Glenn Coffee & Associates staff works diligently to stay up-to-date on government rules and regulations, attending dozens of agency, board and commission meetings each year. Our newsletter shares the latest in ethics and administrative rules, and commentary on how it will affect your business.
Ethics Commission Adopts Amendments to Various Filing and Surplus Funds Rules
Dec 14, 2017A new group of amendments make a number of clean-up changes and some more significant ones to many sections of Rules 1 and 2.
Read More
Ethics Commission Continues to Consider “Cooling-off Period”
Dec 14, 2017The Ethics Commission is continuing to consider new and different versions of the “cooling off period” Rule. The latest version contains an important change–unlike previous versions, it does not include all state employees.
Read More
Why Lobbyists Should Avoid Holiday Gifting
Dec 14, 2017Lobbyists are limited to $200 per year in gifting in recognition of “infrequently occurring occasions of personal significance,” and the limit drops to $100 on Jan. 1, 2018. Does this mean you can’t give Christmas or holiday gifts?
Read More
Treatment of State Question Committees
Nov 9, 2017Under a series of amendments to the Ethics Rules that became effective May 26, 2017, committees promoting or opposing state questions can no longer lawfully duck reporting requirements imposed on other political committees. Independent expenditure organizations will no longer be able to, either, under a series of amendments to the Ethics Rules became effective May 26, 2017.
Read More
New Uses of Surplus Funds
Nov 9, 2017Candidates with surplus funds may expend those funds to purchase items for a donation to a charity for the charity’s fundraising purposes, under amendments to the Ethics Rules that are now effective. They may also make a direct contribution to the state, a state agency or a political subdivision such as a county, municipality or school district.
Read More
Who Can Sign Checks?
Nov 9, 2017Candidates now may authorize people to sign checks or debit cards on behalf of the candidate committee, thanks to an amendment to the Ethics Rules that became effective May 26, 2017.
Read More
Reimbursement Rule Changes
Nov 9, 2017Candidates who make campaign expenditures using personal funds, and then reimburse themselves from campaign funds, are now required do so within 90 days of the expenditure. They are also required to report the expenditure in detail, regardless of the amount. This change to the Ethics Rules became effective May 26, 2017.
Read More
New Lobbyist Report Deadlines
Nov 9, 2017Effective January 2018, lobbyists and liaisons will be able to attend early-January football bowl games without worrying about filing their reports. A 2017 amendment to Ethics Rule 1.4 changed the January reporting date from “before the sixth day” to “before the sixteenth day” for the report of interim activities from July 1 to Dec. 31. For executive lobbyists, the covered period is the fourth quarter.
Read More
Major Changes to Gift Rules
Nov 9, 2017Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, changes to the Ethics Rules will significantly alter the gift-giving practices of some lobbyists. The changes cover meal and non-meal gifts, and they lower some limits.
Read More
The Blackout Period and Special Session
Oct 20, 2017State law requires that no lobbyist or lobbyist principal may make or promise to make a campaign contribution to, or solicit or promise to solicit a contribution for, a member of the Legislature or a candidate for state legislative office during any regular legislative session. The rule runs from the first Monday in February through five calendar days following sine die adjournment during regular legislative session. But what about during a special session?
Read More
Glenn Coffee & Associates (“GC&A”) publishes its newsletter for clients, friends, and other interested visitors for informational purposes only. The contents of the newsletter do not constitute legal advice and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the firm or any of its attorneys or clients. The newsletter provides general information, which may or may not be correct, complete, or current at the time of reading, and is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice or opinions. Newsletter recipients should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of the newsletter’s content without first seeking appropriate legal or other advice. GC&A expressly disclaims all liability relating to actions taken or not taken based on any or all of the newsletter’s contents.
Neither transmission of information to and from the GC&A website, in part or in whole, nor receipt of the GC&A newsletter create an attorney-client relationship between senders and/or recipients and GC&A. Any communication through the website or through email does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship. Information sent to the firm via this website or through email is not secure, and is therefore not confidential.
GC&A is not responsible, and does not necessarily endorse, any third-party content that may be accessible through this website. The firm expressly disclaims all liability for any actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of any third-party sites. Some of the content on this site may be considered attorney advertising under applicable state laws. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Downloading or copying any material in the newsletter or on this website is strictly prohibited.
