- The Governor of Tennessee signed a pair of bills affecting lobbyists and campaign finance enforcement. SB 884 eliminates the privilege tax that the state imposes on lobbyists, effective May 31, 2022. This annual occupation tax previously applied only to persons registered to lobby the state government. SB 1005 concerns settlement procedure, disallowing the state Registry of Election Finance to settle civil penalties outside of regular meetings or a special meeting called for that purpose if the penalties exceed $25,000.
- The State of Maryland enacted SB 15, which focuses on campaign finance enforcement. Among its noteworthy provisions are restricting those with unpaid election related penalties or fines from candidacy or as a treasurer for “campaign finance entities.” The bill also requires specific proactive procedures for enforcing the payment of fines and referrals for additional civil and even criminal action.
- The Governor of Oklahoma signed HB 3056, which “authorizes municipalities…to enact a comprehensive code of campaign finance and personal disclosure ordinances.” While the bill permits these cities to create provisions for “hearing and enforcement,” it also caps civil fines at $500.
In Case You Missed It:
- Southern California’s Small World: The growing political corruption scandals in Anaheim shed light on a larger issue of political corruption more broadly in Southern California. The Los Angeles Times laments that the “FBI’s Los Angeles office has been extraordinarily busy at City Hall, launching probes into councilmembers, lobbyists, city lawyers, political aides and executives at the Department of Water and Power — some of whom have pleaded guilty.” Similarly, Cal Matters situates the multi-layered Anaheim scandals and the implicated actors within a larger setting of “an unsavory history of local government corruption in Southern California…The common denominator…is that local government decisions can have enormous economic consequences, ranging from trash hauling franchises to real estate developments…[and] [t]hose who may benefit from municipal actions have an obvious motive to influence decision makers and often hire those with inside connections, such as campaign consultants.”
- Windy City Blows Over Ethics Reform: Local media reports on stalled efforts to reform Chicago’s ethics code and the mayor’s role in the diminishing prospects that these reforms will pass before the 2023 municipal elections. The proposal, “which has failed to advance in the two months since its introduction…would hike the maximum fine for violating the city’s ethics ordinance from $5,000 to $20,000 as part of an effort to grapple with Chicago’s seemingly intractable legacy of graft and mismanagement.” The mayor, who was elected on an anti-corruption platform in 2019, has apparently conveyed mixed signals about her position on the proposal and even “instructed her allies on the City Council to use a parliamentary maneuver during the May 25 City Council meeting to prevent… holding a hearing on the proposal this month.” The proposal would also include stricter conflict of interest, pay-to-play, and revolving door provisions.
- Staff Literally Handle Congressman’s Dirty Laundry: Roll Call reports on the ethics imbroglio surrounding West Virginia Alex Mooney as detailed in a report from the Congressional Ethics Office. Mooney apparently violated Congressional ethics rules when he and his family vacationed last year at the Ritz-Carlton in Aruba, paid for by HSP Direct, a company with which Mr. Mooney has significant financial and personal ties, “to the tune of over $10,800 for travel, lodging, meals, amenities, entertainment and activities.” Mooney and his family apparently also required Congressional and campaign staff to perform personal errands, including mechanic work on their cars, tutoring their children, dog-sitting, and other “tasks that had no connection to official duties.” The New York Times reports that “former staff members also were expected to gather Mr. Mooney’s dirty clothes from various places in the official office and have them taken to the dry cleaner… Mr. Mooney also asked an aide to take a shirt and a towel home with her to wash in her washing machine.”