SCOTUS/Judiciary
National Journal: Get Over It: Campaign Finance Limits Don’t Work
By James OliphantCampaign finance law is a house gutted by fire. After the smoke has cleared, whatever is still standing leaves the homeowner with a choice: Preserve and renovate, or demolish and start anew. And where limits on contributions are concerned, it may be time just to knock the damn thing down.The Supreme Court hasn’t asked whether any limit on campaign spending is unconstitutional, but it’s getting there. Last week, the justices took up the latest conservative salvo: McCutcheon v. FEC, a case about whether the government can limit the total amount a donor can give to candidates and party committees during a campaign cycle. The Court is expected to strike down some or all of the limits, likely with a 5-4 vote.
Disclosure
Wall Street Journal: Sen. Cruz Places Hold on Obama Nominee
By Gautham NageshA spokesman for Mr. Cruz said Thursday that he has placed a hold on the nomination of former telecom lobbyist and venture capitalist Tom Wheeler to lead the Federal Communications Commission until Mr. Wheeler pledges not to require more disclosures from the sponsors of political ads.Cruz spokesman Sean Rushton said by email that Mr. Wheeler has “expressed his readiness to revisit the senator’s questions.” The FCC declined to comment.Mr. Cruz has opposed a measure called the Disclose Act that would require corporations, unions and other outside groups to disclose when they spend more than $10,000 to air campaign-related ads.
Washington Times: States out to expose campaign-finance abuses
Lobbying and Ethics
AZ Star: Ex-Fiesta Bowl lobbyist pleads not guilty
State and Local
By Kellan HowellA group of 10 states, led by California, has come together to form a new nonpartisan organization to pool resources to tackle campaign-finance abuses across the country. Organizers say the new States’ Unified Network Center could become a powerful pressure group for stricter enforcement of campaign-finance laws.“Enforcement will always be done at a state level, and you always have to follow state laws. This is just a depository for that information,” said SUN Center member Jared DeMarinis, director of the candidacy and campaign-finance division of the Maryland State Board of Elections. According to Mr. DeMarinis, the information gathered by the member states could help enforcement agencies get a better idea of who the major players in campaign finance are and what they are doing in other states.
Lobbying and Ethics
NY Times: Lobbyists Ready for a New Fight on U.S. Spending
By Eric LiptonWASHINGTON — Throughout the tense fiscal deadlock in recent weeks, some of the most powerful forces in Washington, including retirees and defense contractors, largely sat on the sidelines. Now they are preparing for a political fight with billions of federal dollars at stake.With automatic cuts to the military set to take effect by January and a separate round of cuts scheduled for Medicare, lawmakers will have to decide who gets hit the hardest. Washington’s lobbying machine — representing older citizens, doctors, educators, military contractors and a wide range of corporate interests — is gearing up to ensure that the slices of federal money for those groups are spared in new negotiations over government spending.
AZ Star: Ex-Fiesta Bowl lobbyist pleads not guilty
An ex-Phoenix lobbyist whose former clients included the Fiesta Bowl has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and illegal campaign contribution charges.
State and Local
Colorado –– CBS: Colo. pot advocates file unusual campaign finance report
DENVER An organization that gave away free marijuana cigarettes as a way to protest possible taxes in Colorado has filed an unusual campaign finance report, after a watchdog group said the pot qualified as a campaign contribution.The group No Over Taxation reported Tuesday that the joints were worth a total of $1,250 and were paid for by a lawyer funding its campaign.The filing came in response to a complaint from Colorado Ethics Watch, which said the tax opposition group failed to disclose where it got the weed or how much it cost.
District of Columbia –– Washington Post: Campaign finance reform bill heads toward D.C. Council vote
By Mike DeBonisA draft bill circulated Wednesday by Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5) could go to a committee vote as soon as next week, and if it wins the panel’s approval it could get the first of two full council votes as soon as Nov. 5.With campaign finance proposals left untouched by the ethics bill passed by the D.C. Council in late 2011, it fell to McDuffie and the Government Operations Committee he chairs to wrangle a bevy of reform proposals — including apackage from Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan — into a passable bill. Whether or not McDuffie’s bill is in fact passable remains to be seen, but it includes several long-discussed reforms with considerable support.
Virginia –– Washington Post: Cuccinelli: Take a look at political contribution tax credit
By David SherfinskiVirginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II said Thursday that a taxcredit the state should look at cutting is one people can claim for donating to political candidates.Mr. Cuccinelli has laid out a $1.4 billion tax proposal that is paid for, in part, by eliminating tax exemptions and credits in the state code. He said his goal is to get rid of the bottom 15 percent of tax credits, and possibly more, after convening a bipartisan group to scrutinize their effectiveness.
Virginia –– Washington Post: Virginia GOP says Democratic group violated campaign finance rules in AG race
By Fredrick KunkleThe Republican Party of Virginia has filed a complaint with the Virginia State Board of Elections accusing an out-of-state Democratic organization of violating campaign finance disclosure laws in a way that the GOP says conceals the identity of contributors to Sen. Mark R. Herring, the Democratic candidate for attorney general.The GOP also called on the state elections board to investigate filings by the Democratic Attorneys General Association for a possible violation that carries a hefty fine — in this case, a dollar-for-dollar match of $685,000.
