Latest Developments:
The New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics met on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Among the items on the agenda was the Comprehensive Lobbying Regulations. Following two years of drafts, discussion, debate, and interested persons meetings, the commission formally adopted the Comprehensive Lobby Regulations, which will take effect January 1, 2019.
In case you missed it:
- Politico reports that the America Action Network (AAN), a nonprofit affiliated with Rep. Paul Ryan, was sued by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). CREW alleges that AAN is actually a political committee and should be registered as such, and is not a nonprofit 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The purpose of the suit is to make AAN disclose its donors.
- The Washington Post has an article about Sen. Bob Mendez’s appearance before the Senate Ethics Committee. The Committee admonished him for accepting gifts and advocating on behalf of the donor. The Committee also ordered him to pay back the gifts, and – according to USA Today – to update his disclosure forms to reflect the gifts.