July 1, 2011 •
More News from the States
News from Five State Legislatures
DELAWARE: The 146th Delaware General Assembly concluded its first regular session June 30, 2011.
IOWA: The Iowa General Assembly adjourned sine die.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: The New Hampshire Legislature adjourned June 30, 2011.
OREGON: The 2011 regular session of the Legislature adjourned sine die on June 30, 2011. Governor John Kitzhaber has 30 days, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, to act upon any bill he receives within the last five days of the session, or the legislation becomes law without his signature.
RHODE ISLAND: The Legislature’s 2011 regular session recessed today. Any bills submitted to Governor Lincoln Chafee must be signed or vetoed by July 10. There is no pocket veto.
June 30, 2011 •
Legislative News from the States
Sessions in Alaska, Maine, and Texas adjourn
ALASKA: The Legislature’s second special session ended with the Senate adjourning sine die on June 27 and the House adjourning sine die on June 28.
MAINE: The Maine Legislature adjourned sine die June 29, 2011.
TEXAS: The Texas Legislature adjourned their special session on Wednesday, June 29, 2011. Barring another special session, the Legislature will not meet again until January, 2013.
June 28, 2011 •
Connecticut Legislature Called into Special Session
Called Due to Expected State Union Rejection of Wage and Benefits Deal
Governor Dannel P. Malloy has issued a Call of Special Session for Thursday, June 30, 2011.
Governor Malloy issued the call after ratification of a deal struck in May with union leadership for the state’s public employees came into doubt.
Ratification of the deal, essential to the balancing of the state’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year, would save the positions of the up to 7,500 state workers Malloy insists may have to be laid off in order to achieve a balanced budget.
Photo of the Connecticut State Capitol dome derived from a photo by jglazer75 on Wikipedia.
June 27, 2011 •
Alaska Special Session Called Today
Program Set To Expire
A special session of the Alaska legislature has been called in Juneau to address the state’s Alaska Coastal Management Program, which expires on June 30.
The session is expected to finish this week.
June 27, 2011 •
New York Assembly Session Concluded
Regular session ended on June 24.
Legislators concluded the 2011 regular session Friday evening after reaching agreement on a number of bills.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has 10 days upon transmittal of a bill to sign or veto legislation that reaches his desk.
Photo of the New York Assembly Chamber by UpstateNYer on Wikipedia.
June 24, 2011 •
Louisiana Regular Session Adjourned
Sine Die
The 2011 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature adjourned sine die on June 23, 2011.
Upon transmittal of a bill, Governor Bobby Jindal will have 20 days to sign or veto the legislation.
Photo of the Louisiana House of Representatives Chamber by Jeffrey Schwartz on Wikipedia.
June 13, 2011 •
Alabama Legislature Adjourns
Bill Sent to Governor
The Alabama Legislature adjourned on June 9, 2011.
Before adjourning, the legislature passed House Bill 0058 which requires public officials, spouses of public officials, candidates for public office, and spouses of candidates for public office to disclose employment or contracts with the state and federal government.
The bill has been sent to the governor for signature.
Photo of the Alabama State Capitol by Jim Bowen on Wikipedia.
June 9, 2011 •
Arizona Legislature Called to Special Session
Special Session to Convene Friday
Governor Jan Brewer has called the Legislature to begin a special session on Friday, June 9, 2011.
The purpose of the special session is to extend unemployment benefits for the state’s jobless.
June 8, 2011 •
Nevada Legislature Adjourns
76th Session
The 76th session of the Nevada Legislature ended its scheduled 120 day assembly on June 6.
Upon receiving any remaining bills which have passed, Governor Brian Sandoval has 10 days to veto or sign the legislation.
Closeup photo of the Nevada State Capitol is from a photo by Dave Parker on Wikipedia.
June 7, 2011 •
No Extra Special Session
High Court Rules
The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled the Legislature does not have to meet today in a special session called by Governor Nikki Haley.
In a 3 to 2 decision, the court denied the special session, writing: “Although the General Assembly is currently in recess, it has not adjourned sine die and, therefore, is still in its annual session. Under these specific facts, respondent cannot convene an ‘extra’ session of the General Assembly since it is currently in session. To do so would interrupt the annual session and would violate the General Assembly’s authority to set its calendar and agenda and would constitute a violation of the separation of powers provision.”
The Legislature will meet in a previously scheduled session on June 14.
This blog post follows up a previous article “South Carolina’s Extra Special Session” by George Ticoras on June 3.
June 6, 2011 •
Lobbyists Fund Mobile Access to Oregon Legislature’s Streaming Videos
Oregon’s Legislature has been streaming videos on its website. Now you can view them on your mobile phone!
The Capitol Club, a lobbyist association in Oregon supplied the funding for the state’s Legislature to supply streaming video of hearings and sessions to mobile devices.
Read about what will now be offered and why the Capitol Club stepped up to help in Govtech.com’s article “Lobbyists Help Oregon Legislature Stream Video to Mobile Devices” by Sarah Rich from June 4.
June 3, 2011 •
South Carolina’s Extra Special Session
Will They Meet?
The regular session of the South Carolina Legislature adjourned on June 2 and a special session is scheduled for June 14. However, Governor Nikki Haley has requested an earlier additional special session for June 7 to pass further legislation, but the elected representatives may not convene.
While House Speaker Bobby Harrell has instructed house members to return on June 7, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell has said the senate will not return, even though both the governor and Senator McConnell are in the same political party.
Several legislators challenge the governor’s legal authority to convene a special session without extraordinary circumstances.
June 1, 2011 •
Oklahoma Legislature Adjourns, Illinois General Assembly Recesses
Timely news from the states.
OKLAHOMA: The Oklahoma Legislature adjourned sine die on May 27, 2011.
ILLINOIS: The Illinois General Assembly has recessed. The senate will reconvene on October 25, 2011. No date has been set for the house to reconvene.
May 31, 2011 •
Texas Legislature Adjourns, But Special Session Called
The Texas Legislature adjourned sine die on Monday, May 30, 2011.
However, the Legislature was immediately called into special session by Governor Rick Perry due to the failed effort to finalize the state budget.
The special session is set to begin Tuesday, May 31, and cannot last longer than 30 days.
Other items are expected to be added to the special session’s agenda.
Photo of the Texas State Capitol by Kumar Appaiah on Wikipedia.
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