News You Can Use Digest – May 8, 2026

From the States and Municipalities

Canada – Advocate Warns BC Lobbying Law Changes Would Increase Corruption Risk

The Tyee – Andrew MacLeod | Published: 5/5/2026

The special legislative committee that reviewed British Columbia’s lobbying rules recommended 24 changes they say are “intended to reduce administrative workload while maintaining transparency and simplifying reporting requirements to encourage democratic participation.” But Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher says the committee missed an opportunity to strengthen the law and its recommendations would increase the risk of corruption.

Arizona – AZ Lawmakers Owe 6-Digit Campaign Late Fees. Could They Be Erased?

USA Today – Ray Stern (Arizona Republic) | Published: 4/29/2026

A proposed law would let elected officials in Arizona escape late fees that can run up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to file timely campaign finance reports. At least three sitting lawmakers running for reelection owe six-digit late fees. More than 20 other candidates owe thousands of dollars.

Colorado – Colorado Lawmakers Reject Bill That Would Have Required Legislative Caucuses to Report Their Donors

Colorado Sun – Taylor Dolven | Published: 5/6/2026

State lawmakers rejected a bill aimed at requiring Colorado legislative caucuses to disclose their funders. Senate Bill 168 would have required all legislative caucuses to regularly file public reports detailing their fundraising and spending. The impetus for the bill grew out of a controversial retreat at a Vail hotel in October hosted by the Colorado Opportunity Caucus, which has declined to reveal who paid for the lawmakers’ getaway with lobbyists.

Connecticut – UConn Sports Ticket Perk for Lawmakers Added to CT Ethics Proposal

MSN – Paul Hughes (CT Insider) | Published: 5/2/2026

State legislators would be allowed to accept two tickets annually from the University of Connecticut to one home game for either basketball team under a proposed change to the ethics code. The House voted unanimously to redefine allowable gifts to permit public officials or state employees to accept an offer of admission from a public college or university hosting an intercollegiate sporting event for themselves and another person once per calendar year. Tickets to sporting events are considered a gift under the ethics code.

Louisiana – Louisiana Congressional Primaries Are Suspended as a Result of the Supreme Court’s Ruling

MSN – Sara Cline, Jack Brook, and David Lieb (Associated Press) | Published: 4/30/2026

Louisiana suspended its congressional primaries as early voting was about to get underway, while pressure mounted on Republican officials in other states to redraw their U.S. House maps in light of a Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act. All other races on the ballot will proceed as scheduled. The Supreme Court decision and Gov. Jeff Landry’s executive order triggered a flurry of follow-up legal action.

Missouri – Springfield City Council Approves Bill Limiting the Amount of Money Candidates Can Receive from Singular Donors

MSN – Conner Trett (KY3) | Published: 5/5/2026

Individuals running for mayor and city council seats in Springfield are now limited to a total of $2,825 in both monetary and in-kind contributions per election cycle. “What I think that does is it opens the doors for your everyday Springfieldian to get into local politics,” said Roman Moody, a leader with Missouri Jobs for Justice, a group that supported the bill’s passage.

New Mexico – Over Campaign Contribution Limits? Miyagishima Just Crossed Them Out

New Mexico In Depth – Azure Mitchell | Published: 4/28/2026

After it was reported in February that New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Ken Miyagishima had exceeded limits by more than $125,000 on the amount of donated goods and services his campaign could receive, Miyagishima found a creative resolution: crossing some of them out.  Those changes appear in an amended report he filed in February. But his next campaign finance report, filed April 5, does not show payments back to the companies whose contributions he crossed out. That raises the question of whether the campaign received services it later erased from its reports without paying for them.

North Carolina – NC Lawmakers Gave Autism Nonprofit $2 Million. Much Went to a Former Colleague.

MSN – Dan Kane and Kyle Ingram (Raleigh News & Observer) | Published: 5/4/2026

Former Nort Carolina Rep. Cecil Brockman won $2 million in state funding for a nonprofit that provides services for people with autism and other disabilities in 2023. Since then, nearly a fifth of that money went to his predecessor and former boss, Marcus Brandon. Now the state is investigating whether taxpayer money was used to pay for lobbying of lawmakers.

Pennsylvania – These Pennsylvanians Walked 63 Miles to Get Lawmakers to Stop Taking Gifts – and Unlimited Campaign Contributions

MSN – Gillian McGoldrick (Philadelphia Inquirer) | Published: 5/6/2026

For the last 10 years, a good-government advocacy group has been protesting at the state Capitol to press the Pennsylvania General Assembly for regulations on the way money influences state politics and policy. During that time its members have walked a lot of miles. March on Harrisburg completed its sixth long-distance march recently, with a group of 20 Pennsylvanians walking a 63-mile route from Reading to Harrisburg, with other residents joining for parts of the trip along the way.