 |
|
Blog
|
|
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
|
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Campaign Staff: Employees or Independent Contractors?
Harry Reid's campaign has raised the issue in Nevada with regard to Sharron Angle's campaign workers.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Las Vegas Sun: Great timing or it’s about time? Reid’s ethics proposals come after many years of scandals
From the Las Vegas Sun: "Specifically, [Rory] Reid [a Democratic candidate for governor] would mandate ethics education for all state employees, eliminate 'nonwillful' ethics violations and make it illegal for lawmakers to lobby state agencies in a private capacity. The goal, he said, is to close loopholes and stiffen penalties for unethical behavior. . . . During the 2009 session, after the state Supreme Court ruled that the Ethics Commission had no jurisdiction over the Legislature, the Assembly and Senate formed ethics committees to police their members. Those committees never met."
Click here to read the entire post.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Las Vegas Sun: State law loses even more teeth to punish lawmakers’ lapses
The Las Vegas Sun has this piece on state ethics laws -- "Nevada politicians who violate ethics laws face no penalties if their acts are not deemed 'willful.' . . . The [ethics] commission has decided that its primary job is to teach public officials about ethical conduct rather than punishing them, according to its executive director, Caren Jenkins. . . . Nevada ethics watchers, however, complain that the willfulness provision eliminates any potential for real punishment."
Click here to read the entire post.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Nevada Secretary of States Clarifies PAC Disclosure Requirements
The Las Vegas Sun reports, "For years Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has used his political action committee to give money to charities and community groups, all without publicly reporting on its activity. Now, not only will Goodman’s OPAC — Oscar’s Political Action Committee — have to report its contributions and expenditures, but it will also be prohibited from engaging in nonpolitical activity. In a clarification of state disclosure laws released this week, Secretary of State Ross Miller said political action committees cannot skirt campaign finance laws and be used to funnel money to nonprofit organizations. . . . Goodman has declined to report expenditures and contributors to OPAC to protect the identity of his donors, claiming he wasn’t required to make such disclosures because he has used the committee to donate to charities and community groups in downtown Las Vegas and not for political purposes. . . . 'The suggestion that there’s a loophole is not correct,' Miller said in an interview. 'No loophole exists. You can’t claim you’re a political action committee and then turn around and claim you’re not required to report because you’re not engaged in political action. You cannot have it both ways.'"
Click here to read the entire post.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Las Vegas Sun: Ex-ACORN official gets probation for voter registration plan
The Las Vegas Sun reports "A former field director for the political advocacy organization ACORN was sentenced today in district court to up to three years of probation.
Christopher Edwards, who in August pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime of compensation for registration of voters, a gross misdemeanor, received a suspended jail sentence and a $500 fine. He has agreed to testify against ACORN and one of its former regional directors, Amy Busefink.
The Nevada attorney general’s office has accused ACORN and Busefink of operating an illegal bonus system. Tying money to or setting quotas for collecting voter registration cards is illegal under Nevada law."
Click here to read the entire post.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
New Use of the Media Exemption
The Las Vegas Sun has this piece on the Nevada News Bureau, a new service run by Nevada's Chuck Muth. According to the Sun, "Political scientists said the move represents a strategic shift by the political right to counter the success of the Web-savvy left in getting its message out. And it comes at a time when the newspaper industry in particular has laid off droves of journalists as revenue plummets."
Click here to read the entire post.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Nevada Democratic Party Didn't Pay Its Rent?
The Democratic Party of Nevada has been sued for $18,281 in unpaid rent.
Click here to read the entire post.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
McClatchy: Nevada files voter fraud charges against ACORN
McClatchy reports "Nevada's attorney general on Monday filed criminal charges accusing liberal community activist group ACORN and two of its employees of facilitating voter registration fraud in November's election by requiring canvassers to submit 20 applications each day or face termination. Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller and Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, both Democrats, announced the charges, stressing that there's no evidence that the phony registrations led to the casting of votes using fake identities. . . . The Nevada complaint alleges 26 counts of 'Compensation for Registration of Voters,' which it called a felony under state law."
Click here to read the entire post.
|
 |