On Monday, Alaska became one of the most recent states to alter presidential primary plans due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Alaska Democratic Party canceled in-person voting in the state scheduled for April 4.

Additionally the party expanded the ability to vote by mail by extending the deadline to mail in ballots from March 24 to April 10.

The Alaska Republican Party also announced its Republican state convention, scheduled for April 2-4 will convene electronically.

The second session of the 65th Idaho Legislature has ended.

The House adjourned sine die on Friday after balancing fears of spreading the coronavirus with potential vetoes of several bills representatives will now be powerless to override.

If the House stayed in session, it would have given them the option of holding an override vote.

The override would be necessary if Gov. Brad Little vetoed any of the bills sent to him in the last days of the session.

The House voted 32-28 to end the legislative session a day after the Senate adjourned sine die.

During the session, lawmakers passed a bill relating to the filing of campaign finance reports and a bill relating to codifier’s corrections.

Senate Bill 1233 amends who can file reports of contributions and expenditures to include the political committee and the candidate.

The bill was an emergency and became effective January 1, 2020.

Senate Bill 1334 makes non-substantive changes to definitions relating to lobbying and contributions.

The bill becomes effective May 19, 2020.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

The statutory requirement to file monthly reports when the Legislature is in session will end with the report due April 15.

In light of the statewide shelter-in-place order, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) understands the unique and extraordinary situation caused by the united efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FPPC recognizes offices around the state are closed and the stay at home directive makes the filing of campaign statements and reports difficult.

An advisory has been issued encouraging candidates and committees to continue to make best efforts to timely disclose campaign activity to the public.

State and local candidates are encouraged to make use of electronic filing options, if available.

All candidates and committees filing campaign statements and reports with the Office of the Secretary or State may use the online filing system.

Local candidates and committees should contact their local filing officers to determine if electronic filing is available in their jurisdiction.

If a candidate or committee makes best efforts to comply with the Political Reform Act’s campaign finance disclosure rules but is unable to do so due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FPPC will consider this a strong mitigating factor in determining whether an enforcement action against the candidate or committee is appropriate.

The Idaho Senate adjourned sine die Thursday night.

However, the House voted to meet again Friday morning despite recommendations to practice social distancing amid COVID-19 concerns.

Coronavirus has been looming over the last week of the session, causing Gov. Brad Little to be dealing with the increase in cases.

If the House stays in session for three days, it will force the Senate to return to town.

If the House adjourns on Friday, at 75 days, it will be tied for the fourth shortest session in the past 20 years.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a public health disaster emergency in the state.

People are encouraged to practice social distancing and avoid large crowds if possible, especially if they are elderly or have underlying health conditions.

Access to the Capitol is limited to lawmakers, employees of the Legislature, members of the governor’s administration, and credentialed journalists.

Lawmakers voted to approve $4.1 million of funding to respond to the coronavirus.

The regular session will adjourn if five or more legislators contract the virus.

The offices of the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) will be closed to walk-in traffic until further notice.

This comes in recognition of state and federal calls for social distancing and to protect the public and its employees.

APOC offices will remain staffed and continue to serve the public and respond through alternative forms of contact including mail, email, fax, and telephone, during its normal business hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) encourages filers who have access to an electronic Form 700 filing system to take advantage of its use.

This comes in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests filing deadline on April 1, 2020.

If electronic filing is not available, filers are strongly encouraged to submit forms by mail rather than in person.

Statements postmarked on or before the filing deadline are considered timely filed.

The FPPC’s advice telephone line is closed until further notice.

However, they continue to timely respond to requests for advice via email.

The California Legislature voted to suspend its 2020 session for nearly a month in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Lawmakers Monday night voted unanimously to recess from March 20 until April 13, though the date is subject to change.

The Legislature passed a relief package that sends $1.1 billion in support to hospitals, facilities, local governments and schools to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The 2020 budget session of the Wyoming Legislature adjourned sine die on March 13 after 24 days in session.

The session lasted an extra four days this year because of a decision made by lawmakers last year.

During the session, legislators passed a bill expanding limitations on campaign contributions.

Senate File 20 expands limitations on campaign contributions from organizations to include a candidate’s campaign committee or any political party or political action committee that directly coordinates with a candidate or a candidate’s campaign committee.

The bill becomes effective July 1, 2020, and does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Mayor London N. Breed announced the Health Officer of the City and County of San Francisco has issued a Public Health Order.

This order requires residents to remain in place, with the only exception being for essential needs.

This measure is necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The Public Health Order is effective as of midnight on Tuesday, March 17 until April 7, unless amended or extended.

The physical offices of the ethics commission will be closed for the duration of the Public Health Order until April 7, unless otherwise noticed.

The regular monthly meeting scheduled for Friday, March 20, has been canceled.

However, the ethics commission remains open for business through its telework policy and technology.

Staff will continue to assist with filing guidance, online disclosure tools and resources, advice, and compliance assistance, among its other duties.

Filing deadlines established by law applying during this period remain in effect and have not been extended.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Oregon Legislatures called for a special legislative session to address the impact COVID-19 is having on the state.

The special session will convene when the Legislature has an emergency response package ready for consideration.

The Legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Coronavirus Response is scheduled to hold its first meeting Wednesday, March 18 at 10 a.m.

This will not affect any lobbyist reporting.

The Wyoming Democratic Party has canceled all county conventions and the in-person portion of its upcoming caucus.

The party has taken the precautions over increasing concerns around the coronavirus outbreak.

The events to assign Wyoming’s 13 pledged delegates, scheduled for April 4, will now be handled exclusively through the mail.

Voters can still drop their ballots off in person at one of the party’s dozens of collection spots around the state.

Voters can drop off their ballots on March 28 and April 4, and have them postmarked by March 20.

The change is not anticipated to interfere with any of the traditional functions of the caucus itself.

However, county delegates to the state convention, normally selected in person, could be elected by other means, pending approval by the Democratic National Committee.

As of now, the June 6 state convention in Powell is on schedule.

Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill modifying provisions related to procurement and contracting by governmental entities.

House Bill 50 increases the amount to $15,000 for bids or contracts for supplies or services required to be made by competitive sealed bidding.

Additionally, the bill allows an elected state official to contract for supplies or services by competitive negotiation without department approval.

This can be done when:

• • The contract is for $25,000 or less
  • The elected state official determines the use of competitive sealed bidding is not feasible or practical

House Bill 50 becomes effective October 1, 2020.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) announced the formation of a Digital Transparency Task Force.

The purpose of this group is to address the issues surrounding political advertising through social media and other digital outlets.

The Digital Transparency Task Force will study the current landscape of these outlets.

They will also look at trends and ways to keep up with the ever-changing field, including regulations possibly needing updated, enhanced, added, or strengthened.

The FPPC created the task force to help set standards and to develop best practices for transparent digital political advertising.

They will also assist the public to easily find the information in a publicly accessible database.