“Our Legislative Districts Just Too Big”
Timm Herdt has written this column for the Ventura County Star. SacBee is polling the question of its online readers.
Category Archives: legislation and legislatures
2011 Supplement to the Must-Have ABA Lobbying Manual Now Available
Extensive Must-Read NYT Article on Rep. Issa’s Business Interests
Lichtblau:
Most wealthy members of Congress push their financial activities to the side, with many even placing them in blind trusts to avoid appearances of conflicts of interest. But Mr. Issa (pronounced EYE-suh), one of Washington’s richest lawmakers, may… Continue reading
Here’s A Nice Illustration of Why the ABA Recommendation to Get Lobbyists Out of the Fundraising Business Makes Sense
Roll Call: Lobbyists Tout Becerra’s Appointment to Deficit Panel.
“Lobbyist Group Lauds ABA Disclosure Plan But Questions Restricting Campaign Money”
BNA reports.
The Constitutionality of ABA Proposed Limitations on Lobbyist Fundraising
As I noted recently, the ABA passed a resolution calling for greater regulation of lobbyists. The resolution was based upon a Task Force report, and then modified through the comments of various ABA sections and at the meeting itself. … Continue reading
What’s More Popular than Congress?
WaPo (Lifestyle, again): “Cloning sheep. Cloning humans, even. Caning teen vandals. Believing that aliens have descended from space and abducted humans.”
“ABA Calls for Tougher Lobbying Rules”
Roll Call reports.
“American Bar Association Urges Strengthening of Lobbying Laws”
The Campaign Legal Center has issued this press release.
House and Senate Working on “Honest Services” Amendment
BNA reports here ($) that “[t]he Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced new legislation to close gaps in federal anti-corruption laws created by recent court decisions, and key Senate lawmakers said they now are working closely with their House colleagues to… Continue reading
Sunshine on the Supercommittee
Sunlight Foundation is calling for transparency by the debt-reduction supercommittee. Sunlight also has posted a debt ceiling legislative action calendar.
Update: AP reports here on Public Campaign’s demand that supercommittee members refrain from all political fundraising.
Is the Super-Committee an Antidote to Hyperpolarization?
This is at the outskirts of election law, but this Politico story on liberal and conservative bloggers’ shared wariness of the debt agreement got me thinking. As Rick Pildes has explained, extreme party polarization has made governance increasingly difficult. The… Continue reading
John Stewart Updates “I’m Just a Bill” with a Beat Up Dodd-Frank
Readers know I like to start my Legislation course with various versions of the Schoolhouse Rock song, “I’m Just a Bill.” Now comes this hilarious parody from “the Daily Show,” with John Oliver as a bloodied version of Dodd-Frank. Not… Continue reading
“Shifting Power in Sacramento: The Effects of Term Limits on Legislative Staff”
Another new article. The abstract:
Does legislative staff become more powerful when state legislators are term limited? This article explores the impact of term limits on the power and duties of staff. Staff play an important role in today’s… Continue reading