The first special session of Maine’s 128^th Legislature adjourned sine die on November 6, 2017. The House sustained Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill allowing and regulating the retail sale of recreational marijuana.

Additionally, the bill to bring ranked-choice voting law into constitutional compliance became law without the governor’s signature. Maine voters passed a ballot initiative approving ranked-choice voting in the November 2016 elections.

Ranked-choice voting ensures the winning candidate in a multicandidate race receives the majority vote because voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate does not receive 50 percent of first-choice votes, then the lowest scoring candidate is eliminated and votes are retabulated.

The bill to bring ranked-choice voting into constitutional compliance delays the new system until 2021 and automatically repeals the law unless voters ratify a constitutional amendment authorizing the Legislature to determine the method the state Legislature and Governor are elected by December 1, 2021.

The Hawaii Senate is scheduled to convene a two-day special legislative session on Tuesday, November 14, to confirm 4 judicial appointments.

Choosing from a list of candidates selected by the Judicial Selection Committee, Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald appointed Jessi Hall to the First District Family Court Judge and Gov. Ige appointed Paul Wong, Matthew Viola, and Rowena Somerville to the First Circuit Court.

Each Circuit Court judge will serve a 10-year term while the Family Court appointment has a six-year term.

Gov. Steve Bullock called the Legislature into a special session late Monday to address the state’s budget issues caused by an unforeseen drop in state revenue and costly wildfires.

Gov. Bullock has been working with lawmakers for months to come up with a plan to fix budgetary issues without calling a special session, but no agreement could be reached. Gov. Bullock released a list of cuts he would be willing to make to state agencies to help close the gap in revenue.

Smaller state agencies, including the Commissioner of Political Practices who oversees the state’s ethics, will see 10% cuts while larger agencies such as the Department of Corrections and the state university system will be burdened much less.

The special session is scheduled to convene November 14, 2017.

A special election will be held on January 23, 2018, to consider a veto referendum on taxes included in a 2017 legislative session bill.

The taxes at issue are on healthcare insurance premiums intended to provide funding for people on the Oregon Health Plan, Oregon’s version of Medicaid.

A recall petition seeking to remove Democratic Senator Joyce Woodhouse has enough valid signatures to force a recall election according to the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office.

The recall petition was filed in August by a former Nevada Republican Assemblyman with no reason cited. State democrats are fighting the recall efforts with a “Decline to sign” campaign as well as a federal Voting Rights Act lawsuit filed on behalf of five voters seeking to end the recall before a special election could occur.

Attorneys fighting the recall efforts assert the recall would undermine a republican form of government by threatening to upend the undisputed results of legitimate and regularly scheduled elections.

Two other Nevada Republican-led recall campaigns targeting both Democratic and Independent state senators have signature deadlines this month.

Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, has long been a leader in corporate social responsibility and strategic philanthropy, as well as a fierce defender of her community. Spirit of Philanthropy has recognized Bartz by naming her as one of their “Game Changers” of 2017-2018.

The organization’s motto is: Elevate. Encourage. Engage. That sounds like Elizabeth Bartz to us!

Here is the article that appeared in their publication:

Success That Means Giving Back 

by Connie Swenson

When Elizabeth Bartz was hired in 1983 at State and Federal Associates in Washington, D.C. (founded in 1976), she had no idea that she would eventually own her own business.

“In 1993, I bought out my department, State and Federal Communications, from State and Federal Associates, and moved it to Akron,” she says. She relocated the government compliance division back to her hometown and now employs 40, including 12 attorneys, and says she has other positions open she would like to fill.

“We are a company that is unique and valued in our field,” Bartz says. “We are experts in lobbying compliance laws, political contribution compliance laws, and procurement lobbying compliance laws. We are a company with a strong commitment to helping our clients comply with these state and federal laws and regulations.”

Under Bartz’ leadership, the company offers quick access to online, up-to-date information provided on its website each day. She has over 100 clients, which now include GM, Honda, Walmart, Target and Lyft.

But that is not the only aspect of Bartz’ career and life that is unique. Philanthropy has been very important to her. “I grew up Christian. I learned the importance of helping others,” she says. “Outside of your job, what are you doing to make this a better place?”

Today, she is involved with many local charities and passes on the philosophy of helping others her employees. “Every year, all employees participate in the United Way Day of Action. We’ve been involved for ten years; we all get together and do it together,” she says.

“We participate with a lot of nonprofits in Akron and Northeast Ohio including the Akron Urban League, Project GRAD Akron and Akron Children’s Hospital.”

And Bartz wears Kent State University blue and gold proudly. A passionate alum of both the Trumbull and Kent campuses, she has provided funding for student scholarships—one to graduates of Howland High School, her alma mater, the other to promising incoming freshmen in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She also sits on WKSU’s community board and underwrites news programming focusing on election reporting. In October 2017, Bartz received the Kent State Advocacy Award.

“Philanthropy makes the community a better place to live,” she says. “I think it’s important to help people less fortunate. I’ve been blessed. I don’t feel the need to spend any more money on myself.”

On November 5, Elections Canada announced several by-elections for the House of Commons will be held on December 11. The federal by-elections will be held for the electoral districts of Battlefords–Lloydminster (Saskatchewan), Bonavista–Burin–Trinity (Newfoundland and Labrador), Scarborough–Agincourt (Ontario), and South Surrey–White Rock (British Columbia) to fill vacancies in the House of Commons.

