Compliance Now

E-News from State and Federal Communications, Inc.
FEBRUARY 2019

Cora Belle Reynolds Anderson
House of Representative leader

Cora Belle Reynolds Anderson, born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1882, was the first woman elected to become a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. She is also believed to be the only Native American elected in Michigan’s Legislature. Before Cora was involved with politics, she was a teacher, educated at the Haskell Institute (now known as the Haskell Indian Nations University), and taught in the Upper Peninsula Region for many years.

During her tenure in the state House of Representatives (1925-1926), Cora was very involved with public welfare issues and chaired the Industrial Home for Girls Committee. She was very passionate about health issues as well, by trying to fight tuberculosis, alcoholism, and bringing the first nurse to the Upper Peninsula. She also promoted public health by creating regular sanitation practices in the area.

Cora was inducted to the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame because of her legacy of becoming the first women in Michigan elected to the state House, being a health activist, and becoming an educated teacher who taught the children in the community.

This series of articles would not have been possible without the research done by Alexandria
Vernis J.D. and Sam Waller and designed by Peter Keares. We are continuing our research about women leaders as we approach the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in August 2020.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Columbus, Ohio Campaign Finance Reform
Takes Effect

Joanna Kamvouris, J.D.
Research Associate

On January 15, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther signed City Ordinance 3386, bringing contribution limits, campaign finance disclosures, special duties for election officials, and penalties into force.

The ordinance creates a calendar year cap to match state contributions limits from individuals to any candidate, including mayor, council member, auditor and city attorney. Adjusted for inflation, the limit amounts to $12,707.79. The ordinance also establishes $50 tax credits for small donations.

The ordinance requires same-day disclosure of sources who issue an election period communication within 90 days of an election. The city clerk has a duty to review report filings and enter into a memorandum of understanding with the city attorney to secure internal or outside counsel as needed. The city clerk or designee will seek legal review of sworn complaints alleging a violation and must establish and maintain an electronic filing portal on the city website for the filing of reports. Upon learning of an alleged violation, the city attorney will investigate compliance in accordance with the process established by the city clerk.

Failing to file or filing a false campaign finance or election period communication report is a misdemeanor of the first degree. Penalties for violations include a $500 fine or an amount equal to three times the amount contributed in excess of the amount permitted, whichever is greater. A fine of $100 per day will be assessed for each day a required report is not timely filed. Ordinance 3386 became effective when signed by the mayor on January 15.

[The details for this article will be updated on our website in the Contributions
and Registration and Reports Required sections of the
Political Contributions Compliance Laws for Columbus, Ohio.]

Summary of Changes UPDATE
Note Recent Changes to Compliance Regulations

Michael Beckett, Esq.,
Research Manager

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Mayor Muriel Bowser opted not to veto legislation the D.C. Council unanimously approved to restrict political contributions by government contractors doing business with the district. Bill 22-0107 also addresses improper coordination between campaigns, political action committees, and independent expenditure committees. The pay-to-play component of the bill would ban campaign contributions by businesses seeking contracts of $250,000 or more. The act of the council travels to Congress for a 30-day review. If approved and funded, the bill would take effect on October 1, 2019. Pay-to-play provisions would take effect after the November 2020 general election.

FEDERAL: Lobbyists are now required to disclose convictions for bribery, fraud, and other crimes when registering and reporting. President Trump signed Senate Bill 2896, the “Justice Against Corruption on K Street Act of 2018” or the “JACK Act” on January 3. Congress passed the bill unanimously, requiring lobbyists to disclose any prior conviction for bribery, extortion, embezzlement, illegal kickbacks, tax evasion, fraud, conflicts of interest, making false statements, perjury, or money laundering. At this time, the House Legislative Resource Center and Senate Office of Public Records offices are developing additional guidance and technical changes necessary for this reporting on the two relevant forms. If the statutory timelines require a lobbyist to file a registration or quarterly report before the amended forms are available, lobbyists are advised to include the relevant information in their registration or in an amendment to the last report filed.

