Compliance Notes - Vol. 2, Issue 30
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES
We read the news, cut through the noise and provide you the notes.
Welcome to Compliance Notes from Nossaman’s Government Relations & Regulation Group – a periodic digest of the headlines, statutory and regulatory changes and court cases involving campaign finance, lobbying compliance, election law and government ethics issues at the federal, state and local level.
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Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance
Alaska: The Alaska Public Offices Commission staff recommended a fine of $52,650 against the campaign of Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, primarily related to the campaign’s failure to report debt. (Emily Goodykoontz, Alaska Daily News)
Florida: The Florida Commission on Ethics rejected a penalty of $6,500 against Alexis Pedro Rodriguez, who ran as a “sham no-party candidate” in the 2020 Miami-Dade elections. When rejecting the matter, the Commission indicated that the penalty was not harsh enough. (Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald)
Utah: Alliance for a Better Utah filed a complaint alleging that state senators accepted unreported campaign contributions from the American Legislative Exchange Council when the senators used the group’s constituent services software as a campaign tool. (Sonja Hutson, KUER)
Government Ethics & Transparency
Connecticut: The Office of State Ethics fined Robert Sember, a former member of the State Contracting Standards Board, for trying to persuade the state to buy personal protective equipment from a company he was paid to represent while he was serving on the Board. (Russell Blair, The Hartford Courant)
Illinois: Governor Pritzker is moving closer to signing a lobbying and ethics reform bill, which was sent to him on June 30. However, some lawmakers are calling for a veto because they say the bill does not go far enough to “tackle the culture of corruption.” (Kevin Bessler, The Center Square)
Maryland: Various members of the Prince George’s County School Board are facing ethics complaints related to conflicts of interest involving county contracts, including one for hiring a lobbying firm that was not in compliance with its registration requirements. (Bruce DePuyt, Maryland Matters)
Pennsylvania: Facing criminal charges related to submitting false expense reimbursement reports to the state for hotel stays that did not happen, state Representative Margo Davidson resigned from office. She also faces charges for failing to file campaign finance reports and witness tampering. (Michael Tanenbaum, Philly Voice)
Ballot Measures
In response to a number of recently passed ballot measures, such as marijuana legalization and Medicaid expansion measures, many state legislatures are passing legislation to make it more difficult for ballot measure questions and referendum to qualify for the ballot. (Liz Crampton & Mona Zhang, Politico)
