government ethics

As we predicted in January, the Virginia General Assembly has passed an ethics reform law and sent it to Governor Terry McAuliffe who can sign it into law, veto it, or propose amendments and return it to the General Assembly for further action.  If signed into law, it will supplement…
Continue Reading Virginia General Assembly Sends Ethics Bill to Governor

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

Virginia has often been referred to as the “Wild West” of politics because of its limited campaign finance and ethics laws.  The Commonwealth’s ethics laws are undergoing major changes, however, with more to come during the legislative session.

On January 11, in his second act as Governor, Terry…
Continue Reading Virginia: New Executive Gift Ban Takes Immediate Effect, with Ethics Reform Moving Through General Assembly

Since 2005, Florida has had one of the strictest restrictions on lobbyists and principals giving gifts to state legislators.  Except for “floral arrangements” or “other celebratory items” given on the opening day of regular session, the law flatly prohibits a lobbyist or principal from making “any expenditure” with respect to…
Continue Reading Florida Legislators Take First Look at Proposed Lobbyist Gift Ban Exceptions

Revisions to Georgia’s gift rules, which seemed a near certainty earlier in the year, have stalled as the legislative clock runs out this week.  Georgia law currently imposes no limit on gifts to state legislators.  In the 2012 primaries, Georgia voters overwhelming supported a non-binding ballot initiative calling for a…
Continue Reading Georgia: New Ethics Rules Really on Their Mind?

Last week, the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) issued a memorandum with a reminder about executive branch ethics rules governing holiday gifts and fundraising.  There is nothing unusual about guidance like this—late last month, for example, the House Ethics Committee issued one for House members and staff—but OGE’s guidance stands…
Continue Reading Poetic Ethics (Not To Be Confused with Ethical Poetry)

Earlier this week, the House Committee on Ethics issued guidance on the House Gift Rule as a reminder of issues that might arise during the holiday season.  Absent an exception, Members and staff are prohibited under the House Gift Rule from accepting any gifts.  The Ethics Committee’s merry guidance focuses…
Continue Reading House Committee on Ethics Issues Holiday Guidance on the Gift Rule

The House Committee on Ethics has issued two memoranda—one to Members and officers and the other to staff—detailing the restrictions placed on these individuals when negotiating future employment and entering the private workforce.  While this guidance is directed to those within the House of Representatives, it provides a useful…
Continue Reading Hiring from the House: Committee on Ethics Issues Guidance on House Members and Staff Seeking and Entering into New Employment

Pay-to-play laws, which now exist at the federal, state, and local levels, generally restrict or require disclosure of political contributions by firms seeking to do business with the government.  Hedge funds, private equity funds, and asset management firms are particularly sensitive to such restrictions because of their reliance on investments…
Continue Reading New Frontiers for Pay-to-Play Laws in the Next Election Cycle