Newsletter
March 2014
"Penalty Box": Ethics Enforcement in California and Arkansas
March 2014
- On February 20, the California Fair Political Practices Commission approved a stipulated $133,500 penalty to be paid by state lobbyist Kevin Sloat. Over a three-year period, Mr. Sloat made numerous non-monetary political contributions to state candidates whose agencies he was registered to lobby—a violation of state campaign finance law. He also made and arranged for gifts to state officeholders totaling more than $10 per calendar month, a lobbying-law violation.
- Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr resigned in January following a settlement with the state ethics commission over asserted campaign finance violations. Among other violations, the commission found probable cause that the lieutenant governor had made personal use of campaign funds and accepted political contributions in excess of the $2,000 per-contributor limit. Based on these and other violations, Mr. Darr settled with the ethics commission for $11,000.
