Latest Developments:
- The White House announced the nomination of Dara Lindenbaum to the Federal Election Commission. Politico describes Lindenbaum as “a campaign finance attorney,” who “was general counsel to Stacey Abrams’ 2018 Georgia gubernatorial run and deputy general counsel for former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s 2016 presidential bid.”
- The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) issued 35 draft amended regulations concerning campaign finance. The proposed revisions make the regulations consistent with recent statutory changes, address changes in agency practice, and respond to frequently raised questions. OCPF will hold a public hearing on February 15, 2022, on the proposals.
- The Arizona Court of Appeals, in Legacy Foundation Action Fund v. Citizens Clean Election Commission, upheld a $95,000 fine imposed by the Commission. The Legacy Foundation disputed the jurisdiction of the Commission to impose a fine for violating independent expenditure reporting requirements. However, the court found that Legacy failed to file a timely appeal and was precluded from challenging the jurisdiction of the Commission. com explains that the 2014 case has already been to the state’s Supreme Court with the same result.
In Case You Missed It:
- Illinois Supreme Court, in Sigcho-Lopez v. The Illinois State Board of Elections, is considering whether campaign funds can be used to pay for an individual’s legal defense in a public corruption case. The court heard oral arguments on the case this week. WCIA reports that the State Board of Elections dismissed the original complaint and “said if the General Assembly wanted to enact a specific prohibition on the use of campaign funds for legal fees, they could write that into the law.”
- Federal Legislative Lobbying Expected to Ebb: Roll Call reports that following another record year of lobbying, “Lobbyists say they expect a slower pace of legislative activity later this year, as the midterm elections cast a shadow over Capitol Hill. But many predict an uptick in regulatory and executive branch matters in the second year of the Biden administration.”