The first regular session of the 102nd Missouri General Assembly concluded after passing only 43 policy bills, the lowest number passed by a General Assembly in more than two decades, not counting the pandemic-limited session in 2020. The speaker declared the session adjourned sine die as of midnight May 30, in accordance with the constitution. The Legislature could not agree on a plan to legalize sports betting or to make it more difficult for citizens to change the state constitution through initiative petitions.

Lawmakers voted to schedule a special election on August 8, with the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 2.

The special election is for a ballot issue proposing a constitutional amendment to require approval by 60%  of voters to approve any constitutional amendment which would be effective immediately upon voter approval. The current requirement is for a majority vote.

The constitutional amendment also modifies procedures for an initiative petition proposing a constitutional amendment by prohibiting any additional signatures to be filed for the initiative petition, if found to be insufficient.

If a referendum petition or an initiative petition proposing a law is determined to be insufficient, ten additional days will be allowed for the filing of additional signatures.

The amendment also changes the signature requirements for an initiative petition proposing an amendment to the constitution to require from each county of the state petitions bearing the signatures of not less than five per cent of the electors of the county, while for all other initiative, supplementary, and referendum petitions the signature requirement remains unchanged, requiring petitions from one-half of the counties bearing signatures of one-half the percentage of electors in the county.

These changes would be effective January 1, 2024, if approved by voters.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered a special election to be held on July 18, to fill a vacancy in the Assembly District 24 seat.

The seat was vacated when Sen. Dan Knodl won a special election for the Senate District 8 seat.

The term of office for the Assembly District 24 seat will expire on January 6, 2025.

If a primary election is necessary, it will be held on June.

The 68th Legislative Assembly adjourned sine die on April 30 after passing 583 bills including two amending the ethics code.

Senate Bill 2048 requires each legislative assembly to adopt conflict of interest rules.

House Bill 1257 requires school board candidates seeking office in districts with at least 1,000 students to file financial disclosures.

This applies to more than 15 public districts, including Fargo, West Fargo, Grand Forks, and Bismarck. Both bills are effective August 1.

The first regular session of the 123rd General Assembly adjourned sine die on April 28 after passing bills regarding nonprofit disclosures and electronic signatures for campaign finance disclosures.

Senate Bill 302 has been signed by the governor and prohibits a state agency or a state official from imposing on any charitable organization any filing or reporting requirements more stringent or burdensome than those authorized under state or federal law.

The bill provides this limitation does not apply to requirements imposed in connection with state grants, contracts, fraud investigations, or in connection with an enforcement action.

House Bill 1212, House Bill 1336 have not been signed by the governor.

House Bill 1212 prohibits a public agency from requiring a person or nonprofit organizations to provide certain personal information to the public agency.

Exceptions to the prohibition include disclosures required under state campaign finance and lobbying disclosure laws.

House Bill 1336 permits electronic signatures to be used for the reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures.

Senate President Pro-Tem Caleb Rowden introduced a substitute for Senate Bill 378, which changes lobbyist and campaign finance reporting and creates a local lobbyist gift ban.

The new substitute for Senate Bill 378 changes the reporting required by lobbyists from monthly expenditure reports to an annual expenditure report filed on December 31, or if December thirty-first is a Saturday or Sunday, on the last Friday of the calendar year.

The bill also changes campaign finance reporting, deadlines and late fees.

The bill raises the threshold for expenditures required to be itemized on a disclosure report from $100 or less to $200 or less and provides for an annual increase based on the increase in the cost of living.

The bill changes filing deadlines by requiring anything filed electronically to be filed by 11:59 p.m. of the due date.

Under current law, if the last day of filing any campaign finance disclosure report falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or an official state holiday the deadline is extended to 5:00 p.m. of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or official state holiday.

In addition, the bill requires all committees to be charged $100 per day in late fees for campaign finance reports required to be filed 8 days prior to an election.

Under current law, this only applies to candidate committees.

The bill also increases the fine for all other late campaign finance reports to $20 per day late fee, rather than $10 per day as required by current law, and fees will be increased annually on January 1, based on the increase in the cost of living.

