The second regular session of the 70th Colorado General Assembly adjourned on Wednesday, May 11.

An expansion of state liquor laws and a bill allowing out-of-state investors to own marijuana shops were some of the measures approved just prior to adjournment.

The first regular session of the 71st General Assembly will convene on January 11, 2017.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther signed Executive Order 2016-01 on Tuesday, May 10, establishing ethics guidelines for public officials.

Effective immediately, public officials and employees may not solicit or accept gifts or employment from anyone doing business with the city. They also must wait at least one year after leaving public service before representing any person or entity before a department, board, or commission with respect to a matter they personally participated in while serving with the city.

Designated officials and employees must also file financial disclosure statements each year. The statements must include a description of each gift, or aggregate of gifts, exceeding $75 from certain sources during the previous calendar year.

Ginther believes the order will help to improve public opinion of City Hall.

Kevin Kennedy, director of the Government Accountability Board (GAB), will retire June 29, just before the agency is replaced by two new commissions.

Kennedy was the director of the state Elections Board prior to serving as director of the GAB, and has presided over state elections for the last 37 years.

GAB will be replaced by an ethics commission and an elections commission on June 30. While the new commissions will be partisan, the Republicans who backed the change argue it will be fair because each party will have equal representation.

California Gov. Jerry Brown will release his revised 2016-17 budget proposal on Friday, May 13, 2016.

The release of the revised budget triggers a ban on contributions to members of the Senate from the date the proposed revised budget is released until the date of enactment of a budget bill for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

The constitutional deadline for the Legislature to pass a budget bill is June 15th.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced a special legislative session set to begin Monday, May 16. The session is needed to enact the 2016-2017 budget.

The regular session adjourned March 15 without passing a budget bill. The state faces a potential government shutdown if a budget is not approved before July 1.

The Elections Committee approved a bill to reduce the corporate contribution limit from $5,000 to $1,000 per year and to close a loophole permitting political contributions from limited liability companies. Senate Bill 60, introduced by Sen. Daniel Squadron in 2015, passed the committee this week, while a parallel bill was being passed in the Assembly.

In response to recent political scandals across the state, those supporting the bill are calling for an up-or-down Senate vote by the end of the legislative session.

Pierce County Council recently passed an ordinance amending the county’s code of ethics to remove existing restrictions on lobbying. Prior to the passage of the ordinance, lobbyists were required to register and file activity reports.

The ordinance became effective March 28, 2016

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed two ethics bills on Friday, May 6.

One bill creates a revolving door provision for lawmakers and statewide elected officials seeking to become lobbyists. They must wait at least six months after their terms end before engaging in lobbying. The second bill requires candidates to dissolve their campaign committees and either refund or donate the remaining funds upon registering as lobbyists.

Both bills are effective August 28, 2016.

The General Assembly has completed its business for the year and adjourned the 2016 legislative session on Friday, May 6, 2016, a day ahead of schedule.

By joint resolution of the House and Senate, lawmakers will reconvene on June 9 if Gov. Shumlin vetoes any bill, otherwise the legislature will be adjourned sine die.

The session’s conclusion marks the end of an era as Gov. Shumlin, Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell, and House Speaker Shap Smith will not be returning next year.

On May 7, the Arizona Legislature adjourned its 52nd, Second regular session sine die at 5:45 a.m. The governor has 10 days once the Legislature has adjourned to sign a bill into law, veto a bill, or do nothing and allow it to become law without his or her signature. The governor does not have a pocket veto. The Legislature can override a governor’s veto with a vote of two-thirds of its members.

The Legislature finished the fiscal session on May 5, 2016, with the formal sine die adjournment scheduled for Monday, May 9, 2016.

Legislators will return on May 19 for a special legislative session to address Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s highway funding plan.

State and Federal Communications and its President and CEO Ms. Elizabeth Z. Bartz were honored for key business milestones reached at the “16th Annual National Entrepreneurship Summit,” hosted by DiversityBusiness.com in New York City. One of these was being named #392 of the leading Women Owned Business in the United States.

DiversityBusiness.com chooses “America’s Top Business” award recipients based on annual gross revenue and a business profile. According to event organizers, State and Federal Communications was highlighted as one of the leading entrepreneur companies in the United States, presented several awards at the ceremony that included being named:

• #392 of the top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the United States
• #52 of the top 100 Privately-held Businesses in Ohio
• #37 of the top Diversity Owned Businesses in Ohio
• #17 of the top 50 Women Owned Businesses in Ohio, and the only one in Akron, Ohio.

More than 1.5 million businesses in the United States participated in the 16th annual business survey conducted by DiversityBusiness.com, a web-based business publisher. The organization’s “Top Business List” offers the most comprehensive look at the strongest segment of the United States economy – America’s privately held companies. According to DiversityBusiness.com, these companies differentiate themselves in their markets through dedication and hard work that stimulates economic growth in America.

The “America’s Top Business” program is sponsored by major brands that include U.S. Postal Service, Wal-Mart, Apple, Northrop Grumman, Time Warner, Hilton, Raytheon, and Colgate Palmolive, among others.

State and Federal Communications, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, has won an “America’s Top Business” award every year since 2008.

Bartz comments, “Being ranked highly with other leading companies across America is an achievement we are all proud of at State and Federal Communications. It shows our ongoing commitment to deliver quality government compliance information and consulting services to many Fortune 500 companies, associations and corporate and contract lobbyists. These awards are for all of us, and they honor our employees, clients, and the communities where we live and work.”

For information on the event, visit: http://www.diversitybusiness.com/awardees/

The 28th Hawaii State Legislature adjourned its regular session sine die on May 5, 2016.

Among other things, lawmakers approved funding for air-conditioning in public schools, appropriated money for statewide homeless programs, increased funds for preschool programs to provide families with opportunities for school readiness, and focused on growing jobs and the state economy.

Today, amendments to a Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) conflict-of-interest rule concerning gifts and gratuities take effect. MSRB Rule G-20 includes restrictions limiting gifts to $100 for municipal advisors giving gifts to employees of entities engaged in municipal securities activities. Municipal advisors are also prohibited from receiving reimbursement of entertainment expenses from the proceeds of an offering of municipal securities. The rule is intended to protect against improprieties and conflicts of interest arising when regulated entities give gifts related to the municipal securities or municipal advisory activities of the recipients’ employers.