The Legislative Assembly recently passed a bill to overhaul lobbying regulations for the commonwealth. Currently, the lobbying system in Puerto Rico is split into three district systems for the House, Senate, and executive branch. House Bill 42 unites the three separate systems under one new registry. The bill also establishes new disclosures, penalties, and revolving door restrictions. If approved by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, the bill is effective immediately, but regulators will have 60 days to adopt regulations.

The Maryland Legislature adjourned sine die at midnight on April 7. Several bills affecting government affairs were passed through both houses and are waiting on the governor’s desk to be signed. These bills include Senate Bill 945 and House Bill 945. Together, they will change the gubernatorial primary election date to the fourth Tuesday in June. Senate Bill 262 alters the dates for special elections, requiring them to be set within 90 days of being called. Senate Bill 633 allows registered lobbyists to complete ethics training online. These bills will be effective October 1, if signed by the governor.

Lawmakers adjourned abruptly last week on April 4, resulting in many bills being carried over to the second year of the session in 2026. One important passed bill awaiting the governor’s approval is Senate Bill 199. The bill removes the requirement for legislative lobbyists to report semi-monthly during the session. Under this new system only a single monthly report will be required for lobbyists beginning in 2026. The bill also changes campaign finance reporting requirements. Reports for election as well as nonelection years are due January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 20. This does affect lobbying reporting. The final semi-monthly lobbyist report is due April 15.

The Mississippi Legislature adjourned early following tensions between the House and Senate concerning the state’s budget. The House adjourned following the Senate’s decision to ignore a deadline set by the House to consider extending the session. This decision puts the responsibility onto Gov. Tate to call a special session prior to July 1 so that both houses can reach an agreement. This does affect lobbying reporting. The lobbyist end-of-session-activity report is due 10 days after the legislative session adjourned.

The Georgia House has just passed a bill removing the requirement to submit semi-monthly lobbyist activity reports when the Legislature is in session. Senate Bill 199 requires all reporting to be filed on the fifth of each month, which would bring reporting of state-level legislative lobbying in line with executive branch lobbying. The bill now goes to Gov. Kemp and if signed, will be effective January 1, 2026

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11^th Circuit heard arguments on whether to strike down a Florida state constitutional amendment prohibiting elected officials from being paid to lobby while in office. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene Garcia and South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez argued the lobbying ban should be more narrowly tailored as it currently prohibits any form of paid lobbying by elected officials, even in other states. The state, which lost in district court, argued the government’s interest in preventing corruption overrides free speech concerns. The three-judge panel did not indicate when a decision will be announced.

Both the state House and Senate have approved redistricting plans. The new plan splits several districts in half and pushes several current representatives and senators out of their district. In total, the redistricting changes will cause 15 special elections, 10 in the House and five in the Senate. The schedule for the elections includes a primary election August and a general election in November. The exact dates of the special election will be forthcoming in the affected districts.

A special election has been announced by Gov. Kay Ivey in order to fill a vacancy in House District 11. The seat was formerly filled by Rep. Randall Shedd who was recently tapped to join the office of Senate President Pro Tem Garlen Gudger. The primary has been set for May 13 and a special primary runoff has been set for June 10, if necessary. The special general election will be held on August 26.

The 2025 session of the Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die on February 22, and lawmakers managed to pass several budget bills. These include funding for material health, disaster relief, and school nutrition. Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to call a special session on April 2 for lawmakers to discuss federal jobs and funding in the wake of President Trump’s sweeping executive orders. This does affect lobbying reporting. The lobbyist gift notification to public officials is due March 15.

The Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance (BECF) announced updated campaign contribution limits for 2025-2026. Contributions from individuals increased from $4,900 to $5,300 for statewide candidates and from $1,800 to $1,900 to legislative, other state, and local office candidates. The limit from PACs increased from $14,400 to $15,400 for statewide and House candidates. PAC limits increased from $28,800 to $30,800 for Senate candidates and from $9,400 to $10,100 for other state and local office candidates.

Gov. DeSantis has called for a special session on February 11 to try again to enact sweeping immigration reform. Following the abrupt ending to the last special session, DeSantis again called on lawmakers to pass an aggressive bill that will address illegal immigration in the state.

The South Carolina Ethics Commission announced the adjusted spending limits for lobbyist principals on February 3. The limits increased from $70 per day and $560 per calendar year to $75 per day and $600 per calendar year. The limits are retroactively effective January 1. No lobbyist principal or person acting on behalf of a lobbyist principal may provide to a public official or a public employee the value of lodging, transportation, entertainment, food meals, or beverages exceeding the spending limits per public official or public employee.

Rep. Will Wheeler announced his resignation three days into the new legislative session. Wheeler is a Democrat who represented District 50 and cited his reason for leaving was to take a new path in his life for the sake of his health and his family. His resignation was effective January 17 and a special election is expected to be announced in the coming days.

Gov. Lee called for a special session on January 27 to address the Education Freedom Act, disaster relief for Hurricane Helene, and public safety measures related to illegal immigration. The Education Freedom Act aims to establish scholarships, increase teacher pay and bonuses, and increase funding for K-12 education. The Hurricane Helene relief will include upwards of $400 million allocated to various programs to provide immediate and long-term disaster relief to those effected by the hurricane. Finally, public safety measures for illegal immigration are being prepared to coincide with the federal policy planned implementations.