State Law

State regulators are beginning to grapple with the implications of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC (“NRSC”).  Minnesota may have provided the first clear example of how the ruling could reshape state campaign finance regimes. On June 30, the Supreme Court struck…

Continue Reading Early Post-NRSC Domino Falls: Minnesota Stops Enforcing Limits on Certain Party In-Kind Contributions

With redistricting, the “billionaire tax” and other ballot measures, and heated gubernatorial and other races, contributors are giving huge amounts of money this year in California state and local elections.  California has a complex campaign finance system, and it can be easy to miss some of the requirements.  Key among…

Continue Reading Don’t Forget Your California Major Donor Reports!

Employees in the investor relations departments of hedge fund managers and private equity firms typically do not consider themselves “lobbyists.” But state and local regulators sometimes have a different view. This article, published in the Hedge Fund Law Report, explains the types of investor relations activities that could…

Continue Reading When Investor Relations Become Procurement Lobbying

Over the last several weeks, Texas, Louisiana, and Nebraska have enacted so called “baby” Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”) laws aimed at regulating foreign-influenced political activity in the states.  There has been a trend in state legislatures over the last year to propose laws that apply to foreign-influenced political activity…

Continue Reading Texas, Louisiana, and Nebraska Enact “Baby” FARA Laws

Over the past several months, several states have introduced bills that mirror the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”). There has been a trend in the states to propose so-called “baby FARA” laws that apply to foreign-influenced political activity in the states, though the proposals vary in the scope of…

Continue Reading Arkansas Governor Signs Baby FARA Law

Important changes to California’s pay-to-play law took effect January 1, 2025, and now the state’s regulations have caught up to the law.

The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission adopted the new regulations late last month, following statutory revisions to California’s complex pay-to-play law found at California Government Code § 84308…

Continue Reading California Updates Pay-to-Play Law Regulations to Reflect Recent Law Changes

Last week, the Georgia state Senate authorized a sweeping investigation of former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, continuing a national trend of increased state legislative investigations.  Although state-level investigations continue to lag far behind congressional investigations, state legislatures appear to be replicating what we see on the federal level with increasing…

Continue Reading Georgia Senate Launches Abrams-Focused Inquiry, Signaling Growing Risk of State Legislative Investigations

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has adopted higher political contribution limits and public officer gift limits for the 2025-2026 political cycle.  The new limits took effect January 1, 2025.

Contribution Limits

Under the new limits, an individual, business entity, or PAC can contribute $5,900 per election to candidates…

Continue Reading California Adopts New Contribution, Gift Limits for 2025-2026

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has vetoed Georgia Senate Bill 368, which would have created a requirement in state law for certain “agents of foreign principals” to register and report certain lobbying and political activities in Georgia.  This is the first of the wave of recently proposed baby FARA bills at…

Continue Reading Georgia Governor Vetoes “Baby” FARA Bill

Over the past several weeks, legislatures in Arizona, California, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee have introduced bills that mirror the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”). There has been a trend in the states to enact so-called “baby FARA” laws that apply to foreign influenced political activity…

Continue Reading States Introduce More “Baby” FARA Bills