President Obama's State of the Union address highlighted the importance of cybersecurity, data security and privacy to his 2015 agenda:
"No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our...more
Recently passed spending legislation dramatically increased the amount that individual donors may give to the National Party Committee accounts used to fund party conventions, construction and legal challenges. Specifically,...more
'Tis the season for holiday cheer, but before you grab that cookie or accept a holiday gift, you should take a moment to contemplate whether it complies with applicable ethics rules. While this may cause you to say “bah,...more
Earlier this year, while Washington was fixated on former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee Lois Lerner and her missing emails, her former employer quietly denied the application for exemption of an organization seeking...more
Today, the Obama Administration issued revised guidance regarding federal lobbyists serving on federal advisory boards and commissions. Now, instead of a total ban, federal lobbyists will be able to serve in a...more
Thinking of hiring a former federal government official? Better know the post-employment rules and restrictions:
Lifetime Ban - Former Executive Branch Employees and Officials may not "switch sides" in relation to a...more
The oft discussed and long-anticipated unregistered federal lobbyist investigation may be occurring as we speak. The recently released 2014 first quarter report of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) disclosed that one...more
The Federal Election Commission's revised federal contribution limits for 2013-2014 removed any reference to the biennial aggregate limit which was recently stuck down by the Supreme Court in McCutcheon v. FEC. ...more
In the most significant campaign finance decision since Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court today struck down the Federal Election Commission's biennial aggregate limits. In McCutcheon v. FEC, the Court left in place...more
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia recently filed a civil complaint against a lobbyist and a lobbying firm alleging violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) that could result in a fine of over $5...more
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, on his first day in office, signed Executive Order 2 "Personnel Directive Prohibiting the Receipt of Certain Gifts; Establishment of Executive Branch Ethics Commission" which bans executive...more
A default judgment secured in U.S. v. Biassi Business Services Inc., D.D.C. may be indicative of a more aggressive Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) enforcement policy, and the U.S. Attorney's Office is considering pursuing...more
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia filed a complaint on June 7, 2013, seeking up to $33 million in fines against a consulting firm for violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), as amended....more
The long-awaited cybersecurity executive order (EO), which will ultimately establish national cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure, was issued by President Obama on February 12, 2013. At the same time, the...more
2/15/2013
/ Barack Obama ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Framework ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Information Sharing ,
Infrastructure ,
NIST ,
Power Grid ,
Presidential Directives
On February 12, 2013, President Barack Obama issued the long awaited cybersecurity Executive Order, which will establish national cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure. This cybersecurity Executive Order was...more
Beginning today, members and senior staff1 of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate are required to disclose certain financial transactions no later than 45 days after the transaction has occurred. This new...more