Gov. Henry McMaster released a budget proposal with a provision to expand state lobbying laws to cover local lobbying of county, city, and town councils.

The proposal would also double the current lobbyist registration fee from $100 to $200.

The fee increase would allow the State Ethics Commission to strengthen its investigative and enforcement activities.

The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned the regular session until April 28 after meeting for a single day.

The Senate attempted but failed to override vetoes by Gov. Roy Cooper on teacher pay and the budget.

Before adjourning, lawmakers unanimously approved additional funding for the state’s scholarship for children of wartime veterans, which is expected to be signed into law by Cooper.

The Florida Senate has introduced a bill creating a statewide registration system for lobbying government entities.

The bill expands the definition of lobbying to include seeking to influence any governmental entity with respect to a decision or an attempt to obtain the goodwill of an official or employee of any governmental entity.

Further, the bill defines governmental entity as including:

• • Water management districts
  • Hospital districts
  • Children’s services districts
  • Expressway authorities
  • Port authorities
  • Counties
  • Municipalities
  • School districts
  • Special districts

With these new expanded definitions, the Commission on Ethics will establish the Local Government Lobbyist Registration System.

All lobbyists wishing to lobby any governmental entity within the state would have to register with this new system.

All previously established rules and local ordinances currently governing lobbyist registration would be preempted and replaced by this new system.

The Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, announced a special election for February 4 for Senate District 13.

The seat is vacant after Sen. Greg Kirk died in December after a battle with cancer.

A runoff election is scheduled for March 3 if no candidate receives a majority of the vote during the special election.

The House of Delegates adjourned the Second Extraordinary Session of 2019 on December 16 after reconvening the same day.

Before adjourning, the House passed Senate Bill 2001.

Senate Bill 2001 extends tax credits for tourism development projects through December 2025.

Today, Governor-elect Roy Cooper filed a legal challenge against Senate Bill 4. Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens agreed to block the law from taking effect while the lawsuit is pending.

Senate Bill 4 would have taken effect January 1, 2017, to merge the State Board of Elections with the State Ethics Commission and create a new eight-member board split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. The bill was passed by a Republican dominated legislature in an attempt to limit the power of the executive branch before newly elected Democrats take power.

Circuit Judge Mark Barnett ruled yesterday that Initiated Measure 22 cannot be separated into different parts, issuing an order blocking the entire law from taking effect. Initiated Measure 22 was approved by the majority of South Dakota voters last month as an act to revise campaign finance and lobbying laws.

There was an existing preliminary injunction on the law’s implementation; however, supporters of Initiated Measure 22 wanted to reinstate portions of the law not challenged by the plaintiffs, such as the provisions dealing with lower caps on campaign contributions.

North Carolina lawmakers adjourned a special session yesterday without taking any action to repeal House Bill 2. The special session was called by Gov. Pat McCrory specifically for the purpose of repealing the bill.

House Bill 2 restricts which restrooms transgender people can use and blocks local governments from enacting nondiscrimination ordinances regarding the use of public bathrooms. The legislation has caused boycotts resulting in the loss of millions of dollars from cancelled conventions, concerts and sporting events.

On Monday, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and retired State Senator and Judge Quentin L. Kopp filed a lawsuit in the Sacramento Superior Court seeking to invalidate Senate Bill 1107. SB 1107 was passed this fall and allows any municipality the option to create systems for publicly funded campaigns.

Prior to SB 1107, only six charter cities were allowed to offer limited public funds to match small campaign donations. The suit requests an injunction to stop the new provisions from taking effect on January 1, 2017. The plaintiffs are also requesting SB 1107 be ruled invalid and sent to voters on a statewide ballot.

On December 14, Portland City Council voted 3-2 to pass the Open and Accountable Elections package to create a public campaign finance matching system.

The publicly funded election system is modeled on New York City’s public campaign financing program. The city will provide matching funds to eligible candidates for mayor, city commissioner and auditor, with funding starting in 2019 for the 2020 election.

A South Dakota judge has issued a preliminary injunction on Initiated Measure 22. Initiated Measure 22 was approved by the majority of South Dakota voters last month as an act to revise campaign finance and lobbying laws.

The injunction will give the courts and the Legislature time to consider the measure, which has been widely criticized as being poorly drafted and possibly unconstitutional. Supporters of Initiated Measure 22 are expected to ask the judge to re-instate portions of the law not challenged by the plaintiffs, such as the provisions dealing with lower caps on campaign contributions.

Nearly a month after Election Day, Gov. Pat McCrory conceded the governor’s race today in a video message posted to YouTube, making Democrat Roy Cooper the next governor of North Carolina.

Following weeks of recounts and challenges alleging voter fraud, McCrory’s concession was made as early results from Durham County’s recount showed no change from initial results.

The regular legislative session is fast approaching and is set to convene January 9, 2017. With 30 days before the official start date, December 10, 2016, will mark the date legislators and state executive officeholders may not solicit or accept campaign contributions until the session adjourns.

Candidates may accept contributions that were made on December 9 or earlier, including contributions that were mailed and bear a December 9 postmark.

The lawsuit filed in state court to block the government ethics overhaul recently approved by voters will have its first hearing December 8th. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Initiated Measure 22 which became effective last week restricting campaign contributions and gifts from lobbyists.

The group of 24 Republican lawmakers bringing the suit are seeking an injunction to block the law, and South Dakotans for Integrity, the ballot question committee that supported Initiated Measure 22, has filed a motion to intervene.