The Alaska Legislature adjourned a second special session June 28.

Legislators came to an agreement changing the effective date of the state budget, allowing Alaska to avoid a government shutdown.

A third special session will take place some time in August.

The monthly report for legislative lobbying during June is due by July 31.

The Oregon Legislature adjourned sine die June 26 after passing a flurry of bills in the twilight hours of the 2021 legislative session.

The Democratic-led Legislature passed sweeping police reform, a state budget focused on economic recovery, and bills focusing on the housing and homeless crisis occurring within the state.

The West Virginia Legislature held its second special session on June 24.

During the one-day session, lawmakers approved adjustments of roughly $1.95 billion to the state budget, including the allocation of surplus federal relief funding.

The Legislature also considered and passed bills relating to regional jails and alcohol sales.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has called the General Assembly to convene a special session beginning August 2.

The special session will focus on judicial appointments and the allocation of over $4.3 billion in federal COVID relief funding.

On June 22, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he will convene a special session of the Legislature on July 8.

Agenda items for the special session have not been released yet but will be available prior to its start. Among the list of topics, Gov. Abbott promised to address is election integrity.

Last week, Abbott vetoed a portion of the state budget that funds the Texas Legislature. The move came weeks after House Democrats walked off the state House floor, leaving majority Republicans without the quorum they needed to approve the bill, SB 7, before a midnight regular legislative session deadline.

Republicans in Texas have sought to join states such as Florida and Georgia that have adopted restrictions making it harder for some residents to vote.

It is not clear whether Republicans will enter the special session set on approving SB 7 as it’s currently drafted or will seek to make further changes.

The measure would have made mail-in voting more difficult by requiring voters to supply more information, prohibiting local elections officials from sending out absentee ballot applications to anyone who has not requested one or from working with get-out-the-vote groups that are encouraging Texans to vote by mail.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called a special session of the Legislature beginning June 23 to pass the federal reimbursement allowance (FRA), which renews a tax on medical providers to help pay for the state’s Medicaid program.

Lawmakers have until September 30 to pass the FRA.

On June 18, the Alaska Legislature adjourned a special session after failing to alter the effective date of the state budget.

Under the Alaska constitution, bills take effect 90 days after enactment unless two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate approve an earlier date.

The House could not meet this threshold.

Gov. Dunleavy issued a proclamation, calling lawmakers into another special session starting June 23 with the goal of passing a state budget before July 1.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has announced another special session for lawmakers on June 24.

The special session is aimed at appropriations of over $250 million of budget surplus prior to the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia adjourned for the summer on June 17th.

The 2021 spring legislative session saw the Assembly primarily tackling issues relating to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This includes measures that would keep people safe and enable a strong economic recovery.

The Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on October 4. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

On June 16, the Legislative Assembly of Alberta adjourned for the summer.

Lawmakers passed Bill 68, the Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2021, which unambiguously states that a member of the Legislative Assembly, including a member of the Executive Council in his or her capacity as a member of the Legislative Assembly, is not prohibited from publicly expressing his or her views on the subject-matter of a referendum. Bill 202, the Conflicts of Interest (Protecting the Rule of Law) Amendment Act, 2020, has stalled in the Assembly. The bill would impose more stringent ethics law upon members of the Assembly.

The Assembly is tentatively scheduled to reconvene on October 25.

On June 17, the Connecticut Legislature adjourned a special session after passing bills related to the state budget and recreational marijuana use.

The cannabis bill allows applicants from communities affected by high drug-related issues to acquire business licenses.

If signed by Gov. Lamont, Connecticut will become the 19th state to legalize marijuana.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The New York State Legislature adjourned on June 11.

During the legislative session lawmakers introduced and failed to pass bills to ban corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and limited liability partnerships from making political contributions; create a restricted period for vendor contributions; and increase required lobbyist disclosures of political contributions and business relationships with public officials.

The Senate is expected to return later this summer regarding the confirmation of state appointments.

The Assembly is expected to continue an impeachment inquiry through the summer months regarding sexual harassment allegations made against the governor.

On June 14, the Minnesota Legislature returned to the capitol for a special session.

In this session, lawmakers will be finalizing a two-year, $52 billion budget before the start of the next fiscal period July 1.

If the legislature fails to pass a budget before July 1, there will be a government shutdown.

The West Virginia held a one-day special session on June 7.

Though the session was brief, the Legislature managed to pass seven bills.

Six of these bills concerned reallocation of unused federal relief funds to road maintenance work and the departments of Health and Human Resources and Education, while the final bill concerned property exemptions for bankruptcy proceedings.