State Law

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

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

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

Amid ongoing focus on how social media and other companies approach online advertising, California’s latest effort to require disclosure of online advertising will take effect January 1.  We blogged on these revisions to the California DISCLOSE Act, sometimes called the Social Media DISCLOSE Act, when they passed back in 2018. …
Continue Reading New Online Political Advertising Rules Coming to California January 1

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?