Compliance Notes - Vol. 2, Issue 11
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
The Supreme Court of the United States has released oral argument dates for the consolidated appeal of Americans for Prosperity v. Becerra and Thomas More Law Center v. Becerra. The cases involve a California rule that requires charities to disclose information about major donors, an alleged violation of the First Amendment. (Amy Howe, SCOTUS Blog)
California: A Civil Grand Jury Report has raised questions over whether a San Jose school district allegedly failed to comply with lobbying rules when it did not disclose two consulting companies as lobbyists. (Lloyd Alaban, San Jose Spotlight)
New York: In a settlement with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), lobbyist Suri Kasirer agreed to pay a $5,000 penalty related to allegations that she assisted in fundraising for the Mayor De Blasio-related Campaign for One New York. (Carl Campanile, The New York Post)
Government Ethics & Transparency
In 2019 and 2020, covering the 116th Congress, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) sent the lowest number of cases – seven – to the House Ethics Committee for further review since OCE was established in 2009. One common theme in these cases is misuse of campaign funds for personal use. (Chris Marquette, Roll Call)
Georgia: After three years, DeKalb County finally has a functioning Ethics Board and will tackle a backlog of 28 cases that have accrued during that time. (Tyler Estep, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Kentucky: The state legislature recently passed a bill that would create ethics rules and oversight of gubernatorial transition teams. (John Cheves, Lexington Herald Leader)
Elections
Utah: A bill that would require paid ballot signature gathers to wear a badge and be paid by the hour, instead of by the signature, is before the Utah governor. Critics of the bill say it would make passing ballot measures more difficult. (Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune)