Covington has recently learned that, for the first time ever, the CPA-Zicklin Index, which ranks companies’ political disclosure practices, plans to issue rankings for all 500 companies in the S&P 500 Index. This is a significant expansion of the Index, which will impact many public companies that have not previously been subject to intense scrutiny
January 2015
The SEC & Big Data
By Kevin Glandon on
In our discussion of the Securities & Exchange Commission’s (SEC) actions over the past year, we described how the SEC is ramping up enforcement of its pay-to-play restrictions. We also pointed out an acknowledgment by an agency enforcement official that the agency is “actively looking” for violations and that the agency does its own “surveillance.”…
New Campaign Finance, Lobbying, and Ethics Laws Take Effect
By Andrew Garrahan on
The New Year brings with it new laws governing campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics. Below we highlight some of the major state and federal laws that took effect on or around January 1. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but highlights some of the most significant changes that are new for 2015. …
Illinois Governor Signs Executive Order on Ethics
By Brendan Parets on
Posted in Government Ethics, State Law
Companies and individuals doing business in Illinois should be aware of an executive order – Executive Order 15-09 – signed this week by Governor Bruce Rauner that, among other things, imposes new limitations on the acceptance of gifts by state employees. Illinois state employees are generally prohibited by statute from accepting any gift from a…
Covington Releases How-To Guide For Responding To Corporate Political Disclosure Initiatives
By Zachary G. Parks on
Posted in Corporate Political Spending Disclosure
Covington today released a client advisory providing best practices to assist in-house counsel of publicly-traded companies in responding to corporate political disclosure initiatives. These initiatives aim to force companies to post to their websites more information regarding corporate political activities, such as details regarding corporate contributions to trade associations and 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations. Despite…
Ethics Enforcement in the 114th Congress
By Kevin Glandon on
The notion that the House and Senate Ethics Committees are inactive bodies, often implied in media coverage, is far from the truth.
During the previous Congress, the House Ethics Committee issued more than 900 formal advisory opinions and addressed more than 40,000 informal requests for guidance. In the first half of the 113th Congress alone,…