[Political Activity Law]

ETHICS REVIEW.   LJ.  “The House Ethics Committee has named an investigative panel to determine whether Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen of Nevada engaged in conduct that constitutes sexual harassment.”

CA:  MISSING REPORTS.  SFC.  “The state Fair Political Practices Commission is recommending that AC Transit Director Mark Williams be fined $60,000 for failing to file legally required campaign finance reports for five years.”

CA:  ASSEMBLYMEN AGREE.   LAT.  “Democratic Assemblymen Richard Bloom of Santa Monica and Al Muratsuchi of Torrance have agreed to pay fines for violating state campaign finance disclosure laws, according to documents released Monday.”

MO:  KEY ETHICS VOTE.   MN.  “The Missouri House General Laws Committee meets Monday at noon to hold a hearing on ethics legislation from State Rep. Justin Alferman, R-Hermann.”

PA:  WHEN DOES A BRIBE OCCUR?   MC.  “Adding to the hurdles prosecutors must clear is a nearly 30-year-old Supreme Court decision that sets a higher standard for proving bribery in cases like Pawlowski’s involving campaign contributions.”

WA:  REFORM FIGHT.  NWN.  “The new law includes a long list of actions. It lowers the maximum contribution limits to candidates to half of what the state allows. It also prohibits any company with more than $50,000 in city contracts from contributing to local campaigns.”

WI:  BUSINESS PROMOTION ALLEGED.   MW.  “The Wisconsin Ethics Commission told a Republican lawmaker it had ‘reasonable suspicion’ that he violated state ethics laws for promoting his roofing business on state-managed social media accounts.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

PAY TO PLAY LOOK.  FN.   “The Justice Department has launched another investigation into allegations the Clinton Foundation used ‘pay to play’ politics while Hillary Clinton was U.S. secretary of state, Fox News has confirmed.”

FOCUS ON GOVERNORS ASSOCIATIONS.   WSJ.  “U.S. companies have found a loophole in state campaign-finance rules by funneling donations aimed at helping candidates through the RGA and its Democratic counterpart, according to multiple former officials.”

CA:  GROUP NOT A COMMITTEE.  LAT.   “The California Fair Political Practices Commission, or FPPC, recently determined that a resident group that was in opposition of Measure B, which paved the way for a new terminal at Hollywood Burbank Airport, did not qualify as a campaign committee during the November 2016 election.”

CA:  UNION FINED.   EGC.  “The Elk Grove Education Association (EGEA) has a political action committee that reportedly failed to file campaign documents by deadline during the 2016 election year.”

DC:  AT ODDS ON PUBLIC FINANCING.   WP.  “Pitting herself against good-government advocates and members of the D.C. Council, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said Friday that she will not fund a public finance program for local elections.”

MA:  NONPROFIT PENALTY.   BH.  “A Lynnfield nonprofit with ties to Bay State Republicans funneled more than $1.1 million into two failed ballot questions backed by Gov. Charlie Baker without disclosing its donors, which included former Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign committee, officials said today.”

MI:  $50 FINE.   MD.    “The state fined Shelby Township Supervisor Richard Stathakis $50 in connection with a complaint he violated the state campaign finance law for underpaying for use of the township cable TV station for campaigning.”

TX:  FINE FOR NEWSLETTER.   EPT.  “YISD Superindent Xavier de La Torre and former board President Patricia McClean have been fined by the Texas Ethics Commission for using district funds to produce a newsletter the agency says contained political advertising supporting a proposed bond.”

WA:  TRANSPARENCY URGED.   SR.    “The Fair Elections Ordinance, with support from groups like the League of Women Voters, is a Spokane effort to strengthen democracy and bring transparency back to local elections, thus empowering Spokane voters to make informed choices.”

WI:  ORWELL AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE.   NYP.  “Law-abiding citizens were exercising their free-speech rights. But that was enough for Big Brother thugs to compile a secret dossier on all aspects of their lives.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!   This will be the last set of links I’ll be sending around for the year.  Thanks for reading!  I expect next year will be filled with interesting developments in political law, of course.  I’m also planning a few changes to celebrate this site’s ten year (!) anniversary.  Have a wonderful and safe holiday season and all my best to you and yours!

FACEBOOK HIRING.   FB.  “This position will play a key role in supporting Facebook’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and providing legal counsel.”

SEASON OF GIVING.   RCP.  “Election 2016’s final price tag—the largest in U.S. history—fell just short of $7 billion for all federal elections. Americans will spend about 150 times more on Christmas cards and stuffed teddy bears than we spent on politics during what many describe as the most consequential election of the 21st century.”

CHECKING THE LIST.  SS.  “U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings and Debbie Wasserman Schultz have landed on a conservative group’s year-end naughty list — a placement both dismissed as ridiculous.”

DC:  PUBLIC GIFTS URGED.   WP.  “Under the bill, candidates for office in the District could receive limited public matching funds if they meet certain conditions. This includes raising a certain amount of money from small donors and forgoing corporate or political action committee contributions.”

GA:  AMAZON REGISTERING.  AJC.  “Amazon, the e-commerce giant that Georgia is wooing for its second headquarters project, now has a registered in-house lobbyist at the State Capitol.”

IL:  LOBBYIST FUNDS.   CT.  “Longtime Lake Forest City Manager Bob Kiely said Thursday that in a quest to get an Amtrak stop on the city’s west side, nearly $200,000 in city funds was paid to a lobbying firm without City Council approval.”

IN:  VETO DEFEATED.  JG.  “In a terse 6-3 vote Tuesday, the Fort Wayne City Council narrowly overrode Mayor Tom Henry’s veto of a pay-to-play ordinance that city officials say likely runs afoul of state and federal law.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.