http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com A weblog about Corporate Political Activity Law by the lawyers of Genova, Burns & Vernoia Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:40:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Yesterday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order reactivating the appeal in Ognibene v. Parkes, which challenges NYC's  doing business contribution limits and the extension of the City's corporate contributions ban to LLCs and partnerships.  We've previously described the case here. The order allows Appellants to file ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/02/ognibene-v-parkes-nyc-lobbyists-challenge-revived-in-the-wake-of-citizens-united/ Yesterday, the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the impact of the Citizens United decision on New Jersey's campaign finance and pay-to-play laws.  Among the expert witnesses was Angelo J. Genova, founding partner of Genova Burns. The general consensus was that New Jersey's existing campaign finance laws are ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/02/citizens-united-comes-to-new-jersey-angelo-j-genova-esq-testifies-at-assembly-judiciary-committee-hearing/ Today,  Senator Charles Schumer and Representative Chris Van Hollen issued a legislative proposal in response to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United.  Proposals include banning expenditures by corporations with a more than 20 percent foreign interest, TARP recipients, and federal contractors, and  increased disclosure to the public and to ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/02/legislative-proposal-in-response-to-citizens-united/ The expectation is that NYC Mayor Bloomberg will soon appoint a Charter Revision Commission. The Commission would conduct a review of the New York City Charter, ultimately proposing a new charter or amendments to be voted on by referendum. Theoretically, the Commission would be an independent City agency. As a practical matter, ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/02/charter-revision-and-lobbying/ The “other holding” in Citizens United, the one in which eight justices concurred, upheld federal disclaimer and public disclosure requirements as applied to the film Hillary and televised advertisements for the film.  Looking perhaps to the future, the majority reflected that “[a] campaign finance system that pairs corporate independent expenditures ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/01/disclaimers-and-disclosure/ No later than March 30, 2010, business entities that received payments of $50,000 or more through New Jersey government contracts in calendar year 2009 are required to file a Business Entity Annual Disclosure Form with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. The law requires a business entity to disclose the ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/01/elec-business-entity-annual-statement-due-march-30-2010/ Contribution and pay-to-play restrictions often allow for refunds to “correct” an over-the-limit contribution. The power of a refund varies by statute. Here are a few examples. New Jersey New Jersey law permits a state vendor to “cure” a contribution over the $300 limit set forth under P.L. 2005, c. ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/01/the-power-of-refunds/ Today, in a 5-4 ruling, the United States Supreme Court changed the Constitutional landscape for campaign finance reform.  In Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the Court lifted the long-standing ban on corporate and union independent expenditures in federal elections, but upheld Federal Election Commission disclosure and disclaimer requirements on ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/01/united-states-supreme-court-decides-citizens-united-case/ Governor Christie’s Executive Order No. 7 modifies prior executive orders (implicitly Executive Orders 117 and 118 signed by Governor Corzine in 2008) by amending the term “business entity” to include labor unions and labor organizations, and political committees formed by such organizations. The Governor explained that EO 7 ... http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/01/pay-to-play-for-labor-unions/ On his first day in office, Governor Christie signed eight executive orders, including one on pay-to-play. Here is Executive Order No. 7. http://www.corporatepoliticalactivitylaw.com/index.php/2010/01/governor-christie-issues-executive-order-on-pay-to-play/