Legal

QUESTION PRESENTED Did the deletion of O.C.G.A. § 21-5-70(a)(5)(D) from the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act (hereinafter “Campaign Finance Act”) have the effect of exempting all employees of the executive or judicial branches of state government from any obligation to register and file as lobbyists? BACKGROUND In 2013, along with numerous other changes

Did the deletion of O.C.G.A. § 21-5-70(a)(5)(D) from the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act (hereinafter “Campaign Finance Act”) have the effect of exempting all employees of the executive or judicial branches of state government from any obligation to register  and file as lobbyists? Download PENDING ADVISORY OPINION REQUEST 2015-03 

(1) Must a Political Action Committee register with the Commission as both an Independent Committee and as a Political Action Committee?(2) Must a Political Action Committee operate two legally distinct entities in order to make independent expenditures and direct campaign contributions to candidates for office?  Download ADVISORY OPINION NO. 2015-02

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (the “Commission”) has received the following request for advisory opinion from Judge J. Stephen Schuster (Request No. 2014-03). Questions Presented — No. 2014-03 Whether judges are allowed to expend campaign funds to pay for home security systems? Advisory Opinion The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (the “Commission”) has received the following request for advisory opinion from Alexia M. Ryan (Request No. 2014-02), Questions Presented — No. 2014-02 Whether an inaugural event held more than a month after a runoff election qualifies as an “ordinary and necessary” expense as set out in O.C.G.A.

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (the “Commission”) has received the following request for advisory opinion from the Georgia Municipal Association (Request No. 2014-01). Question Presented — No. 2014-01 Whether a state-level lobbyist is required to disclose spending on local elected officials if the state-lobbyist is not also registered as a local lobbyist.

Whether an incumbent public official, who is undecided about seeking re-election in his or her election year, and who has taken no steps to either seek nomination for election or re-election, is required to file the March 31 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report.Whether an incumbent public official, who is undecided about seeking re-election in his or

Whether a consultant who assists a local government in the preparation of a proposal for a grant from the state government, advocates for the award of the grant, and accepts a small percentage of the grant award as compensation is in violation of the prohibition on contingent fees for lobbying under O.C.G.A. § 21-5-76(a), where

Summary of Request From: J. Randolph Evans and Benjamin J. Vinson of McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP 1) Given the nature of the regulatory framework set forth by the Act, Commission Rule 189-3-.06 and Commission Advisory Opinion 2007-07 with regard to the purchase of non-commercial air transportation services, what guidelines (if any) exist for a

Summary of Request From: J. Randolph Evans and Benjamin J. Vinson of McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP What is the appropriate methodology for evaluating the acceptability of attorney fee expenditures by the state campaign committee of a current or past federal office holder when such costs are clearly made in connection with the candidate’s active