NEWS ROUNDUP:

• A bill being floated in the Kentucky Senate would prohibit lobbying during legislative sessions. If passed, lobbyists would face a $500 fine for each violation.(Lobby Comply)
• Photographer Misha Friedman was approached by the Institute of Modern Russia, a pro-democracy group, to shoot a series exploring corruption in Russia. The resulting photographs highlight the countries history, institutions, and ground-level realities. (Huffington Post)
• This week the Supreme Court heard arguments in McBurney v. Young, a case questioning whether states should be made to provide equal treatment to citizens and companies from other states with respect to public records laws. (Politico)
• Microsoft is looking to Washington for strategy, and personnel, in its battle against rival Google. They recently signed up Jonathan Collegio, who worked for conservative group American Crossroads during the last election. Indications are that he has been working to plant stories that are critical of Google. They also hired Mark Penn, a former Hillary Clinton strategist, to lead a $90 million negative ad attack against the company. (Politico $)
• Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), the front-runner to replace John Kerry in the Senate, expressed his support for a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United decision this week. (Washington Post)
• Los Angeles is one of the last major American cities to have its own mobile app, announced earlier this month, but city leaders are confident that it will be one of the best around. The release of the app will coincide with a major overhaul to LA’s website. (Government Technology)
• Opinion: The revolving door between banks and the government agencies and legislators tasked with regulating and overseeing them is as strong as ever. Recent staff changes at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and on the staff of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid illustrate the trend. (New York Times)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• H.R. 790. To amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the disclosure of the total number of a company’s domestic and foreign employees.

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