In a unanimous decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court limited the governor’s expansive veto powers. After Gov. Evers exercised a partial veto to expand coverage of a literacy coaching program, lawmakers withheld funding arguing Evers did not have the authority to change the law’s purpose. The court found the constitution gives the governor partial veto power for appropriation bills but not bills closely related to appropriation bills. The court also ruled the Legislature can put money for certain state programs into an emergency fund under the control of its budget committee, rather than appropriating public funds. The ruling will likely result in lawmakers crafting other spending bills in similar ways to avoid partial vetoes related to spending.

Never miss a lobbying compliance deadline. Sign up for our online guidebooks today!

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today testified before the House Committee on Oversight to update lawmakers on upgrades and improvements to the new Michigan Transparency Network (MiTN). In her testimony, Benson detailed specific technology fixes and process improvements the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) and vendor Tyler Technologies have made to the MiTN system since May. MiTN improvements planned for July 12 include a campaign finance filing summary report for filings created in MiTN, improvements to the public search function, and the ability to pay committee and lobby fees by credit card. 

The state’s first special legislative session since 2021 began Monday, June 9. Legislative leaders have worked around the clock since the regular session ended on May 19 trying to resolve sticking points in the most closely divided Legislature in state history. The focus is on bills regarding spending plans for state programs and services. Roughly 30,000 state workers were set to get a layoff notice Monday morning as part of protocol, since failure to pass a budget by July 1 means a partial government shutdown. However, the governor’s office said that could be delayed until Tuesday morning, which is when the special session is set to end. If lawmakers complete all their work by that time, the state can avoid sending those messages to employees.

Are you able to track all legislative sessions in the states you do business? Our online guidebooks make it easy, request a demo today!

The 104th General Assembly adjourned May 31, with the veto session and possible special session yet to be scheduled. Lawmakers approved more than 430 bills, including the state budget, but failed to approve a comprehensive transportation bill jeopardizing Illinois transit systems with expected cuts, layoffs, and service disruptions. Transit officials and union groups were pushing for lawmakers to approve more funding to avoid such a financial cliff.

Are you able to track all legislative sessions in the states you do business? Our online guidebooks make it easy, request a demo today!

Gov. Mike Kehoe called a special session of the Legislature beginning June 2 to consider St. Louis disaster relief; a proposal for the state to help fund new stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals to keep the teams in Missouri; and other spending items for major capital improvement projects. Under the Missouri Constitution, lawmakers have 60 days to complete work on items in a special session.

Invite them out for coffee or a steak? Make sure you know the gift restrictions of your state or municipality. Request a demo of our online guidebooks today.

The first regular session of the 103rd General Assembly adjourned on May 15. Lawmakers passed a total of 67 bills this year, 16 of which were budget bills. Last year’s total was 46. Among the bills awaiting the governor’s signature is Senate Bill 152, banning foreign spending on ballot issue campaigns. The bill also prohibits committees from knowingly receiving, soliciting, or accepting contributions or expenditures from a prohibited source, defined as contributions from or expenditures by a foreign national made with the intent to use such funds to influence an election on a ballot measure. The bill also requires committees to file a certificate declaring no preliminary activity was funded, directly or indirectly, by a prohibited source.

The 94th session of the Minnesota Legislature adjourned sine die on May 19. Lawmakers adjourned on the constitutionally prescribed final day with the budget incomplete. With the next fiscal biennium beginning on July 1, the Legislature must approve all budget bills and have them signed by the governor before midnight on June 30 to keep state government open for business. Gov. Walz announced he will call a special session when lawmakers have reached a consensus, but warned pushing the session beyond June 1 would mean state employees have to begin preparing for a possible government shutdown. The House ended its session by choosing not to suspend rules to consider Senate File 856, which would create the Office of the Inspector General.

Monitor your registration thresholds by state, by referring to our easy to navigate online guidebooks. Request a web tour to learn more.

