The Utah legislative session adjourned sine die March 4 after 45 days.

During the session, lawmakers approved a $25 billion budget that included a notable increase for public education funding.

The budget was the largest ever, driven by the economy and additional spending from Washington D.C.

Additionally, a nearly $200 million package cutting income taxes was approved.

Legislation that passed during the session will become effective 60 days following the date of adjournment sine die.

The Honolulu Ethics Commission is proposing to lower the permissible value of gifts to city employees from $200 to $25.

Commissioners chose not to pursue a recommendation to require gift disclosure forms.

The debate comes amid increased scrutiny over ethics rules after two former Hawaii legislators pleaded guilty to accepting thousands of dollars in bribes. Federal prosecutors brought charges of honest services wire fraud after ex-Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English and ex-Rep. Ty Cullen failed to list the bribes on mandatory annual gift disclosures filed with the state.

The ethics commission plans to introduce its proposed legislation at the Honolulu City Council, giving council members the opportunity to review and possibly amend it.

New Mexico’s 30-day legislative session adjourned sine die at noon February 17.

During the session, a bill that would require post-session lobbying reports was introduced.

Senate Bill 61 provides prior to the adjournment of a legislative session, a lobbyist or lobbyist’s employer that is required to file an expenditure report or registration statement must file a report with the secretary of state disclosing the lobbyist’s or lobbyist’s employer’s lobbying activity on legislation and identifying the specific legislation lobbied, the support, opposition or other position taken on the legislation by the lobbyist or lobbyist’s employer and the name of the lobbyist’s employer that lobbied on the legislation, either directly or by the registered lobbyist.

The bill is currently in the Senate Rules and Health and Public Affairs Committees.

If passed, it would become effective May 18.

Colorado lawmakers have proposed campaign finance limits for school board races for the first time.

House Bill 1060 would cap individual donations at $2,500 and small donor committees at $25,000 per school board candidate.

The legislation, however, won’t affect spending by independent committees.

If passed, the new contribution limits would be subject to existing laws governing the disclosure of campaign contributions and would require filings with the secretary of state.

The Texas Ethics Commission posted the 2022 lobbying registration thresholds, which increase every year in January to reflect the change in the consumer price index.

The thresholds for individual lobbyist compensation and reimbursement increased from $1,620 to $1,640.

Expenditures increased from $810 to $820 per calendar quarter, not including expenditures for an individual’s travel, food, lodging, or membership dues.

If a lobbyist does not intend to exceed $1,890 during a calendar year in lobbying expenditures, the lobbyist may file an annual report, due on January 10.

The previous threshold for 2021 was $1,860.

Salary reporting thresholds have also increased.

Compensation or reimbursement required to be reported must be reported as an exact amount if the compensation or reimbursement received exceeds $944,430.

The previous exact amount threshold for 2021 was $931,500.

The Louisiana Legislature will hold its special session on political redistricting from February 1 to February 20.

State lawmakers will deliberate on new maps for Louisiana’s U.S. House seats, the state House of Representatives, Senate, Public Service Commission, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Supreme Court of Louisiana.

The majority of legislators in both chambers endorsed the schedule.

This does not affect lobbying reporting dates.

A special election for Houston City Council District G is scheduled for January 25, 2022.

The special election was called after former incumbent Greg Travis resigned on October 27 to run for the District 133 seat in the Texas House of Representatives.

Travis served on the 16-member Houston City Council from 2016 to 2021.

Five candidates filed to run in the special election by the deadline: Mary Nan Huffman, Piper Madland, D. Duke Millard, Raul Reyes Jr., and Houshang Taghizadeh.

New Mexico legislators concluded a volatile 12-day special session December 17 by granting final approval for a new map for Senate districts and authorizing an emergency update to New Mexico’s medical malpractice law.

The two proposals now head to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has until January 6, 2022 to take action on them.

The final work of the Legislature came in the House, where lawmakers engaged in another aggressive debate over how to redraw political boundaries to reflect 2020 census data.

Over the last two weeks, much of the sparring has been especially personal, as lawmakers’ own districts and reelection chances are at stake.

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.

Louisiana lawmakers plan to hold a three-week special session in February 2022 to address redistricting.

Several lawmakers are concerned that if the state’s population doesn’t grow enough, Louisiana could lose a Congressional district after the 2030 census.

The state’s population has only grown 3% over the last decade.

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

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

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.