Essential Ethics

Latest Developments: The Federal Election Commission met Thursday, October 25. The only substantive matter on the agenda was a proposed opinion regarding whether: (1) to permit the provision of cybersecurity services to federal candidates and national parties for free because it is…

Latest Developments: The Governor of North Dakota has announced a final Ethics Policy, which forbids gifts that exceed $50 in value to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or their employees, according to the Bismarck Tribune. The Alaska Public Offices Commission is wavering…

Latest Developments: The Federal Election Commission provided advice on how to report independent expenditures following the decision in CREW v. FEC. The advice applies to persons other than political committees that make independent expenditures aggregating more than $250 in a…

Latest Developments: The Illinois First District Court of Appeal upheld Cook County’s restrictions on campaign contributions from lobbyists and persons seeking official actions from the county. In Berrios v. Cook County Board of Commissioners, the County Assessor…

Latest Developments: A State Court in Nashville has enjoined Tennessee’s Pre-Election Blackout Period: In Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws v. Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance et al, 18-0821-III, plaintiffs sought to make contributions within 10…

Latest Developments: The Oklahoma Ethics Commission, at its meeting on Friday, September 14, unanimously adopted Ethics Rule Amendment 2019-03, which consists of revolving door provisions that prohibit elected officials and agency heads from lobbying for two years following their service. The…

Latest Developments: The Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s decision and upheld the California Attorney General’s requirement that nonprofit organizations that engage in political spending must disclose their donors to the state, as…

Latest Developments: The Federal Election Commission is touting a campaign safety information program established by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI program, called “Protected Voices,” is intended to raise awareness among campaigns of the risk of…

Latest Developments: Among the recollections of the late Sen. John McCain’s legislative achievements, NPR ran a segment on the Senator’s impact on Campaign Finance, including his essential role in the so-called Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002,…

Latest Developments: The Governor of New York signed SB 4761, which bans the use of placement agents, including registered lobbyists, who seek to obtain investments by the New York State Common Retirement Fund.  The bill takes effect immediately. The…