Workshop: Legal Seminar: Political Compliance Overview

8:30 a.m. Networking Breakfast

9 a.m. Managing Compliant Campaign Finance Programs

It’s critical for organizations with a PAC to understand all of the strict fundraising, solicitation and reporting requirements. Election law expert Ken Gross will provide an overview of federal campaign finance rules impacting your organization’s federal PAC activities, including:

• Rules for establishing and operating a PAC, filing requirements, contribution limits and best practices and considerations for corporations or associations such as coercion and prior approval
• Recent campaign finance law changes and how they impact PAC operations
• Solicitation rules for the PAC, including who your organization can solicit and what constitutes a solicitation
• Best practices for maintaining compliance with your PAC program, including your website, communications materials, gifts and incentives

10 a.m. Providing Effective Political Support

While organizations continue to seek additional opportunities to engage with candidates, there are important limits on what you can do in the office and political disclosure concerns to consider. Ken will address:

• The corporate ban on fundraising and related exemptions, including how to host a fundraiser at your office
• Ground rules for political site visits at your organization’s facilities
• Bundling rules under HLOGA and related prohibited activities
• Corporate shareholder resolutions regarding disclosure of political activity

10:30 a.m. Break

10:45 a.m. Federal Lobbying Compliance, Grassroots and Gift Rules
Many lobbying and gift rules impact your organization’s activities. Ken will cover what triggers reporting requirements and rules surrounding how your organization can engage with federal legislative and executive branch officials. Topics will include:

• A breakdown of LDA and IRC lobbying registration and reporting requirements
• Considerations for planning constituent events and hosting federal legislative and executive branch officials at your facilities
• Gift rules that apply to executive officials, federal legislators and staff
• Potential penalties for violations and best practices for managing compliance

Noon Networking Lunch

12:45 p.m. Coordinating Multistate Political Giving: State and Local Laws and Pay-to-Play
Each state and many localities have their own complex campaign finance rules and restrictions. In this session, Ken will help untangle state and local laws and discuss everything you need to know to manage your organization’s state-by-state political activity, such as:

• Corporate and federal PAC contribution rules and state and local campaign finance limits
• Considerations for operating multistate PACs, including differing state laws impacting your activity
• How to avoid pay-to-play violations and ways to manage internal compliance
• Recent developments in state- and local-level campaign finance law and enforcement actions

1:45 p.m. Break

2 p.m. Beyond the Beltway: State and Local Lobbying and Gift Laws
Increasingly, organizations are shifting lobbying resources to engaging with state- and local-level decision-makers. Find out how to stay compliant across jurisdictions through this discussion of:

• State and local definitions of lobbying and registration and filing requirements, including where grassroots activity triggers lobbying registration
• State and local gift rules and related exemptions for legislative and executive branch officials
• Recent state and local developments in lobbying and gift laws, as well as enforcement cases and actions that could impact your activities
• The role of social media in lobbying and compliance issues

3 p.m. Adjourn