Gov. DeSantis has called for a special session on January 27 to enact sweeping immigration reform. He wishes to assist President-elect Trump’s mass deportation effort in any way he can. This has drawn concern from lawmakers who claim the session would be premature as DeSantis has not provided any bill text or concrete details on how he wished to make these reforms. DeSantis also wishes to address agricultural relief for areas still recovering from last year’s hurricane and support for condominium owners.

Campaign contribution limits for individual and PAC donors in 2025 are raised from $6,400 to $6,800 per election.

The State Board of Elections has calculated the new limit based on changes to the consumer price index.

A notice of increase will appear in the North Carolina Register on January 15 and the new limit has already gone into effect as of January 1.

A special primary election will be held March 11 for the state Senate District 5 seat.

If necessary, a special primary runoff election will be held April 8 and the special general election is scheduled for June 24.

This election is the result of Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed vacating his seat following appointment to a senior advisor position with the Alabama Department of Workforce.

Prince George’s County will hold another special election to fill an open County Council seat.

This election is to replace U.S. Senator-elect Alsobrooks and will be expedited due to the fact the county has gone almost a full year with a 5-5 split, which has caused significant delays in budgetary and legislative proceedings.

The special primary election will be held on March 4, 2025, and the special general election will be held on May 27, 2025.

A special primary election will be held January 28 for Florida’s congressional House district 1 and House district 6.

This will be followed by a special general election on April 1.

These elections are the result of Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Mike Waltz being tapped for positions in the new administration.

Both seats have candidates that have been endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump and those endorsed are favored to win.

The County Commission has approved an ordinance to raise the monetary value limit of a gift of food and drink for elected officials from $5 to $25.

Commissioner Mark Bogen stated this ordinance will allow elected officials, candidates, and government staff to interface better with the public as the current rules prevent officials from attending functions they should be attending.

Reasoning in the ordinance states the stringent gift limitations in the County Code of Ethics unintentionally discourage personal interaction and communication between elected officials and the communities they serve.

The gift limitation was raised on November 12 after a unanimous vote for its approval.

A special primary election will be held November 16 for state Senate districts 10 and 32.

These elections are the result of Sen. John McGuire and Sen. Suhas Subramanyam winning elections for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democrats currently have a one-seat majority in the Senate.

The general election date has not been announced yet, but according to state law, vacancies must be filled within 30 days of the vacancy.

Republican Rick Scott defeated his opponent Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in the race for U.S. Senate 55% to 42%.

Scott, who served two terms as governor of Florida before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, will now serve a second term.

Voters in Florida rejected a ballot measure to the repeal the public campaign financing requirement for campaigns for statewide office.

The current law makes funds available to individuals who wish to run for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and agricultural commission.

The original purpose of this law was to make funds available for anyone to run for office but also allowed those fully capable to fund raise for themselves to get additional funds from the state. .

Voters in Florida rejected a ballot measure to require candidates for school boards to pick a party if they want to run.

The measure was slightly controversial as some voters believed it would make the process of electing members of the school board more transparent while other voters believed it could disenfranchise them.

Republican Patrick Morrisey defeated his opponent Democrat Steve Williams in the West Virginia gubernatorial race 62% to 31%.

This race was without an incumbent as current Gov. Jim Justice is on his final term.

Patrick Morrisey has been the state’s attorney general since 2013.

Democrat Josh Stein defeated his opponent Republican Mark Robinson in the North Carolina gubernatorial race 54% to 40%.

This race was without an incumbent as Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper was term limited.

Stein is currently serving as the state’s attorney general.

The County Commission has proposed an ordinance to raise the monetary value limit of a gift of food and drink for elected officials from $5 to $25.

Commissioner Mark Bogen stated this proposal will allow elected officials, candidates, and government staff to interface better with the public.

Bogen also stated this change is not to allow officers to have dinner with a lobbyist but to keep officials from worrying about breaking the law for accepting food or drink that costs “more than a bagel” from constituents when attending public events.

The proposed ordinance will appear on the County Commission’s agenda on October 22.

State lawmakers will come together for a one-day session on October 9 to vote on a hurricane relief package.

Additional legislation is being drafted to enable the long-term recovery of the region and House Democratic Leader Robert Reives states hurricane relief could lead to introduction of additional legislation.

This does affect lobbying reporting.

A monthly report is due November 14 if expenditures were made on legislators or legislative employees during the reporting period.