States are increasingly enacting so-called foreign-influence laws, which generally fall into one of two categories: some are designed to restrict foreign political spending — extending beyond or restating the ban on...more
11/10/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Relations ,
Lobbying ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Speech ,
Registration Requirement ,
State and Local Government
On November 10, 2025, the Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE) is expected to launch an updated version of its Business Contribution Disclosure System, where persons doing public business in Maryland (pay-to-play filers)...more
11/10/2025
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbyists ,
Maryland ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Contributions ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Board of Elections ,
State Elections
As a result of the government shutdown, many federal agencies are operating at reduced staffing levels, making it difficult to contact agency staff regarding questions or technical difficulties when complying with required...more
10/6/2025
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Election Commission (FEC) ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Requirements ,
Gifts ,
Government Agencies ,
Government Shutdown ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
Lobbyists ,
Office of Government Ethics (OGE) ,
Reporting Requirements
Despite a downward trend in the overall number of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) shareholder proposals, support for shareholder proposals demanding increased political accountability and transparency surged in...more
Donald Trump recently issued a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. attorney general to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used to illegally support lobbying activities and to take appropriate enforcement...more
9/11/2025
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Grants ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
OMB ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Trump Administration
The next quarterly update required under the Illinois pay-to-play law is due August 14, 2025. As described in earlier mailings, Illinois law requires many companies with aggregate state bids, proposals and contracts totaling...more
The annual equity report for all Pennsylvania lobbyists and lobbying firms is due July 30, 2025, as required by Act 70 of 2021. The filing must disclose either the total value or percentage of equity held by a lobbyist or...more
The annual filing for state and local contractors required under New Jersey Chapter 271 (Form BE) is due March 31, 2025. As we have described in previous client alerts, this report must be filed by a business entity if it...more
As those in the U.S. enter tax season, now is a good time to review and ensure company PACs are in compliance with federal tax law. As organizations that primarily engage in political activities, PACs are generally tax-exempt...more
New federal campaign contribution limits have been announced by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Per the requirements of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, the FEC must adjust certain federal contribution...more
The following summarizes periodic pay-to-play reporting requirements under laws in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and Rhode Island. Certain companies must file reports regarding their business...more
In a memorandum published on February 5, 2025, newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi announced sweeping standards for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) exercise of prosecutorial discretion and charging decisions. The...more
2/7/2025
/ Attorney General ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Espionage ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Policy ,
National Security ,
NPRM ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda
On December 23, 2024, former President Joe Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes a provision prohibiting the Department of Defense (DOD) from contracting with...more
2/4/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Due Diligence ,
Federal Contractors ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
Lobbyists ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management
Maine -
On November 5, 2024, Maine residents voted in favor of passing a ballot measure that limits contributions from individuals, PACs and business entities to PACs “for the purpose of making independent expenditures” to...more
Now that the 2024 election has passed, individuals and organizations must be mindful of special legal issues that arise from contributions made to, and expenses incurred for, federal, state or local inaugural or transition...more
12/2/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Corporate Executives ,
Corporate Governance ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Institutions ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Inaugrations ,
Inauguration Committees ,
Investment Adviser ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
Lobbyists ,
PACs ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Contributions ,
Presidential Elections ,
Public-Private Entities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State and Local Government ,
Transition Team ,
Transitional Arrangements ,
Trump Administration
On October 8, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit granted the state of Ohio’s motion to stay a preliminary injunction, previously issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, against...more
On September 24, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit temporarily stayed a preliminary injunction, previously issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, against a portion of Ohio’s...more
As noted in our prior updates, on June 2, 2024, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law H.B. 1, which prohibits foreign nationals from making or being solicited for political contributions in connection with Ohio state and...more
As noted in our prior update, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed H.B. 1 into law on June 2, 2024. H.B. 1 enacted a ban on foreign nationals making or being solicited for political contributions, defining foreign nationals to...more
On August 6, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president and announced Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. This marked the end of the primary election period for the Harris/Walz...more
8/9/2024
/ Campaign Finance Reform ,
CFTC ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Kamala Harris ,
MSRB ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Contributions ,
Presidential Elections ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Vice President Kamala Harris announced today that she has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate in her bid for president. Contributions to the Harris/Walz campaign are now subject to the...more
8/7/2024
/ Campaign Finance Reform ,
CFTC ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Kamala Harris ,
MSRB ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Contributions ,
Presidential Elections ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The next quarterly update required under the Illinois pay-to-play law is due August 14, 2024. As described in an earlier mailing, Illinois law requires many companies with aggregate state bids, proposals and contracts...more
On July 21, 2024, President Joseph Biden announced that he was ending his bid for reelection and instead endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. A presumptive nominee withdrawing so close to the party convention...more
7/29/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Campaign Funds ,
CFTC ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Kamala Harris ,
Legislative Agendas ,
MSRB ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Campaigns ,
Presidential Elections ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Ohio Adopts Sweeping Foreign National Ban, Covering Lawful Permanent Residents -
On June 2, 2024, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law H.B. 1, enacting a sweeping foreign national ban on political contributions and...more
6/21/2024
/ Campaign Finance Reform ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Governor DeWine ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
North Carolina ,
PACs ,
Political Contributions ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans ,
State Legislatures
As a result of recent statutory amendments that will go into effect on July 1, 2024, companies registered and filing pay-to-play reports in Maryland will be required to list on their registration certain beneficial owners,...more