Latest Developments:
- The Alabama Ethics Commission issued the following statement: “The Alabama Ethics Commission voted today to increase the amount of what is considered [a] “de minimis” [gift] from $25.00 or less per occasion and an aggregate of $50.00 or less in a calendar year to $32.00 per occasion and to an aggregate of $64.00 or less per calendar year to reflect the increase in the cost of living per Code § 36-25-1(11). This change only affects the definition of “de minimis” and has no effect on the exception for meals in Ala. Code § 36-25-1(34)(b)(16).”
- The District of Columbia enacted B 24-1134, which clarifies that pay-to-play provisions of the Campaign Finance Reform Amendment Act of 2018 will not be applicable to any inaugural or transition committee organized in 2022 or to contracts entered into or executed before November 9, 2022.
In Case You Missed It:
- FARA Enforcement to Continue: According to Politico, “The head of the Justice Department’s counterintelligence division vowed… that the department would not be deterred by a string of recent legal setbacks in its attempts to crackdown on foreign influence efforts in the United States.” The article indicates that the official said “the number of active FARA registrants continued to trend upward last year, and that the FARA Unit is growing in size.”
- Corporate PAC Money Pledge, Again: Roll Call reports that “More than 70 members [of Congress] say they are swearing off [Corporate PAC] contributions, indicating that a trend, almost exclusively among Democrats, that caught on during the 2018 election cycle has persisted.” Others “saw it as a gimmick for outsiders who usually don’t get such contributions anyway.”
- Straw Donor Violations Alleged: Business Insider posted a copy of the indictment of Sam Bankman-Fried arising from the implosion of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which indicates “he’s accused of committing several campaign finance violations.” According to the article, “the indictment alleges, [he donated] to candidates and political action committees using other people’s names.”