State Representative Jason Lowe resigned on April 7 to become an Oklahoma County commissioner. Gov. Stitt called a special election to replace Lowe with a potential primary election on June 10. A primary runoff is scheduled for August 12 and the general election on September 9. If a runoff is not necessary, the general election will be on August 12.

Gov. Mike DeWine will nominate Jim Tressel as the new lieutenant governor of Ohio. Former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted resigned to replace Vice President JD Vance in the U.S. Senate. Tressel was previously the head football coach at The Ohio State University and most recently, the president of Youngstown State University. This appointment will last until the next election in 2026.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will fill the seat in the U.S. Senate vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance. Husted will serve at least through 2026 when a special election will be held to fill the remaining term.

House Democrats boycotted the opening day of the 2025 legislative session in an effort to stop Republicans from claiming a majority. Republican leaders are seizing on a temporary majority following a court decision finding newly elected Democrat Curtis Johnson did not live in the district. The GOP has a 67-66 majority until a special election can take place in two weeks.

After nearly 10 years as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has announced plans to resign.

The Liberal Party will now have to choose a new leader to run against the Conservative Party’s leader in an upcoming election for Prime Minister.

In order to give Parliament time to choose a new leader, the beginning of the parliamentary session has been postponed to March 24.

Chicago City Council has voted unanimously to ban registered lobbyists from financially contributing to mayoral candidates, incumbent or otherwise.

Additionally, businesses owned by lobbyists are also banned from contributing.

Violations could result in a 90-day ban from lobbying city officials.

Ordinance 2024-009664 was previously deferred but was revived when Mayor Brandon Johnson dropped his opposition to the plan.

State Sen. Jim Perry of Lenoir County resigned from the Legislature after lawmakers concluded this year’s chief work session.

Perry previously announced he was not seeking reelection due to personal time constraints.

Republicans will appoint a replacement to fill the Senate District 2 seat for the remainder of the year.

Lawmakers adjourned sine die on Thursday May 9.

Passed bills include compensation for college sports athletes which, if signed by the governor, allows colleges to directly support college athletes while they play for the school’s team.

Any bill left alive will have another chance during the 2025 session when all 170 seats of the Legislature will be up for reelection.

A special election will be held on April 9 to fill the vacancy in House District 139 due to the death of Rep. Richard Smith in January.

A runoff is scheduled for May 7, if necessary.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a special election will be held on Tuesday, February 13 to fill the vacancy in the 77th Assembly District.

The vacancy was created when Rep. Latoya Joyner resigned to pursue a different professional opportunity.

The winner of this election will serve the remainder of Joyner’s term ending in the fall.

Immediately following transparency complaints in early 2023, the state Senate moved to make financial disclosures of members available online.

Now, the Senate has gone further and voted to mandate public disclosure of additional information about personal finances and potential conflicts of interest.

Senators, along with their spouses and domestic partners, will now be required to file a more comprehensive form similar to those required of candidates for state office.

The form asks about employment; investment or other income greater than $5,000; board service; greater than 10% ownership of a company; leases or contracts with the state; and lobbying activities.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced special election dates for the 6th Congressional District seat.

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson is vacating the seat on January 21 to become the president of Youngstown State University.

A partisan primary is scheduled alongside the state primary election for March 19, with a separate general election scheduled for June 11.

The Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) of New York has been tasked with redrawing the state’s congressional map by New York’s highest court.

This decision to create a new map is due to a lawsuit brought against the IRC by voters after the Legislature was forced to create the most recent congressional maps rather than the IRC.

The new congressional map will need to make its way to the Legislature by the end of February in order to be in effect for the upcoming 2024 elections.

What are your areas of expertise?

I work with the managers in the research department to detect any changes within my assigned jurisdictions. This often involves a great deal of thorough fact checking of the news items that we cover. Additionally, I proofread blog posts for managers as well as proofreading the Compliance Now publication that is circulated monthly.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for over three years.

How do you help our clients?

I manage dozens of jurisdictions nationally and internationally to confirm accuracy of session dates, reporting dates, and election cycles. Additionally, I verify contact information and am responsible for tracking, analyzing, and summarizing major legislation at the federal and state levels. All of these updates go directly to clients in the monthly Summary of Changes document.