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Blog
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Welcome to the Holtzman Vogel Law Blog. We aim to keep you
up to date on important legal developments and other items of interest. On this
blog, we'll track developments in the news and changes to the rules and regulations
affecting political committees, corporate PACs, trade associations, non-profit groups
and advocacy organizations. We'll also keep you updated on the lobbying and ethics
arena. The Law Blog is designed to supplement our regular newsletter.
On behalf of the Holtzman Vogel team, I hope you find this site helpful and interesting.
And we hope you'll become a regular visitor. (If you'd like to receive our newsletter,
please click here to sign up.)
Jill Holtzman Vogel
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Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Colorado's Response to Citizens United: "Independent Expenditure Committees"
"The proposed bill would force corporations and unions that make independent expenditures of $1,000 or more to register an 'independent expenditure committee' with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office. These committee’s finances would be made searchable on that agency’s website."
Click here to read the entire post.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
USA Today: States weigh campaign-finance changes
From USA Today: "State lawmakers around the country are rushing to rewrite campaign-finance laws following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that opened the door to unlimited corporate and union money in elections and upended laws in nearly half the states." With brief updates from Iowa, Maryland, Arizona, Minnesota and Colorado.
Click here to read the entire post.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Denver Post: Colorado's high court rejects ban on campaign contributions
The Denver Post reports " Colorado's top court Monday rejected a voter-approved measure to bar holders of large, no-bid government contracts from making campaign contributions....The state's high court found Colorado's Amendment 54 vague, overbroad and 'so incomplete or riddled with omissions that it cannot be salvag(ed), according to the decision....The decision, affirming a lower court ruling, puts at ease directors and significant shareholders of businesses and nonprofits with government contracts as well as their relatives, who were also barred from giving under the amendment. And labor unions again will be able to readily give hundreds of thousands of dollars to state and local candidates through small donor committees ahead of November."
Click here to read the entire post.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Colorado Statesman: Ritter asks Supreme Court for clarification on campaign finance laws
From The Colorado Statesman: "The Colorado Supreme Court will begin accepting opening briefs from interested parties on March 8 regarding state campaign laws thought to be invalidated by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month. The Court’s response came a day after Gov. Bill Ritter submitted a set of questions seeking clarification on independent expenditure and electioneering laws. . . . Ritter’s two questions to the court ask to weigh-in on laws created by Colorado’s Amendment 27, approved by voters in 2002. The amendment outlawed corporations and labor unions from spending money supporting or opposing candidates and barred them from funding electioneering communications."
Click here to read the entire post.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Denver Post: Colorado GOP to sue to lift campaign money limits
The Denver Post reports "Colorado Republicans will sue to overturn voter-approved state limits on some campaign contributions after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday that tossed out restrictions on corporate involvement in federal races. . . . In 2002, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure that banned direct corporate or union expenditures in state races. Given the Supreme Court's action Thursday, Colorado Common Cause director Jenny Flanagan said a challenge of the state law was almost inevitable. . . . [Lead attorney Ryan] Call said the lawsuit probably will also challenge other parts of Colorado's law, such as the $400 limits on donations to state legislative candidates by individuals and political action committees and the creation of small-donor committees that are allowed to contribute 10 times the limit because they get their money from donations of $50 or less."
Click here to read the entire post.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Denver Post Editorial: Transparency is key to campaign finance laws; While well-intentioned, limits on individual donations have led to anonymous groups pouring unlimited funds into campaigns.
The Denver Post recognizes in this editorial that "Because of most do-gooder campaign finance laws in the past, money in politics is often driven underground through 501c(4)s or 527s.... Donating money to political candidates and causes is part of our freedom-of-speech rights. Should we limit an individual's right to contribute if unions and other small donor groups can still spend unlimited amounts of money? Perhaps it's best to know where the money is coming from so voters are better informed, rather than approve more laws that lead to behind-the-scenes giving that too often leaves voters in the dark."
Click here to read the entire post.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Coloradan: Boucher violated campaign finance law, prosecutor says
The Coloradan reports: "A special prosecutor has ruled there’s probable cause to believe Andrew Boucher, a political consultant and unsuccessful Fort Collins City Council candidate, unintentionally violated city campaign finance laws in the April election. As part of an agreement Boucher reached with special prosecutor Jerry Gordon of Boulder, no charges will be filed if Boucher isn’t accused of any other campaign finance violations before Sept. 3, 2010. . . . The case originated from a complaint filed by Colorado Ethics Watch, a Denver-based ethics watchdog group, alleging that Boucher violated campaign finance law by using his campaign funds to try to raise money for another candidate, Aislinn Kottwitz. The solicitation came in a letter Boucher sent to 413 people announcing his candidacy in February. Fort Collins Municipal Code prohibits a candidate committee from making a cash or in-kind contribution to another candidate committee."
Click here to read the entire post.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Colorado Supreme Court Will Hear Case on State Pay-to-Play Contribution Ban
Legal Newsline reports "The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to review the case of the constitutionality of a campaign finance law. Amendment 54 bans contributions larger than $100,000 from any organizations or individual with a no-bid or single source government contract immediate family members of people involved in no-bid contracts are included in the ban. [sic] On July 17, Judge Catherine Lemon granted a preliminary injunction that stopped the amendment from taking effect until an appellate court made its ruling."
Click here to read the entire post.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Colorado Gov. Press Release: Six Election and Voting Reform Bills Signed
Among the bills signed: "HB 1326 will strengthen identity requirements; require petition circulators to provide specific forms of I.D. and have the option of enrolling in training provided by the secretary of state's office; strengthen laws against using third-party circulators; and require paid circulators to receive hourly wages or salaries instead of being paid per signature they gather."
Click here to read the entire post.
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