New York

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

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced today that he has adopted regulations requiring non-profits engaging in certain electioneering activity in New York, including 501(c)(4) organizations, to disclose their donors.  We previously wrote on the proposed rules, which after a series of public hearings, have been slightly modified and adopted…
Continue Reading Non-Profit Donor Disclosure Rules in New York Are Now In Effect

The Associated Press reports that New York State is poised to loosen lobbying disclosure requirements and tighten gift restrictions.  The New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which has broad jurisdiction over New York state ethics and lobbying laws, has proposed new rules governing both lobbying disclosure requirements…
Continue Reading New York State Lobbying and Ethics Rules

The Conference Board has issued an interesting report on “Corporate Political Spending.”  The report addresses an increasingly high-profile issue for politically active public companies: demands from shareholders and interest groups that corporations publicly disclose all of their political and lobbying activities.  Much disclosure is already required, of course, by federal,…
Continue Reading Shareholder Demands for Corporate Political Disclosure

The New York Attorney General proposed today a broad plan requiring nonprofit organizations involved in New York state elections to disclose the nonprofit’s donors and electoral advocacy activity.  This proposed rule comes on the heels of a new rule in New York requiring organizations that lobby to disclose certain donors. …
Continue Reading New Push for Donor Disclosure in New York

A proposed New York regulation would force trade associations to disclose the full dues payment of any member who pays over $5,000 in dues – and trade associations are not happy about it.

Trade associations are joining forces to scale back proposed ethics regulations implementing ethics reform legislation New York…
Continue Reading Proposed New York Regulation Worries Trade Associations

Since the federal court decisions in Citizens United and SpeechNow, courts, state campaign finance regulators, and state attorneys general have consistently found that Super PACs—entities that make only independent expenditures—are not bound by contribution limits.  Yesterday, a federal court in New York bucked this trend—at least preliminarily.

For…
Continue Reading Federal Court Upholds Super PAC Contribution Limit in New York Races for Now

In a letter published today, Representative David Camp, Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, and Senator Orrin Hatch, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, have told New York’s Attorney General that they are “particularly concerned by reports that indicate your office has not followed the federally…
Continue Reading Two Prominent Republican Members of Congress Challenge New York AG’s Inquiries

New York State is headed toward requiring 501(c)(4) groups that lobby to disclose their donors, a significant new requirement that may be a first for any state.  As more and more money is being spent to influence state governments, the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics approved draft…
Continue Reading The Secret’s Out – New York Calls for 501(c)(4)s that Lobby to Disclose Donors