On May 5, the third session of the 58th Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada adjourned, passing legislation lowering the political contribution limit to $3,000 from $6,000.

Additionally, the Local Governance Act and the Community Planning Act were enacted, replacing the Municipalities Act and an older Community Planning Act.

The Legislative Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, October 24, 2017.

Among the amendments in the 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed into law on May 5 are two provisions affecting campaign financing.

House Resolution 244 explicitly prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from making new rules concerning the political speech or activity of 501(c)(4) organizations. The legislation also prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission from finalizing, issuing, or implementing any rule, regulation, or order regarding the disclosure of political contributions, contributions to tax exempt organizations, or dues paid to trade associations.

The 708 page omnibus spending bill, passed by Congress on May 4 and signed by the president on May 5, funds the U.S. government through September 30.

The West Virginia Legislature is taking a 10-day recess from the special session that convened May 4. Lawmakers quickly rejected Gov. Jim Justice’s tax increase plan and there is little agreement on how to address the budget.

Both the House and Senate agreed to a resolution adjourning the special session until May 15 to allow time for lawmakers to work toward an agreement that all parties can support.

Lawmakers must pass a budget bill before July 1 to avoid a government shutdown.

Gov. Susana Martinez has called a special session for May 24, 2017.

According to the proclamation, the special session is called to enact legislation concerning the budget, tax reform, and nominees for the appointment to the Board of Regents for state higher education institutions.

Per New Mexico law, all legislators are prohibited from soliciting a campaign contribution beginning when a proclamation has been issued and ending when the special session adjourns.

The adjournment date has yet to be determined.

Senate Bill 2343 was signed into law in April to enhance campaign finance reporting requirements and restrict candidates from using campaign funds for personal expenses.

The new law makes changes to the disclosure requirements for PACs and multicandidate political committees, requiring them to file pre-election, supplemental, and annual reports.

Senate Bill 2343 also makes amendments to statements required by measure committees circulating or promoting passage or defeat of initiated or referred measures.

The law becomes effective February 1, 2018, for campaign years beginning after December 31, 2017.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

President Trump signed an executive order today for the purpose of allowing religious institutions to engage more directly in political activity without losing their tax-exempt status.

Federal law prohibits tax-exempt religious and charitable institutions from specifically supporting, opposing, or endorsing political candidates or risk losing their tax-exempt status. Today’s order, named the Presidential Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty, does not address charitable institutions covered under the same federal law.

The executive order directs the Department of the Treasury to “not take any adverse action against any individual, house of worship, or other religious organization on the basis that such individual or organization speaks or has spoken about moral or political issues from a religious perspective, where speech of similar character has, consistent with law, not ordinarily been treated as participation or intervention in a political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) a candidate for public office by the Department of the Treasury.” The order defines “adverse action” as “the imposition of any tax or tax penalty; the delay or denial of tax-exempt status; the disallowance of tax deductions for contributions made to entities exempted from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of title 26, United States Code; or any other action that makes unavailable or denies any tax deduction, exemption, credit, or benefit.”

Additionally, the order directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “consider issuing amended regulations, consistent with applicable law, to address conscience-based objections to the preventive-care mandate promulgated under” the Affordable Care Act.

The First Extraordinary Session of the 91^st General Assembly adjourned sine die on May 3, 2017.

One ethics bill was passed to cleanup legislation passed during the regular session.

Four other bills were passed, including a bill regarding the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson is expected to sign all five special session bills.

Several ethics bills have been introduced in Michigan Legislature.

House Bill 4489 prohibits immediate family members of a public officer or employee from accepting gifts tending to influence the manner in which the public officer or employee or another public officer or employee performs official duties.

House Bill 4526 prohibits, for three years after leaving office, a former member of the Michigan Senate or House of Representatives who was, at any time, the chair of a standing committee, from making expenditures for or receiving compensation or reimbursement for actual expenses for lobbying equal to or exceeding the limit established to require registration as a lobbyist agent.

Similarly, House Bill 4527 prohibits any former member of the Michigan Senate or House of Representatives from being a lobbyist agent for two years after leaving office.

If passed, the bills will become effective 90 days after the end of the legislative session.

The Vermont House approved Senate Bill 8, a measure establishing a state ethics commission and providing greater transparency from those seeking public office.

If both houses can agree on a final version, a five-member ethics commission would accept complaints and assign them to other agencies for investigation. The commission would also compile a report on complaints for the legislature.

The bill would require financial disclosures from candidates and their spouses, with the Senate version requiring disclosure of income tax returns. The bill also prohibits lawmakers and other high-level employees from becoming a lobbyist for one year after leaving office and restricts holders of certain no-bid contracts from making campaign contributions.

A conference committee will now work out the differences before sending the bill to the governor. Vermont is one of five states without a state ethics commission.

On April 30, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly was dissolved in order to call a provincial general election.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Richard Temporale, issued writs of election for all of Nova Scotia’s 51 electoral districts.

The provincial general election will be held on Tuesday, May 30.

The 91^st General Assembly adjourned sine die on May 1, 2017. A half hour after adjourning, the Legislature convened a special session.

The special session was called to address approving authorization for Arkansas Works waivers, restructuring the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace, cleaning up medical marijuana laws, and boosting long-term reserve funding for Arkansas.

The special session is likely to adjourn by the end of the week.

Carol Williams, executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, announced her retirement from the commission.

She will step down from her post in September, staying on to assist with primary elections for school boards and first class cities.

Williams has worked for the Ethics Commission since 1977 and has been the executive director since 1981.