Louisiana lawmakers will hold a special veto override session beginning Wednesday, March 30 as Republicans attempt to overturn Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ rejection of a new congressional map.

Democrats proposed about a dozen maps that showed enough Black voters live close enough together to allow for a second minority-majority district under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Republicans counter that the Democratic proposals created districts that splintered other populations with shared interests and created districts with too few Black voters to guarantee a minority candidate would win.

The veto session, which is dictated by state law, will commence during the regular legislative session. There is no legal framework to guide lawmakers, so leadership plans to recess the current session, convene a short veto override session, and then resume the current regular session. This does not affect lobbyist reporting dates.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to convene on April 5.

The General Assembly will finalize the biennial budget which was left unfinished when they adjourned on March 12.

The General Assembly will also consider Youngkin’s proposed three-month gas tax holiday.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will call lawmakers for a special legislative session to consider financial and legal issues regarding House Bill 11, relating to student eligibility in interscholastic activities.

The call is set for 2 p.m. on Friday, March 25. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will call state lawmakers back to Santa Fe for a special session on April 5 to address economic relief due to rising costs.

State lawmakers had considered calling for an extraordinary session after the governor vetoed a spending bill that had been approved during the regular session.

A revised supplemental spending bill will be reviewed during the special session.

It is unclear when the special session is slated to end.

A 48-hour legislative report will be due for a lobbyist or employer who makes or incurs an expenditure of $500 or more during the special session.

Michigan lawmakers introduced several new bills proposing fundamental changes for lobbying disclosure and gift laws.

Senate Bill 963 requires lobbyists to file monthly reports instead of the current schedule of twice a year. The bill also includes a two-year revolving door ban for members of the Legislature.

House Bill 5926 amends the definition of lobbying to include partisan legislative employees in the list of covered officials.

House Bill 5927 implements a gift ban, prohibiting a public official or his or her immediate family member from directly or indirectly soliciting, agreeing to accept, or accepting anything of value from a lobbyist or lobbyist agent.

The 93rd Fiscal Session of the Arkansas General Assembly adjourned sine die on March 15 after about 30 days in session.

During the session, appropriations bills were enacted that will determine how taxpayer money is spent in the fiscal year 2023, which begins July 1.

The acts would also transfer $150 million from the state’s general reserves to a restricted reserve fund to pay for various improvements and projects.

The adjournment sine die date does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Lobbyists who are registered to lobby the General Assembly are required to file a monthly report for any month the General Assembly is in session.

The next report is due April 10 for the period of March 1 through March 31.

The last general-business floorperiod of the 2021-2022 session of the Wisconsin General Assembly adjourned March 15.

Lawmakers finished work on 80 bills so they can focus on campaigning for the fall election.

Some bills are likely to be vetoed, including an expansion of the state’s school voucher program and a bill dividing the Milwaukee school district into four to eight smaller districts beginning in 2024.

A constitutional amendment also passed that would strip the governor of his ability to spend federal aid, giving that power to the Legislature.

Constitutional amendments must pass two consecutive legislative sessions and a statewide referendum.

Senate approval Tuesday marked the first session the proposal has passed.

A limited-business floorperiod will be held in April and a veto review floorperiod in May.

The second regular session of the 122nd Indiana General Assembly adjourned sine die on March 8 after passing House Bill 1242 and Senate Bill 348.

Senate Bill 348 requires campaign finance reports to be filed electronically and allows for electronic signatures.

House Bill 1242 requires the Department of Administration to adopt administrative rules to establish a goal to procure in each state fiscal year at least 1.5% of state contracts with state agencies from minority business enterprises, nonprofit agencies for individuals with disabilities, veteran-owned small businesses, and women’s business enterprises.

The 2022 session of the Florida Legislature adjourned sine die on March 14.

Originally set to adjourn on March 11, the session was extended to enable the passage of the state’s $112 billion budget, which passed with bipartisan support.

However, most of the notable bills passed were approved along party lines, including a 15-week abortion ban, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the “Stop WOKE Act” and the creation of an election police force.

The Wyoming State Legislature adjourned sine die March 11 after passing House Bills 49, 80, and 100.

House Bill 49 requires organizations that receive contributions or expend funds in excess of $1,000 to file a statement of formation and increases penalties for failure to file an itemized statement of expenditures.

House Bill 100, a contentious redistricting bill, was finalized during the twilight hours of the 2022 session and provides a term limit for House members who were removed from the district because of legislative boundary changes.

House Bill 80, already signed by the governor, changed the reporting requirement for expenditure reports so all committees who contribute to another committee must file a report, not only if the receiving committee expended funds during a primary or general election.

The 2022 session of the West Virginia Legislature adjourned sine die on March 12.

Key measures passed include the $4.65 billion state budget and Senate Bill 4, which repeals the state’s ban on nuclear power plants first established in 1994.

Additionally, a proposed amendment to the state constitution shifting the power of public education policy and rule decisions from the Board of Education to state lawmakers was passed.

This proposed amendment will be submitted for voter ratification on November 8.

The 2022 session of the Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die on March 12, but failed to complete and pass the biennial budget.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to call a special session to enact a budget once lawmakers have reached an agreement.

Passed bills included Senate Bill 57 to provide an exception to gift restrictions for certain tickets and admission if performing official duties; and House Bill 125 to impose a $10,000 penalty for illegal negative campaign advertisements.

Both bills now await gubernatorial action by Youngkin.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

The lobbyist gift notification to public officials is due on April 2.

The Washington Legislature adjourned sine die March 10 after passing a $64.1 billion state budget and a nearly $17 billion transportation package.

During the session, both houses passed Senate Bill 5196 and Senate Bill 5855.

Senate Bill 5196 allows the Legislature to call a special session through an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of both chambers.

Senate Bill 5855 allows the use of campaign funds to reimburse a candidate for expenses incurred for childcare, care for a person with a disability, or the care for a person with a medical condition that occurred directly because of the candidate’s campaign activities.

Both bills have been sent to Gov. Jay Inslee and await his signature.

The Utah legislative session adjourned sine die March 4 after 45 days.

During the session, lawmakers approved a $25 billion budget that included a notable increase for public education funding.

The budget was the largest ever, driven by the economy and additional spending from Washington D.C.

Additionally, a nearly $200 million package cutting income taxes was approved.

Legislation that passed during the session will become effective 60 days following the date of adjournment sine die.