A lawsuit has been filed in federal court challenging the constitutionality of campaign finance rules passed in a 2020 voter initiative in Alaska.

The newly filed suit focuses on the disclosure requirements of the initiative, stating the requirements hinder free speech and could lead to reprisals against donors.

The disclosure requirements include a disclaimer and reporting for ads concerning contributions greater than $2,000 given to or received by independent expenditure groups.

The embattled voter initiative already faced challenges in court over the open primary system and ranked-choice voting provisions of the law.

The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission has raised the limit for contributions given to a candidate for mayor, City Council, or city attorney to $600 per election cycle.

This limit only applies to candidates who are not participating in the Democracy Voucher Program.

Contribution limits are adjusted before each election cycle to account for inflation or deflation using the consumer price index.

The Idaho State Legislature adjourned sine die March 31.

The 81-day session focused mostly on infrastructure and education.

Starting the session with a nearly $2 billion surplus and billions in federal covid relief funds, lawmakers approved Gov. Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho” plan, providing $300 million to bolster k-12 public school budgets, a 7% increase in educator salaries, and funding an optional full-day kindergarten program.

Lawmakers also passed a bill modeled after the Texas abortion ban, the most restrictive abortion law in the country.

Planned Parenthood since filed a lawsuit with the Idaho Supreme Court requesting an injunction.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

A lobbyist activity report will be due April 15, covering March 1 through March 31.

Patricia Guerro has been sworn in as one of the seven judges on the bench of the California Supreme Court.

Gov. Newsom appointed Guerro to the court after Justice Mariano-Florentine resigned to become president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Prior to her appointment, Guerro served as a judge for California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed House Bill 49 and has not vetoed House Bill 100, allowing it to be enacted.

House Bill 49 defines what an “organization” is in relation to campaign finance reporting and establishes criteria for when an organization must file a statement of formation.

The bill restructures references of the term “organization” and raises the limit an organization can expend before it must file an itemized statement of contributions and expenditures to $1,000.

The bill increases the penalty of not filing a required report with the secretary of state to $500 per day and increases the penalty of not filing a required report with the county clerk to $200 per day.

Gov. Gordon, while not signing House Bill 100, did not veto the bill, approving the redistricting bill and permitting it to become law.

House Bill 49 is effective April 1, 2022, and House Bill 100 is effective immediately.

The Wyoming State Legislature adjourned sine die March 11 after passing House Bills 49, 80, and 100.

House Bill 49 requires organizations that receive contributions or expend funds in excess of $1,000 to file a statement of formation and increases penalties for failure to file an itemized statement of expenditures.

House Bill 100, a contentious redistricting bill, was finalized during the twilight hours of the 2022 session and provides a term limit for House members who were removed from the district because of legislative boundary changes.

House Bill 80, already signed by the governor, changed the reporting requirement for expenditure reports so all committees who contribute to another committee must file a report, not only if the receiving committee expended funds during a primary or general election.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a campaign finance bill into law on March 10.

House Bill 80 states all political action committees or candidate’s campaign committees must file an itemized statement of contributions and expenditures at least seven days but not more than 14 days before any election, regardless if funds were expended in the election.

The bill also increases the penalty of not filing an expenditure report to up to $500 per day past the due date. This bill becomes effective July 1.

The Washington Legislature adjourned sine die March 10 after passing a $64.1 billion state budget and a nearly $17 billion transportation package.

During the session, both houses passed Senate Bill 5196 and Senate Bill 5855.

Senate Bill 5196 allows the Legislature to call a special session through an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of both chambers.

Senate Bill 5855 allows the use of campaign funds to reimburse a candidate for expenses incurred for childcare, care for a person with a disability, or the care for a person with a medical condition that occurred directly because of the candidate’s campaign activities.

Both bills have been sent to Gov. Jay Inslee and await his signature.

The Oregon Legislative Assembly adjourned sine die March 4, after voting on 60 bills on their last day in session.

Highlights from the short session include access for low-income Oregonians to air conditioners, financial aid for low-income families, and mandated overtime payments to farmworkers.

The session was affected by the Great Resignation, with 20 lawmakers retiring or moving to different positions within the government.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) has issued a final order rejecting the revival of previous campaign limits.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court remanded Thompson v. Hebdon, asking the lower court to consider whether Alaska’s campaign contribution limits were consistent with previous First Amendment precedents.

The Ninth Circuit held the limitations on contributions made by individuals to candidates and groups were unconstitutional but held the limits from political parties to candidates were valid.

With this holding and no action by the state Legislature, Alaska does not have restrictions on individuals donating to candidates or groups other than political parties.

APOC was asked to consider reviving the limits set in 2003 but declined to do so.

The commission’s final order implores lawmakers to pass new campaign finance limits.

There are currently three bills introduced in the Legislature to limit political contributions.

Gov. Greg Gianforte and Republican lawmakers announced they are looking into holding a special session to redraw Montana’s Public Service Commission districts.

Gianforte asserted he will only call a special session if it is limited to the solitary topic of redrawing, but a few Republicans wish to expand the special session.

Rep. Derek Skees wishes to address “election integrity,” requesting $250,000 to create a committee to examine election security.

The schism over the scope of the special session might take the issue out of the Legislature’s hands entirely.

A lawsuit is already pending in federal court over the population imbalance within districts.

If a special session is not called to amend the deficiency, the task will be turned over to a panel of three federal judges.

If Skees can garner a majority of lawmakers for his cause, the special session can be called without the governor’s approval.

The San Francisco Ethics Commission will hold a special remote meeting Friday, February 25, at 10 a.m. to discuss proposed amendments to the city’s gift and ethics laws.

The meeting will focus on amendments to expand the definition of who is a restricted source and whether the giver of an unlawful gift should be subject to penalties.

The proposed amendments clarify and remove exemptions to the gift prohibition.

If the Ethics Commission passes an ordinance by a four-fifths vote before the next general election, the commission may place the ordinance on the ballot.

Honest Elections Oregon has hit an administrative roadblock in their crusade to bring campaign contribution limits to the state.

Oregon, one of five states without campaign contribution limits, has seen municipalities take matters into their own hands.

Honest Elections Oregon ran successful campaigns in Portland and Multnomah County, establishing campaign finance limits and is now seeking a bigger prize, statewide limits.

However, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has rejected the proposed ballot initiatives because the initiatives did not include the full text of the Oregon Laws the proposed initiatives would change.

If rejected, Honest Elections Oregon will need to start the ballot initiative process over again.

The process, including regathering 112,020 signatures, would need to be completed before July 8.

Jason Kafoury, one of the organizers of Honest Election Oregon, has stated the rejection would be the death knell for the proposition.

Assemblywoman Autumn R. Burke announced she is resigning as the representative of California’s District 62.

Burke cited the need to spend more time with her family as the reason for her departure.

Gov. Newsom declared the special election for the vacant seat will be held on June 7, with the special primary being held on April 5.