Latest Developments:
- COVID-19 Update: Government officials, agencies, and courts continue to respond to the COVID-19 emergency. Each week we will add the latest information. For more information about filing deadlines, contact our Political Reporting Unit. Among the more notable developments this week:
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- Minnesota Legislature returned for a third special session this year. The stated purpose is “to extend the COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency originally declared on March 13, 2020.”
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- The New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics, at its August meeting, indicated that the Commission’s Albany office will reopen by the end of August.
- The New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics has formally published its proposed revisions to the comprehensive lobbying regulations. The Commission has received and published a number of comments, including from Nielsen Merksamer. The comment period closes on September 13.
- The Florida Commission on Ethics, at its recent meeting, reviewed an allegation that a lobbyist “failed to properly register as an Executive Branch Lobbyist for a principal she represented and that she failed to file compensation reports for that principal as required by law.” The Commission “found ‘no probable cause’ to believe that National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer didn’t adhere to state lobbyist registration requirements” or report compensation for lobbying, according to a report by the Florida Bulldog. On the other hand, Politico reports that the lobbyist allegedly “received payments from the National Rifle Association under contracts that were improperly handled, according to a civil lawsuit filed Thursday by New York Attorney General Letitia James.”
Reminders:
Interested in issues of gender and elections? As part of a year-long celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment, the American Bar Association is sponsoring a series of programs for lawyers about the progeny of women’s suffrage. You can earn CLE credit and help the ABA formulate proposals to update election, campaign, and government ethics laws for the Twenty-First Century. Join the conversation about Gender Parity in the Electoral Process on Monday, August 24. Register here. (Free for Members.)
Corporate Political Activities 2020 – Latest Developments: The Practising Law Institute (PLI) will conduct its annual two-day conference online this year, on September 10 – 11, 2020. You may register here. Nielsen Merksamer clients will join together as customary the day before in a virtual client workshop to discuss new developments in political law, to share experiences and best practices and to earn CLE credit. Clients and invitees will receive a save-the-date communication and discounts for the PLI conference.
In Case You Missed It:
- L.A. Corruption Response: The Los Angeles Times reports that the Los Angeles City Attorney is proposing an ordinance to allow the city to “revoke city permits and approvals for real estate projects if the City Council finds that developers or their representatives engaged in corruption.” The proposal follows disclosure of a scheme in which a Council Member was indicted for allegedly accepting bribes from developers. The proposal would also, in the case of projects tainted by corruption, “allow real estate developers and others to be barred from pursuing future developments in Los Angeles for a set period of time, or ban them permanently.”
- L.A. City Council Ponders Disqualification: The Los Angeles City Council, in response to the corruption probe described above, is considering a disqualification ordinance. The Breeze reports that “city officials would be barred from voting on any issue affecting individuals or organizations donating to their campaigns.” Under the proposal, the city’s Ethics Commission would be asked to “review the recusal standards of other agencies,” and make recommendations “to improve the city’s conflict-of-interest policies.”
- More California Local Contribution Limits: As the time approaches when California imposes contribution limits on local jurisdictions (under AB 571, which is operative January 1, 2021), more local jurisdictions may move to opt out and adopt their own limits. The Riverside Press-Democrat reports that Riverside County is considering a $20,000 contribution limit, with some exceptions.
- Chicago Corruption Plea: The Chicago Tribune reports that a former Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation is preparing to plead guilty to corruption charges. The Deputy Commissioner allegedly bribed a state senator while working as a lobbyist for a construction company.