As required by Act 70 of 2021, Pennsylvania lobbyists and lobbying firms must file their initial equity reports by October 7, 2021. The reports disclose either the total value or percentage of equity held by a lobbyist or...more
On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order, “Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel,” requiring certain appointees to sign an ethics pledge (Biden Pledge). Similar to presidential ethics...more
2/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Ethics ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Governments ,
Gifts ,
Golden Parachutes ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
OMB ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Trump Administration
In light of the events at the Capitol on January 6, many companies have been reevaluating their political giving and the use of political action committees. The nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics has been tracking the...more
On June 25, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Jack Abramoff intends to plead guilty to criminal violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), in what is the first known criminal prosecution under...more
7/1/2020
/ Criminal Prosecution ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethics ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
Lobbyists ,
Marijuana ,
Political Campaigns ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Transparency
Below we summarize findings from a recent report on Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) compliance and remind you of an upcoming LDA deadline....more
As federal, state and local governments grapple with the COVID-19 outbreak, a number of jurisdictions have modified certain ethics, lobbying and campaign finance requirements in response to the crisis. Below, we describe...more
3/27/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Donations ,
Electronic Filing ,
Ethics ,
Executive Orders ,
Exemptions ,
Federal Election Commission (FEC) ,
Gifts ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Late Fees ,
Lobbying ,
PACs ,
Political Contributions ,
Public Officials ,
Relief Measures ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State of Emergency
Below, please find a summary of notable political law developments in New York, Texas and the city of Los Angeles.
New York State Reduces Contribution Limits Beginning in November 2022 -
Late last year, the New York...more
2/27/2020
/ Campaign Contributions ,
Campaign Finance Reform ,
City of Los Angeles ,
City Planning Departments ,
Contribution Limits ,
Ethics Commission ,
General Elections ,
Land Developers ,
Lobbying ,
Local Ordinance ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Contributions ,
Primary Elections ,
Public Officials ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
State Legislatures
Below please find updates on recent lobbying law developments in Texas and Puerto Rico.
Texas Requires FARA Disclosure by Lobbying Registrants
Texas House Bill 1785, effective September 1, 2019, requires lobbying...more
The Office of the Clerk of the House and the Senate Office of Public Records recently amended the online federal Lobby Disclosure Act (LDA) filing system to provide fields for the new disclosures required by the Justice...more
On January 3, 2019, President Trump signed Senate Bill 2896, the Justice Against Corruption on K Street Act of 2018. Effective immediately, the act amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require filers of LD-1...more
On Election Day in 2018, voters in three states approved amendments to rules involving a variety of ethics reforms involving lobbying, contributions and gifts....more
12/21/2018
/ Amended Legislation ,
Ballot Measures ,
Campaign Finance Reform ,
Charter Amendments ,
City Councils ,
Constitutional Amendment ,
Contribution Limits ,
Cooling-Off Rule ,
Ethics ,
General Assembly ,
Gifts ,
Lobbying ,
Local Ordinance ,
PACs ,
Political Contributions ,
Public Officials ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Below please find a discussion of recent lobbying developments in the District of Columbia and Boston, Massachusetts....more
Now that the 2018 midterm elections are over, we must contend with legal issues that arise from activities related to federal, state and local inaugural and transition committees, as well as recounts and runoff elections. As...more
11/14/2018
/ 501(c)(3) ,
501(c)(4) ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Campaign Finance Reform ,
CFTC ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Consultants ,
Corporate Executives ,
Corporate Gifts ,
General Elections ,
Inauguration Committees ,
Lobbying ,
MSRB ,
Municipalities ,
PACs ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Contributions ,
Political Parties ,
Recount Committees ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Election ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
State Procurement Contracts ,
Transition Team
Below, please find a discussion of recent developments in New Hampshire
and New York.
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General recently has indicated that, going forward, it will interpret state...more
10/31/2018
/ Campaign Finance Reform ,
Corporate Contributions ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbyists ,
New Legislation ,
PACs ,
Political Contributions ,
Popular ,
Public Employee Retirement Funds ,
Registration Requirement ,
Solicitation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Attorneys General
Below, we have summarized recent developments regarding New York and Kansas lobbying requirements.
New York Lobbying Regulations -
On April 24, 2018, the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) voted to...more
5/16/2018
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Equity Compensation ,
Ethics ,
Exemptions ,
Lobbying ,
Meals-Gifts-and Entertainment Rules ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Salespersons ,
Source of Payments ,
State and Local Government ,
State Procurement Contracts
On January 28, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Appointees” (the Order). This Order requires every full-time political appointee to sign an Ethics Pledge...more
2/7/2017
/ Barack Obama ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Ethics ,
Executive Appointments ,
Executive Branch ,
Executive Orders ,
Former Employee ,
Gifts ,
Lobbying ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Trump Administration
Now that the 2016 elections are over, we must contend with special legal issues that arise from contributions made to, and expenses incurred for, federal, state or local inaugural or transition committees, as well as recounts...more
11/14/2016
/ CFTC ,
Corporate Executives ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Institutions ,
Inauguration Committees ,
Lobbying ,
MSRB ,
PACs ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Contributions ,
Public Employees ,
Recount Committees ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Election ,
State and Local Government
On Wednesday, August 24, 2016, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law an ethics package (the Bill) including campaign finance, lobbying and disclosure amendments. Below, we briefly summarize key provisions that (i) expand...more
On January 26, 2016, the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) approved two controversial advisory opinions. The first opinion clarified the scope of the state’s lobby law. Although most of the media coverage on...more
On May 1, 2015, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed Senate Bill No. 1424 (the Bill). The Bill tightens restrictions on gifts, expands Virginia’s lobby law to cover attempts to obtain public contracts and adds a new...more
Significant changes to Oklahoma's campaign finance, lobbying and gift laws and rules recently went into effect. Below, please find a summary of these changes....more
On September 26, 2014, the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) announced that “Ethics for Lobbyists,” an online ethics training course, is now available. The training course covers ethics rules and...more