The bill also prohibits any person serving as or employed by an elected local government official from accepting directly or indirectly a gift of any tangible or intangible item, service, or thing of value from any paid lobbyist or lobbyist principle.

If passed, the bill will become effective August 28, 2023.

The Minnesota Legislature is considering two bills proposing an overhaul to the lobbyist reporting requirements.

Senate File 1636 requires lobbyist principals to report the total amount, spent by the principal during the preceding calendar year on each of four types of lobbying:

1. Lobbying to influence legislative action
2. Lobbying to influence administrative action
3. Lobbying to influence official action of political subdivisions
4. Lobbying to influence administrative action in cases of rate setting, power plant and powerline siting, with no rounding of the amounts, so lobbyist principals will be reporting actual amount spent for each category of lobbying.

House File 1723 requires lobbyist principals to report the total amount, rounded to the nearest $10,000 spent by the principal during the preceding calendar year on each of four types of lobbying:

1. Lobbying to influence legislative action
2. Lobbying to influence administrative action
3. Lobbying to influence official action of political subdivisions
4. Lobbying to influence administrative action in cases of rate setting, power plant and powerline siting, and granting of certificates of need for a large energy facility.

Currently principals are only required to report the total amount, rounded to the nearest $20,000, for all categories.

The 98th session of the Legislature adjourned sine die on March 27.

During the session, lawmakers passed House Bill 1060 increasing the threshold for requiring a purchasing agency to advertise for bids or proposals for a contract for the purchase of supplies or services, other than professional services, from $25,000 to $50,000 and any public improvement contract from $50,000 to $100,000.

A lobbying bill prohibiting the spouse of a member of the legislature from being employed as a lobbyist and a campaign finance bill to increase contribution limits did not pass.

State senators Rob McColley and Theresa Gavarone introduced Senate Bill 92, a bill to permit special elections to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August under any of the following circumstances:

• For the purpose of submitting a statewide ballot issue to the voters under Section 1 of Article XVI, Ohio Constitution
• When a primary election is required preceding a special election to fill a vacancy in an office
• For the election of a party candidate for U.S. Congress due to the withdrawal, disqualification, or death of a congressional candidate prior to the 19th day before the day of the general election.

August elections for these purposes were eliminated by a law passed in 2021.

The Ohio office of Secretary of State has published increased contribution limits.

The contribution limits for PACs, PCEs and individuals may contribute to statewide candidates, candidates for General Assembly, county parties, PACs, and PCEs increased from $13,704.41 to $15,499.69 per election; and from $41,113.24 to $46,499.08  per calendar year to state parties; and from $20,556.62 to $23,249.54 per calendar year to legislative campaign funds.

The amount of gifts corporations and labor unions may provide per year to a state political party, county political party, or legislative campaign fund, for certain specified purposes, such as facilities; equipment, and supplies, increased from $11,274.23 to $12,751.16.

Bismark, North Dakota City Commissioner Mark Splonskowski is resigning effective March 20, due to conflicts of interest when he assumes the Burleigh County auditor/treasurer position in April.

Sponkowski was elected to the county post in November.

The city commission will vote at the March 14 meeting on whether to have a special election to fill his seat or appoint someone to serve out the remainder of the term.

Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas loaned $100,100 to his campaign after advancing to the April 4 runoff election against Brandon Johnson.

The two candidates may now receive unlimited contributions because contribution limits do not apply in any city race where the self-funding or independent expenditure threshold of $100,000 is exceeded.

The city’s pay-to-play limits on campaign contributions remain in place.

Companies and people doing business with the city or its sister agencies are limited to contributing $1,500 to any one candidate per year.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will not have a second term and none of the nine candidates in the race for mayor secured over 50% of the vote.

The runoff election between candidates Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas is scheduled for April 4.

Lightfoot is the first incumbent to lose a reelection bid in 40 years.

Sen. Michael Rohl introduced Senate Bill 197 to prohibit spouses of current members of the Senate or House of Representatives from being employed as a registered private lobbyist.

He stated that the bill addresses two problems

• Preventing legislative spouses from having an advantage that other lobbyists and everyday people do not.
• Providing clarity about their role because legislative spouses tend to have more access to restricted areas and lawmakers.

The bill passed out of committee Monday and will next be discussed and voted on by the Senate.