This week, on Thursday, August 25, 2016, the SEC approved FINRA Proposed Rules 2030 and 4580 (the Proposed Rules) as they had been proposed by FINRA. The Proposed Rules would impose pay-to-play restrictions and recordkeeping...more
California State Treasurer John Chiang has adopted a new pay-to-play policy for firms participating in the state’s underwriter pool. By August 31, 2016, firms will need to certify that they will abide by the policy, or risk...more
On July 15, 2016, Donald Trump announced that he selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate. Contributions to the Trump/Pence campaign are now subject to prohibitions and restrictions under the...more
On June 27, 2016, the United States Supreme Court unanimously vacated the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on corruption charges and remanded the case for retrial. As discussed below, the impact of the...more
The Maryland State Board of Elections recently proposed new regulations regarding its pay-to-play reporting law. The public comment period closes on May 30, 2016. Below is a summary of the key provisions contained in the...more
On April 26, 2016, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed a bill amending the state’s pay-to-play disclosure law.
The law currently requires that a filer include on its reports contributions made by or attributed to the filer...more
This memorandum is to remind you that the annual filing for state and local contractors required under New Jersey Chapter 271 (Form BE) is due March 30, 2016. In particular, as we have described in previous mailings, this...more
On February 17, 2016, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) announced in Regulatory Notice 2016-06 that its draft amendments to Rule G-37 on political contributions, and related amendments to Rules G-8 and G-9 on...more
On January 26, 2016, the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) approved two controversial advisory opinions. The first opinion clarified the scope of the state’s lobby law. Although most of the media coverage on...more
On December 16, 2015, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed 2015 Wisconsin Act 117, which became effective January 1, 2016 (the Act). Among other changes, the Act eases the registration requirements for federal political action...more
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) recently dismissed a complaint filed against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and its political action committee (PAC), finding that Wal-Mart's 2-for-1 PAC match program did not violate federal...more
On December 16, 2015, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) submitted Rules 2030 and 4580 (the Draft Rules) to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for approval. The Draft Rules set forth pay-to-play...more
On December 16, 2015, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) filed its draft amendments to Rule G-37 on political contributions (the Draft Rule) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Draft Rule...more
We wish to remind you that companies with one or more Maryland state or local government contracts worth at least $200,000 are required to file semiannual pay-to-play reports with the Maryland State Board of Elections by each...more
The Maryland Board of Elections recently proposed regulations regarding its pay-to-play reporting law, which was amended earlier this year and now requires companies that have one or more Maryland state or local government...more
Proposed Amendments to MSRB Rule G-20 -
On September 2, 2015, the MSRB filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to Rule G-20, with conforming changes to related recordkeeping Rules G-8...more
This month, many companies that had not previously been required to file Maryland pay-to-play reports will be required to file with the Maryland State Board of Elections for the first time. Maryland’s pay-to-play reporting...more
On July 7, 2015, the federal circuit court for the District of Columbia sitting en banc issued a unanimous opinion upholding the federal contractor contribution ban against a constitutional challenge in the long-running case...more
7/15/2015
/ Affiliates ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Equal Protection ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Election Commission (FEC) ,
Fifth Amendment ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Parent Corporation ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Contributions ,
SuperPACs
The Department of Justice recently concluded its first criminal prosecution of coordination between an independent-expenditure-only committee (super PAC) and a campaign committee. On June 12, 2015, the U.S. District Court for...more
Maryland's pay-to-play reporting law is set to undergo another round of changes later this year. The legislature has passed and the governor is expected to sign a bill that makes further changes to the regime that took effect...more
As detailed in our previous mailing, the changes to Maryland's pay-to-play reporting law that took effect in January have caused confusion and created significant challenges for companies doing business with Maryland state...more
The following describes the reporting requirements under Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island laws, which require certain corporate entities to file reports regarding their business relationships with state...more
On November 4, 2014, Arkansas voters passed a constitutional amendment extending term limits for state legislators and tightening ethics laws. The amendment prohibits candidates from accepting corporate contributions,...more
On August 7, 2014, the New York and Tennessee state Republican parties brought suit against the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), challenging Rule 206(4)-5 (the rule). Specifically, the complaint seeks an...more
In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in McCutcheon v. FEC, striking down the aggregate limits imposed on individual contributions under federal law, several jurisdictions also have taken steps to address...more