MONTANA: The Commissioner of Political Practices received approval to increase the threshold amount a lobbyist can earn to trigger lobbyist registration with the state. The threshold amount for 2019 is $2,600. The Commissioner of Political Practices also updated the lobbying guide as well as a helpful lobbying scenario guide explaining what circumstances require lobbyists and lobbyist principals to file registrations and reports.

TEXAS: Effective January 8, a lobbyist who is a former elected officer is prohibited from making a political contribution to a candidate, officeholder, or political committee from campaign funds accepted as a candidate or officeholder. Additionally, the Texas Ethics Commission adopted an amendment to Texas Ethics Commission Rules §50.1, increasing the legislative per diem from $190 to $221. The detailed reporting threshold therefore increased to $132.60 for these expenditures made on or after January 6.

WYOMING: The Secretary of State’s Office has announced the launch of a new online Lobbyist Center. The Lobbyist Center allows lobbyists to register online and gives the public real-time access to a list of Wyoming lobbyists and associated filings. The Lobbyist Center can be accessed at https://lobbyist.wyo.gov/Lobbyist/Default.aspx.

Legislation We Are Tracking

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications' digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly email updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

	Total bills	Number of Jurisdictions	Passed	Died	Carried over to 2019
Lobbying Laws	61	16	2	0	25
Political Contributions	78	16	1	0	33
Procurement Lobbying	70	15	2	0	40

Every month subscribers to the State and Federal Communications website receive the Summary of Changes, which is a list of all the changes and additions made to the website in the course of the prior month. In all publications, a year’s worth of Summary of Changes can be accessed by clicking on the "Summary of Changes" link on the left-hand side of the entry’s website page. Below the link is a convenient chart entitled “Year End Summary” to provide a review of the highlights and major changes of 2018.

ASK THE EXPERTS

State and Federal Communications’ Experts
Answer Your Questions

Here is your chance to “Ask the Experts” at State and Federal Communications, Inc. Send your questions to experts@stateandfed.com. (Of course, we have always been available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or email us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies are not legal advice, just our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

I’m a registered lobbyist in Colorado and I heard there are new lobbyist disclosure reporting requirements going into effect for 2019. What should I know about the new reporting requirements to make sure I am compliant?

You are correct. A new Colorado lobbyist regulation went into effect January 1, 2019 that makes changes to lobbyist reporting requirements. The big change is that you will now need to make sure you are tracking the exact dates of position changes...

Read the full article here

For more information, be sure to check out the “Reports Required” section of the
Lobbying Compliance Laws online publication for Colorado. Please feel free to
contact us if you have any questions.

Renee Bomba, Esq., Compliance Associate

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State and Federal Communications, Inc.
Scrapbook - February 2019

Elizabeth Z. Bartz with Karen Hughes, published
the book Ten Minutes from Normal, which includes
an account of her decision to leave
the White House.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz and Adrienne Borgstahl, Esq.,
Research Associate, enjoying lunch with
Laura Wallerstein, Esq., from Roetzel.

Myra Cottrill, Esq., Client Specialist, participating
at the 2018 COGEL Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

Representative Emilia Strong Sykes [D], Ohio House
District 34, with Elizabeth Z. Bartz, President and CEO
of State and Federal Communications, Inc.

Plan to say hello at future events where State and Federal Communications, Inc.
will be attending and/or speaking regarding compliance issues.

February 1, 2019	Hot Stove Banquet, Akron, OH
February 7, 2019	Angel ART Fundraiser, Akron, OH
February 12, 2019	Friends of National Service Awards Dinner, Washington, DC
February 15, 2019	Go Red for Women, Akron, OH
February 20, 2019	WKSU Community Advisory Council Meeting, Kent, OH
February 20, 2019	Mayor Dan Horrigan’s 2019 State of the City Address, Akron, OH
February 21, 2019	Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH
February 22-25, 2019	National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Washington, DC
February 22, 2019	WGR Governors Reception, Washington, DC
March 3-6, 2019	National PAC Conference, Miami, FL

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"I Comply."

We are the leading authority and exclusive information source on legislation and regulations surrounding campaign finance and political contributions; state, federal, and municipal lobbying; and procurement lobbying.

Contact us to learn how conveniently our services will allow you to say "I Comply" for your compliance activities.

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