In the News
Huffington Post: ‘Dark Money’ Enforcement Failures Criticized At Senate Hearing
By Paul BlumenthalBradley Smith, president of the Center for Competitive Politics and a former FEC chairman, noted that the independent elections commission is designed to prevent politically motivated prosecutions by the executive branch.
CCP
FEC Stoops to a New Low, or a Mountain out of a Molehill?
By David KeatingThe Campaign Legal Center’s Paul Ryan recently charged that the FEC stooped “to a new low” because the agency failed to hound a mysterious robocaller who allegedly spoke to voters without a disclaimer and perhaps failed to report the spending in an uncompetitive Republican Party primary. Ryan based these charges on Commissioner Ellen Weintraub’s four page legal analysis of the case.
Disclosure
Wyoming Liberty Group: Another Chilling Step in Campaign Finance Disclosure
By Steven KleinIn just the past two weeks, bureaucrats in Washington state have moved to expand disclosure laws to consider constitutional legal representation a “contribution” to a group. Our friends at the Institute for Justice have represented the Washington group Recall Dale Washam and other political organizations for years, but only now has the Public Disclosure Commission decided those hours of work are contributions and is taking further action against RDW for failure to report, in the middle of its lawsuit against the PDC.IJ filed a motion for an emergency injunction, which the Ninth Circuit denied last week.This is perhaps the most chilling move yet on the part of the “it’s just disclosure” crowd.
Politico: DOJ, IRS tight-lipped on campaign finance probes
By Tarini Parti and Byron Tau“In my view, whenever congress acts in the area of political speech, the touchstone of everything we do should be the First Amendment of the Constitution,” he said. “I would point out that in saying this I’m not unfamiliar with the downsides,” he added. “In Texas I just came off of a campaign, where I was outspent 3 to 1, and let me just say those who chose to put resources into launching attacks against me had a First Amendment right to do so. And God bless them for speaking out and being involved in politics.”
Independent Groups
The Hill: Anti-incumbent super-PAC returns with sights on new targets for 2014
By Cameron JosephThe anti-incumbent super-PAC Campaign for Primary Accountability is coming back for 2014 after shutting down last election cycle — and it’s already making a wish list of targets, including Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Lamar Smith (R-Texas).
Lobbying and Ethics
NY Times: Conservative Group Is Helping Industry Fight Federal Cuts
By NICHOLAS CONFESSOREAs one of the country’s largest and oldest conservative advocacy groups, the American Conservative Union has long fought to rein in federal spending and limit the size of government. But behind the scenes, the group has formed a partnership with business lobbyists to tame the activists who have pushed Republican leaders in Congress to adopt some of the most austere spending limits in decades.
State and Local
Florida –– Tampa Bay Tribune: Gov. Scott kills higher campaign contribution limits
The push to raise limits is being made primarily in the House, which passed a bill (HB 569) that would raise the campaign contribution limit from $500 to $5,000 for statewide candidates and from $500 to $3,000 for legislative candidates.A Senate bill (SB 1382) would raise the contribution limit to $3,000 for statewide candidates but keep it $500 for legislative candidates.
Florida –– Miami Herald: Lawmakers eye ‘blind trust’ in ethics reform bill
By Mary Ellen KlasUnder SB 2, which passed the Senate on the first day of the legislative session, any public official who wants to avoid disclosing embarrassing financial information on their financial disclosure forms could create a blind trust to hold their assets.
Pennsylvania –– Pittsburg Post-Gazette: Bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state senators to introduce ethics bills
By Kate GiammariseHarrisburg — In the wake of a recent grand jury report that depicted a widespread culture of corruption in operations at the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a bipartisan group of state senators announced this morning they will introduce legislation aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in state government.
