Latest Developments:
- The California Fair Political Practices Commission has proposed a series of regulations that would adjust contribution and gift limits in the state, beginning January 1, 2021. The commission will hold a hearing on the regulations at its regular meeting this month. The proposals include increasing contribution limits for gubernatorial candidates from $31,000 to $32,400 and for legislative candidates from $4,700 to $4,900. The state gift limit would increase from $500 to $520.
- The United States Department of Justice filed a criminal information in Washington, D.C. charging a former fundraiser with a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act for failing to register in connection with lobbying the Department of Justice on behalf of a Malaysian Fugitive. The Hill reports that the fundraiser conspired to “unsuccessfully lobby the Department of Justice to drop a probe into the $4.5 billion embezzlement scandal involving Malaysia’s state-owned investment fund, 1MDB.”
In Case You Missed It:
- Mayor Charged: The Mayor of Rochester, New York was indicted on two felony counts related to campaign finance and coordination violations. USA Today reports that the Mayor allegedly coordinated with a PAC to bolster her reelection campaign spending. The allegations assert that transfers “in the hundreds of thousands of dollars” occurred.
- Record Fine in Big Sky Country: According to the Montana Free Press, a “judge has ordered a pair of corporations to pay more than $1.76 million in fines for their roles in an illegal campaign scheme.” Half the amount was a penalty for “violating state campaign finance laws that prohibit corporations from contributing directly to campaigns.” The other half was for failure to report the contributions.
- Self-Financing Challenged: Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that a Portland mayoral candidate has challenged the incumbent’s loan of $150,000 to his own campaign as a violation of voter-approved restrictions. The provision has not been enforced, as the “city has taken the position that the self-funding portion of the charter conflicts with U.S. Supreme Court precedent and would not hold up in court.”
- No Charity This Year: The Washington Post called out the Mayor of the District and a Council Member who “have not made a single donation this year from the special charitable funds they control.” Each has a “constituent services fund,” which is made up “mostly from leftover campaign money. The Mayor has “$219,000 in her fund for needy residents. During the pandemic, she has given $0.”