Compliance Notes - Vol. 7, Issue 6
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES
Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance
Oregon: The Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 4018 on March 5, 2026 modifying a 2024 campaign finance law by delaying certain disclosure requirements and penalties before the law takes full effect. The bill would preserve contribution limits set to take effect in 2027, including a $3,300 cap on individual spending per cycle on statewide candidates, but would push disclosure requirements and penalties back to 2031. It also allocates $1.5 million to the Secretary of State's Office to update the campaign finance system, far short of the $25 million the office had requested. Good government groups, which were central to crafting the 2024 law, said they were excluded from negotiations on HB 4018 and argue the bill creates new loopholes and weakens the original law. If Gov. Tina Kotek signs the bill, those groups say they will pursue their own changes through a 2028 ballot initiative. A separate measure, Senate Bill 1502, passed the Senate and is now in the House; it directs the Secretary of State's Office to draft additional campaign finance reforms for the 2027 legislative session. (Anastasia Mason, Salem Statesman Journal)
Texas: The Austin City Council approved changes to the city's lobbying ordinance, shifting responsibility for reporting lobbyist interactions with city officials from city departments to lobbyists. Under the updated rules, lobbyists must report all interactions with city officials — not just scheduled meetings — but are no longer required to disclose those meetings in writing to departments or indicate whether they receive or expect compensation. The changes also narrow the definition of “city official” to focus on decision-makers, bringing Austin closer in line with peer cities such as Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. The council voted with two dissenting votes from Council Members Vanessa Fuentes and Ryan Alter, both citing transparency concerns. The changes follow a September 2025 recommendation from the Austin city auditor, whose office found that existing code limited reporting and made transparency difficult to achieve. (Chaya Tong, Austin American-Statesman)
Government Ethics & Transparency
Arizona: The Arizona Senate passed Senate Bill 1186, a Republican-sponsored measure requiring state contractors and companies bidding on state business to disclose “anything of value” provided to a governor or related political efforts over the prior five years. The bill passed on a 17-12 party-line vote and was sponsored by Sen. T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge). It was prompted by pay-to-play allegations against Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), stemming from a report that a state group home provider, Sunshine Residential, received a rate increase after its owner donated to Democrat electoral efforts. Hobbs has put forward a competing proposal that would ban political contributions by potential contractors during the bidding process and create a public searchable portal for state contract information, but that plan has not advanced in the Legislature. Democrats argued that SB 1186 lacks the enforcement mechanisms and scope of the governor's proposal, while Shope contends his bill addresses the core transparency gap by requiring disclosure before contracts are awarded. The bill must still pass the House, and Hobbs vetoed a similar Shope bill in 2025. (Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ)
Pennsylvania: A Palo Alto-based home equity investment firm – Point – offered customers $50 Amazon gift cards in exchange for submitting written testimony opposing a Pennsylvania House bill that would subject its products to state consumer lending regulations. The firm made the offer in a February 24, 2026 email, which came to light during a March 2026 hearing of the Pennsylvania House Commerce Committee. Twenty-three customer emails opposing the bill were included in committee materials, with ten directly mirroring language from a template Point provided. Legislators from both parties raised ethics concerns, noting that the payments were not disclosed in the testimony and that Point is not registered to lobby the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The industry argues that the regulations would effectively ban its products in Pennsylvania, a claim the bill's sponsor disputes. (Stephen Caruso, Spotlight PA)
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.
