RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES
Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance
Montana: A coalition of former public officeholders is pushing to end corporate political spending in Montana politics via a proposed constitutional initiative they aim to qualify for the 2026 election. The Transparent Election Initiative (TEI) is a nonprofit organization founded by former Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan. Its central effort is The Montana Plan, a proposed 2026 constitutional initiative that would amend new and existing corporate charters in the state to explicitly prevent corporations from spending in local politics. Montana requires out-of-state firms to adhere to in-state laws, which would effectively delegate the new restriction to any entity moving money within Montana. Mangan said the plan would work by blocking corporations from contributing to elections through political action committees. Because of that ban, individuals would no longer be able to anonymously give to a corporation that, in turn, donates to a political action committee. TEI’s constitutional initiative would block that two-step workaround currently enabling individuals to make anonymous campaign donations. The initiative must pass a series of administrative and logistical hurdles, including a language review by the Legislative Services Division, an attorney general’s assessment of the measure’s legal structure and a comprehensive signature-gathering campaign the Secretary of State’s Office will review. (Zeke Lloyd, MTFP)
Government Ethics & Transparency
Nevada: The Nevada Supreme Court the week of June 16, 2025, unanimously ruled in favor of Gov. Joe Lombardo’s effort to dismiss sanctions imposed by the Nevada Commission on Ethics, sending the case back to a lower court. In 2023, the Commission censured and fined Lombardo $20,000 for violating state a ethics law prohibiting public officials from using government property or equipment “to benefit a significant personal or pecuniary interest.” However, Lombardo sued to dismiss the sanctions months later, challenging the Commission itself for violating the state Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine because the Legislature appoints some of its members. However, a Carson City judge dismissed the lawsuit last year due to a technicality, centering on Lombardo’s attorney’s failure to serve the lawsuit to the Nevada Attorney General’s Office within 45 days of notifying the ethics commission of its intent to appeal the sanctions. Lombardo’s lawyers argued that serving the attorney general’s office was unnecessary and the Nevada Supreme Court agreed, ruling serving the attorney general’s office “served no purpose” because it had recused itself from the case. Lombardo’s effort to dismiss the sanctions will now return to the Carson City District Court. (Eric Neugeboren, The Nevada Independent)
Ballot Measures & Elections
California: California Sen. Tom Umberg drafted a proposal this year that would prohibit offering significant cash incentives to turn out voters in hotly-contested elections. Umberg’s bill would close what he calls a loophole in California election law he fears Elon Musk and wealthy donors will exploit by hosting lotteries to boost voter turnout. Musk distributed $1 million checks to swing state voters in the 2024 presidential election last year and then in Wisconsin a few months later. It is already a crime in California and under federal law to offer cash in exchange for votes or to persuade people to register to vote. Umberg’s measure would take it further by making it a crime in California to pay people, including via lotteries or other prize-drawing contests, “contingent on whether the person voted or the person’s voter registration status.” Violators would face up to three years in jail and $10,000 fines. Umberg’s bill advanced unanimously — including with all 10 Republican senators — from the Senate in late May 2025. No Republican discussed the bill during the brief floor vote. The measure has not yet been scheduled for an Assembly hearing. (Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters)
