The second regular session of the 130^th Maine Legislature adjourned sine die on May 9.

Two campaign finance bills were passed during the session and signed by the governor.

Legislative Document 1782, effective January 1, 2023, permits business entities to contribute the paid staff time of its employees to the entity’s separate segregated fund committee.

Legislative Document 1754 amends the state’s major contributor disclosure law and will take effect on August 8.

This does affect lobbyist 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 due June 15.

The Hawaii Legislature adjourned its regular session sine die May 5.

During the session, several bills related to campaign finance were introduced.

House Bill 1423, with its last action on March 18, was introduced but has not passed.

The bill set out to increase the fine for campaign spending law violations against a noncandidate committee making only independent expenditures and that has received at least one contribution of more than $10,000, or spent more than $10,000 in an election period.

House Bill 1423 would have allowed the campaign spending commission to order that the fine be up to three times the amount of the unlawful contribution or expenditure, and that the payment of the fine assessed against a noncandidate committee, or any portion thereof, be paid from the personal funds of an officer of the noncandidate committee.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The 2022 session of the Connecticut General Assembly adjourned on May 4.

Lawmakers passed a state budget including more than $600 million in tax cuts, made Juneteenth a state holiday, and dedicated $300 million toward fighting the opioid epidemic.

Bills related to campaign consultants, municipal campaign finance filings, and banning foreign money in state elections were introduced but not passed.

This does affect lobbyist reporting dates.

The monthly employer activity report required any month the General Assembly is in regular session is due June 10

The Kansas Legislature adjourned its special veto session just after 2 a.m. on April 29.

During the recently concluded veto session, the Legislature passed the omnibus spending bill to fund public schools and special education.

Typically, upon veto adjournment, the Legislature sets sine die, the last official day of the session. This year, the Legislature set a date to return of May 23, leaving the session open in case court rulings on congressional maps would require further legislative action.

This does not affect lobbying dates.

The 107th Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die on April 20 after 60 days in session.

Due to term limits, 11 senators are leaving the Legislature and an additional two decided not to seek reelection. The term limit senators include Henderson Sen. Curt Friesen, Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen, Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann, Venango Sen. Dan Hughes, Seward Sen. Mark Koltermann. Creighton Sen. Tim Gragert and Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop chose not to run for reelection.

During the session, legislation to provide Nebraskans with a record $3.4 billion in tax relief by 2027 passed. Other legislation related to lobbying and campaign finance that would have prohibited a school board of an education service unit from authorizing a lobbyist to act on its behalf without a current contract for lobbing services was introduced but not passed.

Lobbying reporting dates are not affected by adjournment. The 2023 session is scheduled to convene January 4.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for a special session to consider legislation related to property insurance.

This session will convene on May 23 and adjourn no later than May 27.

The main purpose of the special session is to make changes to the Florida Building Code in order to improve the affordability of property insurance prior to the next Atlantic hurricane season.

West Virginia’s special session adjourned on April 26.

Lawmakers planned on dealing with 17 bills, but many did not pass.

The most debated bill was Senate Bill 2001, which eventually passed after being vetoed by the governor due to technical errors.

The bill appropriates $250 million to be used to upgrade infrastructure in municipalities of the state.

The 2022 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly adjourned sine die on April 14.

A campaign finance and an ethics bill passed with a veto override.

House Bill 740 reduces transparency in campaign finance by removing the requirement that candidates report the name and employer of the spouse of the donor for donations over $100 and permitting candidates for legislative office to file annual instead of quarterly campaign finance reports in years they are not running for reelection.

The bill also removes references to paper filing and defines form as an online web page or an electronic document.

House Bill 334 reorganizes the Executive Branch Ethics Commission and requires it to make a finding for each complaint filed, as to whether they are grounded in fact, warranted by law, and filed in good faith.

Both bills are effective July 13.

The 444^th Maryland General Assembly adjourned from its 90-day session on April 11 with over 600 bills being passed as of Monday morning.

Passed legislation includes a compromise increasing local budgets for highway repairs, additional measures to enhance Maryland’s cybersecurity response, and bills aimed toward accelerating the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.

The Mississippi Legislature adjourned sine die on April 5 after over 90 days in session.

This extended session was highlighted by lowered state taxes, redistricting, and the creation of a medical marijuana program.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

The lobbyist end-of-session activity report is due April 15.

The Kansas Legislature adjourned its regular session sine die in the early hours of Saturday, April 2.

During the session, several bills related to campaign finance were introduced but not passed.

House Bill 2707, related to political advertising, sought to define corrupt advertising as communications that do not disclose the name of the sponsoring organization and of the chairperson, treasurer, or other individual responsible for the ad.

The last action on the bill was a referral to the Election Commissar on February 15.

Lawmakers successfully passed an unconstitutionally gerrymandered congressional map and a $22 billion state budget plan that contained a raise for state workers.

Issues that weren’t resolved are expected to be taken up during a veto session, which is slated to begin Monday, April 25.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The Idaho State Legislature adjourned sine die March 31.

The 81-day session focused mostly on infrastructure and education.

Starting the session with a nearly $2 billion surplus and billions in federal covid relief funds, lawmakers approved Gov. Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho” plan, providing $300 million to bolster k-12 public school budgets, a 7% increase in educator salaries, and funding an optional full-day kindergarten program.

Lawmakers also passed a bill modeled after the Texas abortion ban, the most restrictive abortion law in the country.

Planned Parenthood since filed a lawsuit with the Idaho Supreme Court requesting an injunction.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

A lobbyist activity report will be due April 15, covering March 1 through March 31.

Gov. Jim Justice vetoed Senate Bill 729, citing technical errors in the bill.

Gov. Justice plans to call a special session of the West Virginia Legislature to address the errors in the economic development bill, which creates a self-sustaining loan fund managed by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority.

The special session will coincide with the Legislature’s interim meetings scheduled between April 24 and April 26.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed Senate Bill 102 establishing the new congressional districts, citing the new maps were in violation of the 14th Amendment.

Further, Gov. DeSantis has called a special session of the Florida Legislature to address the rejected maps.

The special session will convene on April 19 and can adjourn no later than April 22.