Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will call the Legislature into a special session December 6 to finalize and approve new legislative district maps.

The special session will also address how to spend the outstanding American Rescue Plan Acts funds.

It is not yet clear when the session is slated to end.

For each separate expenditure of $500 or more made or incurred by a lobbyist or employer during a special legislative session, a report will be due within 48 hours.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will call the Legislature back into a special session beginning December 7 to take up a tax cut plan.

The primary focus of the special session will be on the tax cut package that calls for reducing the state’s top income tax rate from 5.9% to 4.9%.

The package, which also includes corporate tax cuts and a low-income tax credit, would cost the state $135 million in the current fiscal year and grow to nearly $498 million when fully implemented in 2026.

While the session’s agenda will include several other items, Hutchinson said he does not plan to include a proposal to enact neighboring Texas’ unique law banning abortions six weeks into pregnancy.

Lawmakers, however, could vote to extend the session to take up abortion or any other items with a two-thirds vote of both chambers after the items on the agenda are considered.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will reconvene the Kansas Legislature for a special session on November 22 to address vaccine mandates.

The special session will aim to take up proposals to make it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions to vaccine mandates and to provide unemployment benefits to employees fired for not getting inoculated.

It is not yet clear when the session is slated to end. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission will hold a regular meeting with an opportunity for public comment regarding lobbying issues on Friday, November 12 at the State Capitol Building.

The Commission will accept comment from the public on the following issues: whether lobbyist principals should be removed from the notifications to lobbyists and liaisons registered for them when a reporting deadline is missed; when proposed and filed compliance orders are issued; whether lobbyist principals should be notified of lobbyists or liaisons who register to lobby on their behalf; and whether the Ethics Commission should be required to notify lobbyist principals, lobbyists, or liaisons of reporting deadlines seven days and one day prior to a reporting deadline and within 24 hours following a reporting deadline.

Oral comments may be made during the public comment portion of the meeting and written comments should be submitted to the Commission via email or in-person by 4:30 p.m. on November 10.

Gov. Spencer Cox has called the Utah Legislature into a special session on redistricting set to begin November 9 at 10:30 a.m.

Lawmakers will vote on a set of maps that will determine the boundaries of Utah’s political districts, from school boards to the state Legislature and Congress, for the next decade.

In addition, Cox outlined other issues to be considered by lawmakers, including a vote to change the name of Dixie State University and an opportunity to consider provisions related to COVID-19 and the workplace.

It is not yet clear when the special session is slated to end.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson set a February 8 special election date to replace Sen. Lance Eads of Springdale.

Eads resigned to take a lobbying job. Former state Rep. Jim Bob Duggar is the only announced candidate so far.

The governor’s proclamation also sets December 14 for party primaries.

A special runoff primary, if needed, is set for January 11.

Candidate filing begins at noon November 15 and ends at noon one week later.

The Hawaii Senate will convene for a third special session on October 28 to consider and confirm District and Circuit Court positions.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a videoconference hearing on October 27 to submit testimony. Decision-making will occur after the convening of the special session and after the measures for Circuit Court positions are formally referred to the Judiciary Committee.

The special session will only address six pending judicial appointments, including nominees for District Court of the Third Circuit, Circuit Court of the First Circuit, Circuit Court of the Second Circuit and of the Third Circuit.

Final Senate votes on the appointments are expected at 11 a.m. October 29.

A lobbyist and employer activity report must be filed if expenditures or contributions are made relating to legislative action considered during the special session. Any such report would be due within 30 days of adjournment sine die of the special session covering the period from May 1 through the adjournment sine die date.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has called for a special session of the Oklahoma Legislature on November 15 to address redistricting issues caused by the delayed release of 2020 census data by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The special session has been called solely for the purposes of redistricting Oklahoma’s congressional and legislative districts, and amending statutory candidacy and redistricting deadlines, including amending candidacy and residency deadlines, as made necessary by the U.S. Census Bureau’s failure to meet the deadline for production of decennial census data.

It is not clear how long the specials session will last.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting dates.

The City of Aurora opened its Lobbyist Registration Portal.

The city’s Ordinance 2021-08 took effect August 1 and quarterly activity reports are now required.

The first report is due October 15.

The city’s website notes the City Clerk will accept complaints regarding compliance beginning January 16, 2022.

The City Clerk’s Office will focus on education and compliance in the regulation of lobbyists during the year the ordinance takes effect.

Lobbyists will not be subject to revocation, suspension nor sanctions for any violations in 2021.

Hawaii’s Kauai County Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar will step down this month from the job he’s held for nearly a decade, clearing the way for a special election to determine who will next lead the office.

A special primary election is scheduled for December 18 followed by a special general election on February 26, 2022.

Kollar, who will leave the county on September 30, has accepted a job as chief of staff for the nonprofit Fair and Just Prosecution and plans to relocate to California.

The acting prosecutor for Kauai will be Rebecca Like, who has worked in the county prosecutor’s office since 2010.

The Arkansas Legislature will return from its extended recess on September 29, continuing the regular session of the 93rd General Assembly.

According to the schedule released by Senate President Pro Tempore Jimmy Hickey, the General Assembly will return to vote on redistricting before adjourning the 2021 session sine die.

After each census, the state redraws the boundaries for seats in the General Assembly as well as the boundaries of the districts for its seats in the United States Congress.

The legislative districts are decided by the Board of Apportionment, which consists of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. The board and its staff use census data to redraw the 100 districts of the Arkansas House of Representatives and the 35 districts of the Arkansas Senate so districts within each chamber represent roughly the same number of people.

Drawing boundaries for the state’s federal congressional districts is the responsibility of the General Assembly. The number of districts in the state will remain at four based on the population count from 2020, but the distribution of the population has shifted away from rural areas toward more urban areas.

A registered lobbyist who lobbies members of the General Assembly is required to file a monthly report due 10 days after the end of the month for any month the General Assembly is in session.

Hickey stated he hoped the General Assembly would continue for only three days, meaning the session will likely continue into the month of October. If the session continues into October, a monthly lobbyist activity report will be due November 10, which is 10 days after the end of the month.

In light of the devastation brought on by Hurricane Ida, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered the delay of upcoming fall elections that featured important Constitutional questions statewide and municipal elections in New Orleans.

The October 9 primary election will be held instead on November 13 and the November 13 general election will be held on December 11.

The October 9 ballot was full of primaries for three legislative seats, along with the mayor, sheriff, assessor, and the seven city council members in New Orleans.

It also has four Constitutional amendments and a number of questions for locals around the state, such as a renewal of a property tax that funds the bus system in Baton Rouge.

The November 13 general election had been scheduled as runoffs for those contests not decided in the primaries.

Many parts of the state are still without power, some voting locations are damaged and a number of people are still displaced from their homes after Hurricane Ida.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has selected September 28 as the date of the House District 118 special election to replace former state Rep. Leo Pacheco.

Pacheco resigned effective August 19 to accept a position with San Antonio College.

House District 118 is in San Antonio and covers parts of Bexar County south and east of the city.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling state lawmakers back for a third special session on September 20 to begin redrawing legislative and Congressional districts.

Gov. Abbott also added other items to the agenda, including how to distribute federal pandemic aid and whether local governments can mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for employees.

The focus of the special session, however, will be squarely on redistricting, which occurs every 10 years after the release of new census data.

The state population grew by more than 4 million people since 2010. As a result, Texas gained two new Congressional seats and lawmakers must determine where to put them.

In addition, lawmakers will redraw their own Texas House and Senate districts to consider population growth and decline.