Check out my Skype interview with Hawaii State Rep. Della Au Belatti, the lead sponsor of a small donor public financing system currently making its way through the legislature. She's great. You should watch it.

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
CPI: Former FEC lawyer, a Republican, touts transparency
Former FEC assistant general council Randy Johnson: "I don’t feel out of place. The people who are opposing fuller, more open disclosure are the ones who ought to be feeling out of place."

AP: Lawmakers back expanded lobbying moratorium
"Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to a bill to ban the state's constitutional officers and judges from becoming a lobbyist for a year after they leave office."

Congress/2012
Politico: Why Republicans still run K Street
Good read: "Democrats control the White House and the Senate, but you wouldn’t know it by looking down K Street. Republicans hold more than 30 of the 50 highest-profile, in-house lobbying jobs in town, a POLITICO analysis found. That doesn’t even include lobbying shops and law firms, which have long been Republican-dominated."

Yahoo: Boehner super PAC plays offense: New ad hits Democrats who rejected Ryan budget
"The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC with ties to House Speaker John Boehner, released its first series of television ads for the 2014 mid-term elections, a signal that Republicans plan to play offense in the messaging battle over their budget."Alt headline: Chevron-funded super PAC attacks Dems for voting against budget that doesn't end Big Oil subsidies. Shel and Miriam Adelson were also top 2012 funders.

Roll Call: FEC terminates "zombie" super PACs
"The Federal Election Commission has pulled the plug on 300 “zombie” super PACs that had registered with the commission but then failed to raise or spend any money."

LA Times: The 1% aren't like the rest of us
Benjamin Page and Larry Bartels write about a study they conducted on the influence of the wealthy in the policy process. "If the concerns of the wealthy carry special weight in government — as an increasing body of social scientific evidence suggests — such extreme differences between their views and those of other Americans could significantly skew policy away from what a majority of the country would prefer." This class is also, obviously, the donor class.

WaPo: DNC continues to bleed money
"The Democratic National Committee, which borrowed more than $20 million at the end of the 2012 election, continues to fall further into the red at a time when it is supposed to be paying off its debt."

CPI: Obama nonprofit not disclosing all donor data
Organizing for Action will not disclose employer and occupation information of donors.

POGO: Bis business offer revolving door rewards
It's not just Jack Lew: "Other major corporations also make it financially advantageous for executives to take government jobs, according to regulatory filings reviewed by POGO. Through their compensation policies, companies may be fueling the revolving door and making it easier for their alumni to gain influence over public policy."

Politico: RNC, Romney operatives launch firm
America Rising: "Mitt Romney’s campaign manager and the Republican National Committee’s research director are launching a new outside group that hopes to be the GOP’s answer to the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge, POLITICO has learned."

USA Today: Colbert Bush pulls in cash from GOP friends
Colbert Bush is bringing in bipartisan money in the SC special: "NBC News reviewed Colbert Busch's fundraising for a vacant House seat in South Carolina and discovered at least 16 donors recently gave to Republicans."

Roll Call: Grassroots lobbying tactics evade public eye
On grassroots lobbying tactics, organized by lobbying firms, that evade disclosure: "The one-page memo offers a glimpse into the world of paid grass-roots organizing that’s hidden from public view because the work is not covered by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, even though it is part of an effort to influence legislation and public policy. Traditional lobbyists must report their clients and provide an estimate of their fees."

Roll Call: Himes fundraises off McMahon House race rumors
"Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., used the possibility of former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon running for Congress to bring in bucks on Thursday."

Reuters: Looming divorce could threaten oil baron's empire
There could be a little less money for Republican super PACs: "Continental Resources chief executive Harold Hamm, one of America's wealthiest and most influential businessmen, is embroiled in a contentious divorce that could lead to a record financial settlement and threaten his control of America's fastest-growing oil company."

The Hill: Former Rep. Dale Kildee heads to K Street
Dale Kildee, who recently retired from Congress "will be a senior consultant at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, one of the influence industry’s biggest earners. He will work in the firm’s American Indian law and policy practice."

Reuters: Alleging a conspiracy, vaccine maker demands lobbyist records
"An antitrust fight over alleged illegal pricing by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi SA has spilled over into the murky world of Washington lobbying organizations."

Other/States
AP: Campaign finance bill heard in Assembly committee
"Republicans who want to close a campaign finance loophole that allows some former elected officials to hold onto campaign cash will present their bill Thursday, a day after being blindsided by a complaint alleging finance violations by a former Republican Assembly leader. AB178 requires anyone who qualifies as a candidate to dispose of unused campaign funds within two years if they don’t actually file as a contender or appear on the ballot."

NYDN: City business leaders opposing paid sick days are sending Speaker Christine Quinn checks
!! "Business leaders opposing paid sick leave legislation have raised or given nearly $370,000 to the mayoral campaign of the person who has blocked a vote on the bill: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn."

AP: Senate to vote on ethics reform
"The state Senate is set to vote today on a tough ethics reform bill, but it’s already receiving criticism from the man who wrote it. The bill by House Speaker David Ralston included a ban on gifts from lobbyists except for dinners for large groups and out-of-town trips, excluding travel."

Hindu Business Line: Walmart officials meet inquiry committee
"Officials of Wal-Mart Asia and Bharti Walmart Pvt Ltd accompanied by their counsel met the Government appointed inquiry committee that’s probing the lobbying activities of the global retail giant in India."