Delaware Legislature Adjourns

The Delaware General Assembly adjourned for the year on June 30. Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 60, which requires the Public Service Commission to ensure regulated utilities do not use customer funds to subsidize activities such as lobbying and political contributions. The bill would become effective immediately if approved by Gov. Matt Meyer.

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The Maine Legislature adjourned sine die on June 25, ending the First Special Session of the 132^nd Legislature. Lawmakers passed Legislative Document 009, which increases campaign finance disclosure requirements including creating a definition for public communication to clarify which types of communications to voters must contain a disclosure. Another passed bill, Legislative Document 1787, increases the permissible seed money contribution to gubernational candidates participating in the Maine Clean Elections Act to $250 per individual. Gov. Janet Bills signed both bills, and they will be effective September 24. This does affect lobbying reporting. A registered lobbyist who anticipates no further lobbying for a client may file a request for a non-session waiver with their final monthly report for the session.

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The New York Legislature adjourned with 16,765 bills introduced and 856 bills now headed to Gov. Kathy Hochul for signing. Lawmakers introduced various bills related to lobbying, including Senate Bill 2330 requiring electronic filing of all lobbyist filings and Senate Bill 426, which requires an annual anti-sexual harassment training course for lobbyists. These bills and others failing to pass will be carried over automatically to the next session.

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Gov. Abbott announced he will call a special session to begin on Monday, July 21. Gov. Abbott has placed several bills that were vetoed or filed without signature on the agenda, including bills on regulating products derived from hemp and recording requirements for certain instruments concerning real property. The special session will last 30 days.

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The Maine Legislature passed Legislative Document 1576, which extends the one-year prohibition on lobbying to include former employees of the legislative branch. Currently, the one-year prohibition is only applicable to former employees of the executive branch. Gov. Mills allowed the bill to become law without her signature, and it will go into effect January 1, 2026.

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The Connecticut General Assembly adjourned on June 4. During the session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1405, which makes various changes to campaign finance laws. Changes include extending the existing political communication disclaimer requirements to include text messages and modifies when qualifying contributions are adjusted for inflation. If approved by the governor, most provisions of the bill will be effective July 1, with some being effective from passage. This does affect lobbying reporting. The final monthly employer activity report required any month the General Assembly is in regular session is due July 10.

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The 89th Texas Legislature adjourned sine die on June 2. Lawmakers passed various bills related to lobbyists.  House Bill 119 requires registration for lobbying on the behalf of a foreign adversary and prohibits compensation for lobbying activities on the behalf of a foreign adversary. Another passed bill, Senate Bill 2781, establishes a penalty for political contributions or political expenditures made or authorized in violation of the prohibition on lobbyist contributions. If approved by Gov. Abbott both bills will be effective September 1.

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The Rhode Island Ethics Commission voted to initiate the formal rulemaking process to amend the state Code of Ethics Gift Rule. Proposed amendments include restricting registered lobbyists from giving gifts to state officials and employees and increasing maximum allowable gift values. The commission will now prepare amended regulations and file a notice of proposed rulemaking for public comment with the Office of Secretary of State. The public comment period will last for a minimum of 30 days before a vote to adopt the finalized amendments will take place.

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The Maine Legislature passed a bill increasing contribution limits for unenrolled candidates nominated by petition. Currently, both unenrolled candidates and party candidates nominated by election have the same contribution limits. Under Legislative Document 390, contribution limits for candidates who are unenrolled are doubled, while contribution limits for candidates nominated by primary elections remain the same. If approved by Gov. Mills, the bill will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns.

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Gov. Green signed multiple bills related to lobbying. House Bill 413 clarifies lobbyist contributions are prohibited in periods during which both chambers are in session. House Bill 412 establishes certain presumptions regarding lobbying on behalf of private clients; makes contracts voidable when entered into in violation of the state lobbying law under certain conditions; and expands the definition of lobbying to include certain communications with government officials regarding procurement decisions. Senate Bill 289 establishes uniform provisions for the assessment of administrative penalties under the State Ethics Code and Lobbyist Law. House Bill 413 and Senate Bill 289 are effective immediately. House Bill 412 will take effect January 1, 2027.

The Rhode Island Board of Elections scheduled a special election to be held on August 5 for Senate District 4. The seat was previously held by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 76. Ruggerio served as a state senator for the last 40 years. A special primary will take place July 8.

The Hawaii Legislature adjourned sine die on May 2 after 60 days in session. During the session, lawmakers passed multiple bills related to lobbying. House Bill 413 clarifies lobbyist contributions are prohibited in periods during which both chambers are in session. House Bill 412 establishes certain presumptions regarding lobbying on behalf of private clients; makes contracts voidable when entered into in violation of the state lobbying law under certain conditions; and expands the definition of lobbying to include certain communications with government officials regarding procurement decisions. Senate Bill 289 establishes uniform provisions for the assessment of administrative penalties under the State Ethics Code and Lobbyist Law. If signed, House Bill 413 will take effect immediately and House Bill 412 will take effect January 1, 2027. Senate Bill 289 was signed by Gov. Green on April 11 and took effect upon its approval.

The Commission on Lobbying and Ethics in Government (COELIG) released their report of preliminary lobbying data from 2024. Lobbying spending was up over 4.5% from 2023, with a preliminary total of $377 million spent in 2024. The number of lobbying filings increased almost 6% from 2023. The top three subjects lobbied included miscellaneous business, appropriations, and health.

The Maine Legislature adjourned sine die on March 21 after the passage of a budget for the next biennium. The Legislature was unable to secure the two-thirds majority required for the bill to be considered an emergency measure, which would have allowed the budget to take effect immediately after the governor’s signature. Without an emergency designation, all bills take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns. With the adjournment, the budget and other non-emergency bills will take effect June 20. After approving the budget, Gov. Mills signed a proclamation calling the Legislature to reconvene March 25 for a special session.