Compliance Notes - Vol. 7, Issue 2
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES
Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance
Massachusetts: The Massachusetts senate unanimously passed a bill expanding disclosure requirements for statewide ballot question campaigns, requiring monthly financial reports and biweekly filings after September 2026 to close what lawmakers call a long-standing reporting “blackout period.” The legislation, which includes an emergency preamble to take effect immediately, would require ballot committees to file reports with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance and disclose information from the financial institutions holding campaign funds, aiming to cover a potentially-record slate of 2026 ballot questions. Senators rejected an amendment to extend similar disclosure rules to local ballot initiatives, citing unresolved impacts on municipal reporting systems, but adopted a separate amendment requiring paid signature gatherers to disclose their status and banning per-signature payment incentives. (Katie Castellani and John L. Micek, Masslive.com)
Government Ethics & Transparency
Oklahoma: A former deputy director of Oklahoma’s mental health department agreed to pay a $2,500 civil penalty to settle allegations he violated the state’s lobbyist registration and reporting laws, the Ethics Commission announced. The commission found Heath Hayes communicated with state officials to influence governmental action without registering as a lobbyist, while also concluding he did not violate conflict-of-interest rules. The settlement does not disclose for whom he was lobbying. Hayes must pay the penalty within 30 days. The ethics matter is separate from a pending criminal case in Oklahoma County, where Hayes faces a felony embezzlement charge alleging he took $17,500 from a nonprofit affiliated with the state mental health department. (Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice)
Puerto Rico: The White House announced Friday, January 16, 2026, President Donald Trump plans to pardon former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez who pleaded guilty last August, 2025, to a federal campaign finance violation involving a promised contribution that was never received. Vázquez was scheduled to be sentenced in January 2026 after prosecutors sought up to one year in prison, a request her attorneys opposed as inconsistent with a plea deal that dropped earlier bribery and fraud charges. A White House official said Trump views the case as a political prosecution, noting the investigation began shortly after Vázquez endorsed him in 2020, while Puerto Rico’s congressional delegate Pablo José Hernández condemned the planned pardon as undermining public integrity. Vázquez, the territory’s first former governor to plead guilty to a crime, had been accused of participating in a broader scheme involving a former FBI agent and a Venezuelan banker tied to regulatory actions during her tenure as governor. (Darlene Superville, AP News)
Ballot Measures & Elections
California: California Republicans asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a new Democrat-favored congressional map from taking effect for the 2026 elections, appealing a lower-court decision that rejected their bid to halt the voter-approved map. The GOP argues the map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander that prioritized Latino voting power, a claim the federal court rejected the week of January 11, 2026. They also contend the map’s designers relied on race and avoided scrutiny by invoking legislative privilege, leaving evidence of racial intent unrebutted. Republicans are asking the justices to rule by February 9, 2026. If granted, California would revert to its prior congressional map for the November 2026 elections, while the case proceeds through the courts. The dispute follows a broader redistricting standoff triggered by Texas Republicans’ redraw last year and California Democrats’ response via a special election and comes as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs related Voting Rights Act cases that could affect the outcome. (Caroline Vakil, The Hill)
We read the news, cut through the noise and provide you the notes.
Compliance Notes from Nossaman’s Government Relations & Regulation Group is 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. Our attorneys, policy advisors and compliance consultants are available to discuss any questions or how specific issues may impact your business. If there is a particular subject or jurisdiction you’d like to see covered, please let us know.
