year of Trump’s administration, according to figures compiled for POLITICO by the Center for Responsive Politics.”

DC:  HEAT ON MAYOR ON PUBLIC FUNDING.   WP.  “The position Bowser has staked out is surprising for the leader of a progressive city — all the more so because the campaign finance rules advanced by the D.C. Council have been widely adopted elsewhere.”

MO:  WEIGHING GIFT BAN.   MPR.  “The Missouri Senate committee on ethics is considering the proposed ban on lobbyist gifts that passed last week in the House.”

NY: GUILTY PLEA. NYT. “A campaign donor to Mayor Bill de Blasio secretly pleaded guilty in federal court to bribery, admitting that he used his contributions to the mayor to try to win favorable lease terms for a restaurant he owned on city property, newly unsealed court records show.”

SD:  FILLING GAP.   ST.  “South Dakota Senate lawmakers have approved a bill aimed at requiring ballot measure campaigns to disclose their donors while supporters gather support to put initiatives on the ballot.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.  

—> political law links

TASK FORCE REPORT. ROC. “As part of their work on the task force, Primo and Milyo conducted two national surveys in 2015 and 2016 to assess the public’s views on campaign finance, how concerned the public is about the role money plays in the political system, and what—if anything—should be done about it.”

NY: ERASE STAIN. CNS. “No longer accepting campaign donations after his treatment of Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Harvey Weinstein raised eyebrows, New York District Attorney Cy Vance said Monday he is in full compliance with a nonprofit’s new report about reducing conflicts of interest.”

TX: LIMITS PUSH. EN. “While the city limits council campaign donations to $500 per reporting cycle, the county has no limits. While the municipal code places restrictions on contributions from entities seeking contracts with the city — no donations to council members from the 10th day after the release of a request for proposal until 30 days after a contract is awarded — the county has no similar regulations.”

WI: VOTE TO OUST. JSO. “Republican state senators Tuesday denied the confirmations of the directors of Wisconsin’s ethics and elections commissions — and the leader of the state Senate said he hoped to remove two civil servants at those agencies next.”

CAN: STANDING BY LAW. TS. “The Liberal government is standing by its campaign finance law, which the Working Families coalition of unions is challenging in court as unconstitutional.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

1.23 political law links

COMPLAINT OVER PAYMENT. WT. “Common Cause filed a complaint with both the Department of Justice and Federal Elections Commission on Monday concerning a payment made to the adult film star reported to have had an affair with President Trump.”

CO: GIFT SCRUTINY. DP. “Freebies flow regularly into Denver City Council offices from city departments and agencies, but most members gave little thought to accepting the mugs, commemorative items, city-grown holiday poinsettia plants, branded clothing and more valuable gifts that have come their way.”

NY: DA REFORM. GG. “District attorneys should separate themselves from fundraising efforts and implement tighter vetting procedures for donors to reduce the appearance of bias, says a new report by the Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity (CAPI) at Columbia Law School.”

SD: INITIATIVE BILL TO SENATE. USN. “A bill aimed at requiring South Dakota ballot measure campaigns to disclose their donors while supporters gather signatures to get on the ballot is headed to the full state Senate.”

TX: STATE INVESTIGATION. KHOU. “The Texas Ethics Commission is investigating whether J.J. Koch offered a pay off if a fellow candidate dropped out of the race against him.”

WI: VOTE TO FIRE. WPR. “The state Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the confirmations of Brian Bell and Michael Haas, the leaders of Wisconsin’s ethics and elections commissions. If the vote goes as planned for majority Republicans, both men will be fired, leaving vacancies at the top of both agencies with the 2018 election season on the horizon.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.