Battlefords–Lloydminster (Saskatchewan) MP Gerry Ritz resigned on August 31 in order to retire from politics.

Bonavista–Burin–Trinity (Newfoundland and Labrador) MP Judy Foote resigned Bonavista-Burin-Trinity in September. Foote has been on leave since April for personal family medical reasons. In August, she had resigned her position as Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

The seat for Scarborough–Agincourt (Ontario) became vacant on September 14 when MP Arnold Chan died at the age of 50 of cancer after a three-year battle.

South Surrey–White Rock (British Columbia) MP Dianne Watts resigned to run for the provincial Liberal leadership.

Campaign Finance

Maine: “Maine Ethics Commission Levies Record $500,000 Against York County Casino Campaign” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

Ethics

“Trump and Sessions Denied Knowing About Russian Contacts. Records Suggest Otherwise” by Michael Schmidt, Matt Apuzzo, and Scott Shane for New York Times

“Trump Nominates Some Club Members to Plum Government Jobs” by Fredreka Schouten, Brad Heath, and Steve Reilly for USA Today

“Trump’s Brief Twitter Outage Prompts Cheers, Concerns” by Matt O’Brien (Associated Press) for The Columbian

Arizona: “Arizona House Members Adopt First Written Sexual Harassment Policy” by Dustin Gardiner for Arizona Republic

Illinois: “Illinois Democrats Scramble to Change Law to Keep Alive Ethics Complaints Stuck in Limbo” by Monique Garcia and Kim Geiger for Chicago Tribune

Texas: “Former Dallas Business Consultant Gets Probation for Bribery in John Wiley Price Corruption Case” by Kevin Krause for Dallas News

Lobbying

Iowa: “Iowa Power Couple Scrutinized for Saudi Arabia Lobbying Work” by Ryan Foley (Associated Press) for Patch.com

New York: “Long-Discussed Lobbying Rules Now Only ‘Advisory’” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Jon Spontarelli is here with this week’s government and ethics news you can use from a busy week around the country!

Gov. Kim Reynolds called a special election for Senate District 3. The special election has been called to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of State Sen. Bill Anderson.

In September, Anderson accepted a job as the director of the Cherokee Area Economic Development Corporation, but Reynolds had to wait until Anderson submitted his formal resignation to call the special election.

With a formal resignation date of November 1, 2017, Reynolds has set the special election for December 12, 2017.

It is not too early to start planning…Not for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve. I am talking about 2018 legislative sessions, primary elections, and the November 6th general election.

The Research Department at State and Federal Communications has been busy, busy, busy updating our website with the important dates you need for 2018.

• When will the states go into session? √
• When are lobbying reports due? √
• Will there be blackout periods in 2018? √
• When will the primaries be held in the states? √
• When are pre- and post-election reports due? √
• Does every state have a general election in 2018? √

You just cannot go wrong when connected with the State and Federal Communications Community to know when your reports are due; elections are held; and when legislatures convene, adjourn, recess, and go into special session.

Access is easy for our subscribers. Sign onto StateandFed.com and input your login and password. The world is then at your fingers. If you need assistance with your access information, please call Megan Huber-Kovachik or Tony Didion at 330-761-9960 and they will provide the information.

You might not be able to tell by my desk, but my calendar is organized. Staying on top of these important compliance dates will help you manage your time in 2018.

This year is almost ending, which is hard to believe. Rest assured, State and Federal Communications is at your side for 2018.

On October 31, identical bills were introduced in both houses of the U.S. Congress to strengthen the laws and penalties concerning lobbyists serving as the agents of foreign principals.

Senate Bill 2039 and House Bill 4170 amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA) in order to provide the U.S. Attorney General with greater authority to investigate alleged violations of FARA and bring increased criminal and civil actions against persons committing such violations.

If the legislation passes, an exemption from registering and filing disclosure reports under FARA established in Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 would be eliminated. Additionally, the Department of Justice would be empowered to demand documents and testimony when investigating alleged violations of compliance.

The pair of bills were introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Mike Johnson.

On October 31, the Regional Council of Halifax, Nova Scotia will begin the first steps to considering a lobbying ordinance for the city.

Councillor Shawn Cleary is scheduled to “request a staff report with recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a municipal lobbyist registry, which should include a regular, transparent reporting process, and contains a jurisdictional scan for best practices in other municipal, provincial and federal governments,” according to the agenda for the meeting.

Currently, there is no lobbyist registry for the city of Halifax. “I’m not saying we’re going to be the most open and transparent government in the world, but simply by having a registry, even if it’s updated infrequently, is better than not having one at all. Are we going to have the Cadillac of registries? No. But can we have a Chevy? Maybe,” Cleary told the Halifax website The Coast.

The Santa Fe City Council will hold a public hearing on a bill relating to campaign finance on December 13, 2017. The bill will remove public disclosure of independent expenditures for groups supporting or opposing ballot measures.

On January 10, 2018, the City Council will hold a public hearing on a bill regarding procurement. If adopted, the bill regarding procurement would adopt the New Mexico procurement code as the purchasing manual for Santa Fe.

Both bills are available at the Santa Fe, New Mexico website.