Latest Developments:
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the indictment of the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, in addition to indicting a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization and four other individuals, including three lobbyists. The announcement alleges that an energy company funneled $60 Million to the nonprofit, which was created by the legislator. The Columbus Dispatch reports that the nonprofit supported the legislator’s candidates and supported a bill “that included ‘a monthly charge on all Ohioans’ energy bills’ to subsidize the company’s two failing nuclear power plants, according to court documents.” The FBI’s press release notes that the legislator allegedly received over $400,000 in personal benefits, “including funds to settle a personal lawsuit, to pay for costs associated with his residence in Florida, and to pay off thousands of dollars of credit card debt.”
- 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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- The California Legislature will resume its regular session next week after delaying it by two weeks due to the pandemic. The legislature will permit Members to vote remotely or by proxy. The Sacramento Bee reports that Members need approval in advance to stay home and those who stay home will lose their per diem expense payments. The session status of every state legislature may be found on the website of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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. Upcoming programs include:
- The Power of Women in U.S. Elections, at the ABA annual (virtual) conference on Friday, July 31. “This panel will address voter suppression, election protection, and voting rights reform strategies ahead of the November 2020 election.” Register here for the conference.
- The 19th Amendment Then and Now: Lessons for the 21st Century. The panel will “explore the legacies of the [Nineteenth] Amendment and engage in provocative conversations about how to ensure full and equal exercise of the right to vote for all.” The program will be available after August 9, on demand, here. (Free for Members.)
- Gender Parity in the Electoral Process, on Monday, August 24. This ABA CLE program will cover the “current impact of the 19th Amendment, and other laws, on elections and our present democracy as reflected in a recent article, Looking at the Nineteenth Amendment through a Twenty-First Century Lens.” The panel will be moderated by Jason Kaune of Nielsen Merksamer. Register here. (Free for Members.)
In Case You Missed It:
- Prison Time for Contributions: The Louisville Courier Journal reports that a former state party chair and father of the former Kentucky Secretary of State was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for funneling corporate contributions to his daughter’s U.S. Senate campaign. Kentucky is one of the states that prohibits corporations from contributing to state office campaigns. The article also points out that a campaign consultant involved in the scheme was sentenced to nine months in a halfway house, three years of supervision, and a $50,000 fine.
- Golden Gate Clean-up Proposed: As the FBI’s corruption probe widens in San Francisco City Hall, a Member of the Board of Supervisors introduced Ordinance 200787 to close a loophole in the city’s contracting process. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that “the ‘No GRAFT Act’ – short for government rackets, abuses or fraudulent transactions – would create a blanket set of rules for how departments award contracts to prequalified pools of companies bidding for city work.”
- New York Zombies: The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports on state campaign funds that continue after a public official leaves office. According to the article, New York law “only requires that the fund be dissolved when the person who held or is holding office dies.” At least one currently registered lobbyist holds several hundred thousand dollars while another retired official holds over a million dollars in campaign funds.
- Lobbying Pays Off: Roll Call discloses that a trucking firm spent $210,000 on lobbyists in the days before it landed a $700,000,000 COVID-19 loan from the Department of the Treasury. The loan gave the government a 29% stake in the firm. The company was described as “struggling financially” before the pandemic but is viewed as “a ‘business critical to maintaining national security’” because of its defense contracts.