Representatives from the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), Tyler Technologies, and the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) testified at a joint committee hearing regarding issues with the Michigan Transparency Network (MiTN) platform. MiTN is the state’s new consolidated online reporting system for personal financial disclosure, campaign finance, lobbying, and legal defense fund information. The hearing was called after lawmakers had trouble filing their financial disclosure reports and approved a one-month extension for their deadline. MDOS and Tyler Technologies are now working to implement substantial improvements by the filing deadline for candidate committees on July 25.  As part of the department’s continuing commitment to transparency, MDOS has launched a new webpage to track existing technical issues, recent fixes, and FAQs for each MiTN module at https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/disclosure/mitn-information.

Never miss a lobbying compliance deadline. Sign up for our online guidebooks today!

The overtime session of the General Assembly adjourned sine die on May 15 after lawmakers worked overnight to wrap up and head home nearly two weeks after their scheduled end date. The delay was due to some senators refusing to vote on any budget bill until a bill was passed to restrict the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. Gov. Reynolds has 30 days to sign or veto the bills.

The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board will be conducting a compliance training for party units and political committees and funds on Thursday, June 5, at 1:00 p.m. The training will be conducted remotely using Webex. The training will provide an overview of campaign finance laws and rules applicable to party units and political committees and funds in Minnesota. The training will last approximately two hours. You may register for the training on the Board’s website at https://cfb.mn.gov/filer-resources/self-help/education-and-tools/live-training/. The training will be recorded, and video of the training will be added to the Board’s website within a week after the training. Additional training resources, including information on how to use Campaign Finance Reporter Online (CFRO), is available on the Board’s website at https://cfb.mn.gov/filer-resources/self-help/education-and-tools/online-videos/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.

The 69th Legislative Assembly adjourned sine die just after 4:00 a.m. on May 3, using up 74 of its 80 days permitted days to pass almost 600 of the 1,089 bills introduced, the highest volume of legislation since 2009. Six days remain for a special session. Lawmakers passed two bills affecting campaign finance laws and effective August 1, 2025. House Bill 1204 expands the prohibition on the publication of false information in political advertisements to text messages, telephone calls, social media, or any other commercial medium. House Bill 1167 requires that any political communication or advertising using artificial intelligence to impersonate a human must prominently display a disclaimer.

The first regular session of the 91st Iowa General Assembly, though scheduled to adjourn on May 2, continues in an overtime session. Lawmakers have not passed a new state budget, which is required before they can officially adjourn. Some Senators are refusing to vote on any budget bills unless the Iowa Senate first takes up a bill to restrict the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. Several bills affecting lobbying and campaign finance were introduced during the session but have not passed. Senate Joint Resolution 11, if approved by voters, would amend the Iowa Constitution to require a two-thirds vote of both chambers of the General Assembly to increase the individual or corporate income tax rate. The measure was previously approved in the 2023–2024 legislative session as House Joint Resolution 2006. In order to pass the amendment and send the measure to voters on the November 2026 ballot, the resolution will need to be approved by the state House in the 2026 legislative session because Iowa requires constitutional amendments to pass in two consecutive two-year legislative sessions.

The first regular session of the 124th General Assembly adjourned sine die. Lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting a political action committee from accepting a contribution or expenditure from a foreign national, effective July 1. Several bills awaiting the governor’s signature include House Bill 1679, modifying the definition of candidate for purposes of campaign finance law, House Bill 1680, prohibiting the Election Commission from Issuing advisory opinions and invalidating any advisory opinion issued by the commission before July 1, 2025, and Senate Bill 287, permitting school board candidates to declare a political party affiliation. Gov. Mike Braun has seven days to sign legislation once it lands on his desk. If he does not sign a bill, it becomes law. If he vetoes a bill, the Legislature can override the veto with a majority vote in both houses.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is hosting staff from the Office of the Legislative Inspector General for a training session open to government affairs professionals on JLEC filing and lobbying requirements. The in-person session is from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Friday, April 25, at the Ohio Chamber Office in Columbus, Ohio. Although registration is not required, notify Tony Long if planning to attend at tlong@ohiochamber.com.