Lobbying Compliance

With Election Day 2016 in the books, the political world turns to the transition of power and the January 20, 2017 Inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. With the swearing in of the new President and Vice President will come the traditional balls, parties, and receptions.
Continue Reading The 2017 Presidential Inauguration: Ethics and Compliance Issues

Over the next nine weeks, the Trump Presidential Transition team will formulate policy and staffing recommendations for the new administration. This alert gives a broad overview of the Transition and the laws that regulate interactions with Transition team members on issues related to appointments and policy recommendations. Persons interested in…
Continue Reading Guidelines for Interacting with President-Elect Trump’s Transition Team

Earlier this afternoon, the House Clerk’s Office sent out emails to a number of registered federal lobbyists and lobbyist organizations alerting them to a missing 2016 Mid-Year LD-203 contribution report (due on August 1, 2016).  It appears that this email was sent in error to a batch of registrants who…
Continue Reading House Clerk’s Office Apparently Sends Out Late Lobbyist Report Notices In Error

On Friday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued its ninth annual report on compliance with the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), covering from mid-2014 through mid-2015.  As in the past, the report is based on random audits of lobbyists’ filings and analysis of enforcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for…
Continue Reading Annual GAO Report on Federal Lobbying Compliance Shows Mixed Enforcement Bag: Fewer Audits, More and Larger Enforcement Penalties

California is already home to some of the most complicated and searching political regulations in the country, especially in its efforts to expose “dark money” and other undisclosed political spending.  A newly-amended lobbying regulation and proposed campaign finance law will enhance that reputation.  The practical effect of each is to…
Continue Reading California Regulation, Proposed Statute Add to State’s Reputation for Complex, Detailed Disclosure

According to a key advocate, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA)  is preparing to renew his push for legislation aimed at expanding disclosure of political intelligence gathering.  Speaking with BNA, Craig Holman of Public Citizen said yesterday (subscription required) that bipartisan legislation will soon be introduced in both the…
Continue Reading A Renewed Push Coming for Disclosure of Political Intelligence Gathering?

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…
Continue Reading New Campaign Finance, Lobbying, and Ethics Laws Take Effect

Amid the thrill of victory and agony of defeat this Election Day, Arkansas voters approved a constitutional amendment that will have a major impact on those involved in the political and legislative process there.  While enacting legislation and regulations may bring some additional clarity to the issues, the amendment is…
Continue Reading New Arkansas Campaign Finance, Lobbying, and Ethics Laws Take Immediate Effect

In a significant reversal by the Obama administration, lobbyists will now be permitted to serve on federal advisory committees, boards, and commissions after more than four years of sitting on the advisory committee sidelines.  In guidance published in the Federal Register today, the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) quietly…
Continue Reading Lobbyists Can Now Sit on Some Federal Advisory Committees: Here’s How to Find Out Where

For several years, we have been warning clients and others that it was only a matter of time before we would see criminal referrals against lobbyists who fail to register under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”).  Until now, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has focused…
Continue Reading Congressional Ethics Office Refers Alleged Unregistered Lobbyist to DOJ