Latest Developments:
- The Federal Election Commission announced its “Lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold increases” for 2022. The updated FEC rules “require certain political committees to disclose information about lobbyists/registrants and lobbyist/registrant PACs whose bundled contributions within a covered period exceed” $20,200.
- The Oakland, CA Public Ethics Commission issued its annual adjustment to campaign contribution limits. The limits apply per election cycle in the city.
- The Ohio Ethics Commission issued a press release calling on the General Assembly to increase penalties on “persons or entities convicted of providing unlawful gifts or payments to any public official or employee in state or local government.” The proposal includes a “prohibition from participating in any future public contracts for 5 years, plus the authority for courts to order additional fines equal to the amount of such payments. Currently, such violations of this criminal law carry only a fine of up to $1,000 and/or 6 months in prison.”
In Case You Missed It:
- Alaska Campaign Cash: The Anchorage Daily News reminds us that, following a court case, “Candidates in Alaska’s local and state-level elections this year will be able to collect campaign contributions triple the amount allowed in past races…” A pending Alaska Public Office Commission draft opinion proposes to return contribution limits to the prior limit of $1,500, which was the limit before the $500 limit, which was struck down. However, the Dailly News points out that “because [the $1,500 limit is] a preliminary proposal from the commission’s staff, APOC’s five commissioners could still vote to change them at an upcoming meeting.”
- Nonprofit Election Money Analyzed: The New York Times looked at the 2020 election and reviewed “15 of the most politically active nonprofit organizations” affiliated with each of the two major political parties. The article notes that “nonprofits do not abide by the same transparency rules or donation limits as parties or campaigns — though they can underwrite many similar activities: advertising, polling, research, voter registration and mobilization and legal fights over voting rules.” However, the Times acknowledged its own shortcomings: “Lax disclosure rules and the groups’ intentional opacity make a comprehensive assessment of secret money difficult, if not impossible. Nonprofits come and go, adapting to shifts in political power and tactics. Some exist in the gray space between philanthropy and politics, many transfer money back and forth, and some can remain hidden in unexamined tax filings for years.”