Pursuant to Chapter 271, a business entity that has received $50,000 or more in government contracts in a calendar year must file an annual disclosure statement electronically with ELEC. The disclosure form requires reporting contract information and reportable contributions the business entity has made. The due date for the second annual disclosure report […]

February 29 marks the 20th anniversary of New York City’s campaign finance law. In contrast to similar reform efforts elsewhere, NYC’s law has been a dynamic work in progress, the subject of frequent legislative changes.
Indeed, the current law is the product of more than 20 laws enacted over 20 years. A mandate for ongoing change […]

Earlier this week, the long expected challenge to New York City’s recent campaign finance law amendments was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ognibene v. Schwarz includes free speech, equal protection and Voting Rights Act challenges to the “doing business” contribution limits and other elements of NYC’s […]

When is it improper for an attorney representing a private client to communicate with a municipal official? This topic was explored at a recent panel discussion presented by the Municipal Law Section of the New York State Bar Association in which I participated.
Lawyers representing private clients often make lobbying communications at the municipal level, […]

The Campaign Finance Board recently posted materials on its website that summarize amendments to the NYC Campaign Finance Act adopted in 2007. In several instances, we note, the website summary differs from the language of the new law.
For example, most of the legislative changes took effect on December 31, 2007 or January 1, 2008, […]

The City’s doing business database (DBDB) has gone live.
As previously reported here, the New York City Campaign Finance Board certified the first phase of the DBDB last month.  As of February 2, 2008, entities and persons listed in the DBDB are now subject to reduced contribution limits and the contributions are not matched with public […]