Citizen activist Robert Davis filed a lawsuit challenging the plan to hold the state’s presidential primary election on February 27, arguing even if the Legislature adjourns early, the law authorizing the early primary election must also go into effect 91 days before the county election boards authorize the printing of absentee and overseas ballots in January.

Secretary of State Benson’s attorney acknowledged if the House and Senate do not adjourn next week the election may not take place until March 12.

Davis’s lawsuit also seeks to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot due to his role in the insurrection on January 6.

A hearing on both issues will be held on November 9 at 8:30 a.m. and streamed live on YouTube.

Lawmakers adjourned the veto session on after sustaining Gov. Sununu’s veto of House Bill 142.

The vote did not have the two-thirds majority required to override the veto of the bill providing support for Berlin’s Burgess BioPower plant.

The Legislature adjourned the special session on October 25 after authorizing a budget to ensure the continued operation of state government.

During the three-day session, 14 bills were passed to reconstruct the legislation that was invalidated by the state Supreme Court as unconstitutional for violating a single-subject requirement.

The bills included transfers from state government funds, K-12 education funding, a $125 million incentive program for the development of a fertilizer plant, a criminal penalty for supplying drugs resulting in overdose deaths and injuries, and effective dates for transitioning the state’s public employee pension plan to a 401(k)-style plan for new hires.

Gov. Doug Burgum issued Executive Order 2023-09 calling for a special session of the Legislature to begin Monday, October 23, to authorize a budget bill to ensure the continued operation of state government.

The North Dakota Supreme Court invalidated Senate Bill 2015, which included the budget, declaring the bill unconstitutional because it violated the state constitution’s single-subject requirement for bills.

The special session is expected to last three to five days.

The Appellate Division, Third Department granted a stay and injunction in the matter of Cuomo v. COELIG.

The state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government issued a statement from Chair Frederick A. Davie and Executive Director Sandford N. Berland announcing this decision allows the Commission to continue its work and fulfill its mission as the appeal works its way through the judicial process.

They also announced that registration terminations in the online lobbying application (‘LA’) have been launched for lobbyists and public corporation registrations for the 2023-2024 biennial period.

Lobbyists and public corporations wanting to terminate earlier than the end date specified in the lobbying agreement are now able to terminate the entire lobbying relationship within LA.

Additionally, the lobbying application will automatically terminate registrations with lobbying agreements that reach the end date specified in the agreement, and all registrations that reach December 31st of the second year of a biennial period, with no action required by the lobbyist or client.

Lawmakers will return to session on October 26 to decide whether to override eight vetoes issued by Gov. Sununu.

In addition to considering veto overrides, lawmakers will also consider deadlines for the 2024 session.

The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board issued draft rule language staff considers to be technical or noncontroversial.

The language will be considered by the board’s three-member rulemaking committee at one or more public meetings to be announced at a later date.

Interested parties will have an opportunity to comment on the draft rule language.

Once it is available staff will also release draft rule language considered to be potentially controversial, including language intended to implement changes made by the Legislature in 2023 to statutes governing lobbyist regulation and reporting.

Information related to the rulemaking process will be posted on the board’s rulemaking docket webpage at cfb.mn.gov/citizen-resources/the-board/statutes-and-rules/rulemaking-docket. 

This information will include how to sign up for the rulemaking notice list, the dates of any scheduled rulemaking committee meetings, copies of official documents, copies of formal comments received by the Board, and draft rules.

State Sen. Doug Larsen, his wife, and their two young children died when the small plane they were in crashed in Utah.

Larsen was first elected to the Senate in 2020 and chaired a Senate panel focused on industry and business legislation.

Larsen’s District 34 comprises Mandan, the city neighboring Bismarck to the west across the Missouri River.

District 34 Republicans will appoint a successor to fill out the remainder of Larsen’s term, through November 2024.

The Indiana Supreme Court concluded state law bans corporate contributions to independent expenditure committees or to any PAC earmarked for independent expenditures in Indiana Right to Life Victory Fund and Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. v. Diego Morales, et al.

Indiana Right To Life’s super PAC wanted to accept a $10,000 contribution from a local media company, Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. and though the state never would have stopped the transaction, the PAC sued in federal court.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said it wanted the Indiana Supreme Court to declare whether state law bans unlimited contributions to super PACs.

The state Supreme Court ruled the law explicitly notes which groups corporations can give to and because PACs that only make independent expenditures are not mentioned, corporations cannot give anything to them.

The court’s opinion acknowledged both sides expect the federal court to stop the state from enforcing the ban because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. FEC that limiting corporate contributions to super PACs is unconstitutional.

The state Supreme Court decision leaves the General Assembly with the task of updating the statute to permit corporate contributions for the purpose of independent expenditures.

Lawmakers convened the special session called by Gov. Tony Evers in an executive order issued in August on September 20.

The session immediately adjourned without considering proposals to enact a comprehensive workforce development package using some of the state’s projected $4 billion surplus in this biennium.

None of the 86 Republican legislators responded to the legislative survey launched by Evers last week, refusing to publicly state their positions on specific policy components of the governor’s workforce plan, the workforce plan in its entirety, and what initiatives or plans, if any, they support.

The special session reconvened September 21 for a skeletal session.

Gov. Tim Walz issued a writ of special election to fill the vacant seat in House District 52B following the resignation of State Representative Ruth Richardson.

The special election will be held on December 5.

A special primary, if necessary, will be held on November 16.

This special election date allows for the new representative to be seated when the legislative session convenes on Tuesday, February 12, 2024.

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Republican State Rep. Bob Young sent a letter to Speaker of the House Jason Stephens saying he’s stepping down effective October 2.

Gov. DeWine and half of the Republicans in the Ohio House had called on the District 32 representative to resign following his second arrest in two months.

Under the Ohio Constitution, the vacancy will be filled by a majority vote of House members who are affiliated with the same political party as the person last elected to the vacant seat.

Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order 208 calling for a special session of the Legislature to begin Wednesday, September 20.

The session will consider and act upon two proposals to enact a comprehensive workforce development package.

The proposals would use some of the state’s projected $4 billion surplus in this biennium to:

• Support child care providers,
• Support a paid family and medical leave program for private employers,
• And create new investment in higher education.