Medford, New Jersey recently disqualified five would-be city contractors from receiving municipal contracts until 2017 for allegedly making political contributions in violation of the Township’s pay-to-play ordinance.
The ordinance, adopted in 2012, imposes an automatic four-year bar on contracting with a company that contributes to candidates or committees in
Continue Reading Contractors Handed 4-Year Ban Under New Jersey Township’s Pay-to-Play Law
Connecticut’s campaign finance regulator, the State Elections Enforcement Commission (“SEEC”) recently released an important advisory opinion that made clear that a state contractor that is otherwise barred from giving to a state political party under Connecticut’s pay-to-play law can give to the party’s federal account, a point SEEC staff had
Continue Reading Connecticut Pay-to-Play Law Does Not Bar Giving to a State Party’s Federal Account
California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is more aggressive than ever and is employing new tactics. The FPPC’s recently-released end-of-year report detailing enforcement activities in 2013 highlights some interesting statistics that should be on the radar of every company doing business in California.
Prosecutions of both “serious campaign cases” and
Continue Reading Record-Setting Enforcement by California’s Campaign Finance Regulator
On Thursday, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) was unable to agree on whether Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. could sponsor a Separate Segregated Fund (a corporate “SSF” or “PAC” in common parlance) that solicited contributions from the employees of its dealers and service centers. The request resulted in an unsurprising deadlock
Continue Reading The More Things Change: The FEC and Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
The New York Times, in a recent article, called attention to the “paltry” sums contributed by the hedge fund industry to New York City mayoral candidates. The article explains that hedge fund political contributions are limited—noting that some of the hedge fund industry’s “biggest personalities” are absent from
Continue Reading Pay-to-Play: Hidden Factor in Low Contributions to NYC Mayoral Candidates?
Obscure pay-to-play rules are having a big impact on U.S. elections. In an article in today’s The Hill, we examine how these little understood rules provide institutional fundraising advantages for certain candidates at the expense of others. We also point out how these laws are changing the operational rules
Continue Reading How Pay-to-Play Laws Are Changing Elections
During the 2012 election cycle, we cautioned that campaign finance problems can haunt candidates long after the election is over. Case in point: As the New York Daily News reports, the New York City Campaign Finance Board recently voted to impose $72,402 in penalties for violations of 15 different
Continue Reading New York City Pay to Play and Other Campaign Finance Violations Haunt Candidate
As we recently predicted the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act is prompting the FEC to reconsider, and likely revise, its decision in an earlier Advisory Opinion, 2013-02 (“Winslow I”), that the definition of “spouse” under federal
Continue Reading FEC Moves to Reconsider Scope of “Spouse” In Light of Supreme Court Decision Striking Down DOMA
Recently, we noted a pay-to-play scandal in Pennsylvania that resulted in multiple arrests. This week, New Jersey’s Attorney General charged seven executives or shareholders of Birdsall Services Group, an engineering firm. The alleged Birdsall scheme illustrates the ease with which pay-to-play violations and campaign finance violations can mix.
Pay-to-play laws
Continue Reading Paying to Play in the Name of Another (Allegedly)
We can learn two important lessons from the recent Pennsylvania Turnpike pay to play scandal. The first of these lessons is straightforward, but important: beware of providing benefits to public officials who can influence contracting or regulatory decisions impacting your company. The second—and less intuitive—lesson, which has been lost amidst
Continue Reading Lessons from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Pay to Play Scandal