The Nashville Office of Metropolitan Clerk’s new online reporting portal will not be launched prior to the 2021 reporting due date.

The clerk’s office has indicated those lobbying activity reports should instead be emailed to the clerk’s office on or before the January 31 due date.

The Florida House and Senate have instituted COVID-19 safety protocols during committee meetings ahead of the 2021 legislative session.

For the month of January, Senate committee meetings will be limiting in-person attendance to individuals invited by the committee leaders.

Rooms at the Leon County Civic Center have been reserved and will be made available to other individuals wishing to remotely appear and provide testimony.

House committee meetings attendance will also be limited.

Individuals seeking to attend and provide public testimony must register online at least three hours prior to the meeting.

Once seating capacity is reached, individuals will be allowed to provide written testimony.

The testimony will then be distributed amongst the committee members prior to the meeting.

The new House protocols will be in effect until February 28.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a special election to be held on March 23 for the 38^th Senate District.

The seat was previously held by Sen. A. Benton Chafin, Jr. who passed away January 1.

A bill prohibiting corporate campaign contributions has been introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates.

House Bill 1906 would not only prohibit direct contributions to candidates and committees but also prohibit indirect contributions.

This would include designated contributions or contributions directed through another person or committee.

The proposed bill includes a civil penalty of up to twice the amount of the prohibited contributions.

Del. Derrick Evans has announced his resignation from the West Virginia Legislature.

This comes after being arrested and charged for his part in storming the U.S. Capitol Building.

Evans was set to serve his first term as delegate for West Virginia’s 19^th House District after winning the seat in November.

Gov. Jim Justice is expected to appoint a replacement for Evans in the coming weeks.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has announced an increase in the limits on contributions made to candidates.

The limit will increase from $5,400 to $5,600 due to the 2.8% rise in the consumer price index from 2018 to 2020.

This increase is effective from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022.

Inauguration festivities for Gov. Roy Cooper and other statewide officials will be held as a limited event on January 9 in Raleigh.

Due to ongoing pandemic concerns, attendance at the inauguration will be limited to family, staff, and media.

However, the event will be televised statewide.

The Inaugural Ball celebration has been postponed to an unspecified date when it can be conducted safely.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced the special election dates for House District 73 to coincide with the previously announced special election for Senate District 14.

The special primary election will be held on March 30, 2021, with a runoff on April 27, if necessary.

The general election will be held on July 13.

The House District 73 was vacated when Rep. Matt Fridy resigned after being elected to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.

After a drive-thru primary on December 13, Candi King has emerged as the Democratic candidate to fill a vacant seat in the 2nd District of Virginia’s House of Delegates.

The seat was vacated by Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy who resigned to focus on her candidacy for governor.

King will face Republican nominee Heather Mitchell in the special election scheduled for January 5, 2021.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced the special election dates for the Senate District 14 seat previously held by Sen. Cam Ward.

The special primary election will be held on March 30, 2021, with a runoff on April 27, if necessary.

In addition, the general election will be held on July 13.

Ward left the office to accept an appointment as director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.

Memphis City Council voted against adopting an ordinance requiring those lobbying the council to register with the city and name their clients.

The ordinance would have required lobbyists to register annually and pay a registration fee of $50.

The ordinance would have also subjected lobbyists to similar reporting requirements of those lobbying the Tennessee General Assembly and the Metro Nashville Council.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced the special election for Virginia’s 90th House of Delegates District will be held on January 5, 2021.

The seat was previously held by Democratic Del. Joseph Lindsey, who resigned last month after being appointed to fill a vacancy on the Norfolk General District Court.

He had served as a delegate for the district since 2014.

The Nashville Metro Board of Ethical Conduct has adopted a new lobbyist registration form.

The form, which is now available online, must be filed along with the written client authorization via email to the Metro Clerk’s Office until the new online registration portal is launched.

The Metro Clerk’s Office will begin accepting the new form on December 15 for continuing lobbyist engagements for 2021, which must be filed by December 31.

No new registrations will be accepted until December 15 and will be treated as a continuing registration for 2021.

The Metro Council has also increased the registration fee to $100, which must be hand delivered to the Metro Clerk’s Office or sent via U.S. mail.

Additional information is expected to be made available online on or about December 15.

After nearly 12 weeks, the Virginia General Assembly ended its special session on November 9.

Lawmakers approved changes returned by Gov. Northam on a handful of bills and finally agreed on a final passage of the budget.