Compliance Notes - Vol. 7, Issue 9

RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES

Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance

Colorado: A Colorado bill that would require state government lobbyists to follow the same disclosure rules as lobbyists representing private organizations has advanced with strong bipartisan support, but faces a potential veto from Gov. Jared Polis. Senate Bill 147 would require administration lobbyists to disclose their position on legislation and would prohibit lawmakers from lobbying for state agencies for two years after leaving office. The bill passed the state Senate 30-4 and has received unanimous votes in three committees, including a 7-0 vote Monday, May 4, 2026 in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. It now awaits action from the House Appropriations Committee. Supporters argue that administration lobbyists, who are paid by taxpayers, rarely disclose where the governor or state agencies stand on pending legislation, creating transparency gaps that affect lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The governor’s office has not testified on the bill or listed a position. Supporters expect the bill to clear the House Appropriations Committee and reach the House floor this week, ahead of the May 13, 2026 session deadline. If it passes, the governor would have 30 days to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without his signature, and a two-thirds majority in both chambers would make a veto override possible. (Marianne Goodland, Colorado Politics)

New Mexico: The New Mexico State Ethics Commission filed a lawsuit Thursday, April 30, 2026, against Elevate New Mexico, an anonymous Virginia corporation behind an advertising campaign urging New Mexicans to support Project Jupiter, a proposed OpenAI and Oracle data center complex. The complaint, filed in the state Second Judicial District Court, alleges that Elevate New Mexico spent at least $2,500 to lobby the New Mexico Environment Department to approve air quality permits for natural gas power plants associated with the project during a public comment period in March 2026, triggering registration and disclosure requirements under the state Lobbyist Regulation Act. The commission alleges that Elevate refused to register or disclose its expenditures and contributions, despite being asked to do so. The lawsuit asks a court to require Elevate to register as a lobbyist organization with the New Mexico Secretary of State and to disclose contributions and expenditures, including the names, addresses and employers of contributors. The ad campaign drew scrutiny after reports revealed the mailers did not disclose their source, featured a stock model and that project developers had named their companies after New Mexico cultural iconography. (Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico)

Government Ethics & Transparency

Illinois: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld all 10 guilty verdicts against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, rejecting arguments that the jury was improperly instructed or that prosecutors failed to establish a quid pro quo agreement. Madigan was convicted in February 2025 on 10 of 23 corruption counts following a four-month trial. The court found that Madigan spent nearly a decade leveraging his position to secure more than $3 million in financial benefits for political allies. Those benefits included no-work subcontracts and legal fees funneled through ComEd to Madigan-aligned individuals between 2011 and 2019, during which time ComEd secured several legislative wins in Springfield. The panel held that a formal quid pro quo agreement was not required and that the evidence allowed the jury to reasonably infer that Madigan conspired to receive bribes. Additional convictions stemmed from Madigan’s dealings with FBI cooperator and then-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis, including an alleged scheme to secure a state board appointment for Solis in exchange for business referrals to Madigan’s property tax appeals firm. The ruling comes weeks after a separate Seventh Circuit panel ordered a new trial and prison release for two individuals convicted of bribing Madigan in a related case. Madigan is serving a 7.5-year sentence in a federal prison in West Virginia. (Hannah Meisel, Capitol News Illinois)

North Dakota: The North Dakota Ethics Commission adopted new travel disclosure rules requiring elected and appointed officials of the executive and legislative branches to file disclosure statements when third parties pay for their travel. The rules, which take effect July 1, 2026, require officials to report the purpose, dates and location of travel, the funding source, approximate costs and whether expenses covered transportation, lodging, meals or entertainment. Reports must be filed within 15 days of a trip, retained for 3 years, and will be posted on the commission’s website. Penalties for late, incorrect, or incomplete filings range from $25 to $200, while knowing or deliberate violations carry sanctions of up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for subsequent violations. The rules were passed 4-1 after nearly two years of development. The Attorney General’s Office has objected to the rules on the basis that the commission lacks authority to impose penalties, a position the commission disputes, citing the voter-initiated constitutional amendment that established it. (Mary Steurer, North Dakota Monitor)

Elections

The U.S. Supreme Court accelerated its mandate late Monday, May 4, 2026, in Louisiana v. Callais, fast-tracking the procedural timeline that ordinarily allows 32 days for parties to seek rehearing before lower courts are required to apply a high court ruling. The underlying decision, issued last week by six conservative justices, found that Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District unconstitutionally relied on race in its 2024 configuration and weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The accelerated mandate clears the way for Louisiana lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of this fall’s elections, with changes expected to affect the district currently represented by Rep. Cleo Fields (D-Baton Rouge) and potentially the 2nd Congressional District, represented by Rep. Troy Carter (D-New Orleans). Gov. Jeff Landry suspended the congressional election following the Callaisruling, though early voting had been set to begin Saturday and some mail ballots had already been distributed and cast. Several lawsuits have been filed by candidates and voters challenging the election delay. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the order to accelerate, noting that the court had done so only twice in the past 25 years and arguing that the decision had created chaos in the state. Lawyers for the Robinson intervenors, the group of Black voters whose lawsuit gave rise to the Callais case, filed a motion Tuesday, May 5, 2026, asking the court to recall its order so they could seek rehearing. (Mark Ballard, NOLA․com)

We read the news, cut through the noise and provide you the notes.
Compliance Notes from Nossaman’s Government Relations & Regulation Group is a periodic digest of the headlines, statutory and regulatory changes and court cases involving campaign finance, lobbying compliance, election law and government ethics issues at the federal, state and local level. Our attorneys, policy advisors and compliance consultants are available to discuss any questions or how specific issues may impact your business. If there is a particular subject or jurisdiction you’d like to see covered, please let us know.