The Virginia State Crime Commission cancelled their planned November 12 meeting regarding gun control.

The meeting was scheduled to discuss eight bills proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam during the July special session.

Republican Majority Leader Todd Gilbert also stated the November 18 reconvened special session will become pro forma and lawmakers will not have to report to the General Assembly.

With the Democrats controlling the Legislature, lawmakers are expected to reintroduce the gun control issue in the upcoming January session.

A San Francisco ballot measure intended to increase the restrictions on political contributions for campaign ads won easily on Tuesday.

Proposition F, the Sunlight on Dark Money measure, passed by 76% of the votes.

The proposition only needed a simple majority to pass.

The measure’s passage means greater disclosure of who is behind campaign advertisements paid for by PACs.

The top three largest donors of the committee paying for the advertisement must now disclose the name and amount contributed to the committee.

Proposition F will take effect 10 days after the election results are certified.

On December 2, a provincial by-election will be held in the Capitale-Nationale riding of Jean-Talon for the Quebec National Assembly.

The election will be held to fill the vacant seat of former Member of the National Assembly Sébastien Proulx, who resigned in August to return to private life.

The election was announced by Premier François Legault on October 27

A few weeks ago, I attended the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 2019 Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

The ALC is the CBCF’s leading policy conference on issues impacting African Americans in the United States and globally.

I attended a number of very informative and impactful sessions, beginning with the Black Women’s Roundtable focusing on the power of the black woman’s vote.

I wrapped up the ALC by attending the “Not for Sistah’s Only” session. The session focused on the importance of getting EVERYONE out to the polls in November 2020!

As a multiple time attendee of the CBCF’s ALC, I always feel renewed and empowered. This year’s Conference was no exception!

For more information on the work of the CBCF, check out their website at www.cbcfinc.org

We’re on the move again! Look for the State and Federal Communications team in Washington D.C. next week at the Practising Law Institute!

The Tennessee Legislature held a single-day special session to formally elect c as speaker of the House.

Sexton, a Crossville Republican, had already been informally chosen for the role after a series of votes in a July caucus meeting.

Sexton replaces Glen Casada, who resigned from the speakership earlier this month.

Four more states making changes to lobbying and ethics laws. Find out which jurisdictions in this edition of News You Can Use Video Digest!

Check out everything happening, LIVE from the floor of the National Conference of State Legislators Legislative Summit!

This month, a group of member associations, non-profits, and businesses working within the City of Boston submitted a memorandum of legal analysis regarding the city’s Lobbyist Registration and Regulation Ordinance expressing their key concerns with the legislation.

The ordinance, passed in October of 2018, took effect on April 16, 2019 and implemented broad lobbyist registration requirements and quarterly reporting.

The submitted memorandum asserts the ordinance is overbroad and does not include lobbyist registration exceptions present in state and federal law, including the de minimis threshold for incidental lobbying activity.

The memorandum also suggests language for proposed amendments to provide clarity while continuing to promote transparency and accountability.

Four more states making campaign finance and lobbying changes. Check out which states are passing legislation in this week’s NYCU Video Digest!

Leaders in the state Senate and House of Representatives announced on July 5 that lawmakers will not attempt to override any vetoes issued by Gov. David Ige.

House Speaker Scott Sakiki said the Legislature would not convene an override session due to a lack of consensus between the Senate and the House.

Gov. Ige has identified 20 bills that he intends to veto of the 303 passed by lawmakers this year.

Ige has until Tuesday, July 9 to make his final decision on issuing vetoes.

A bill to stop the revolving door in Congress, new dark money laws in New Jersey, and Oregon passes a slew of new campaign finance and ethics legislation in this edition of News You Can Use Video Digest!

The Arizona Secretary of State sent out communication this week regarding updates to the lobbyist filing and registration process.

Senate Bill 1261, passed by the Legislature this year, removes all notarization requirements from lobbying forms.

Updated forms reflecting the elimination of notarization will be put on the state website.

Forms will also be sent to registered lobbyists in advance of the bill’s effective date on August 27, 2019.

The Arizona Secretary of State is also working to implement an online payment portal.

More information about the payment portal is forthcoming.

Last week, New jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation requiring dark money groups spending money to influence elections in New Jersey to disclose their large donors.

Senate Bill 1500, carried over from last year’s session, requires certain groups, like 501(c)(4) political nonprofits to disclose the identities of donors who give more than $10,000.

Additionally, the groups are required to report expenditures in excess of $3,000.

Gov. Murphy previously conditionally vetoed the bill.

However, the Governor signed an identical version when faced with a veto override because the bill’s sponsors agreed to tweak the legislation before it takes effect.

Since signed, the bill has faced opposition from citizen-based organizations and advocacy groups.

Those groups are arguing the new disclosure requirements will prevent people from donating to them.

On Tuesday, a federal lawsuit challenging the legislation was filed by Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian advocacy nonprofit founded by the Koch brothers.

Americans for Prosperity asked for the new law not to be enforced until the suit challenging the constitutionality of the law is decided.

New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission and Attorney General Lee Moore declined to comment on the pending legislation.