See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

Thursday, February 23, is South Dakota’s crossover day, which is the final day for lawmakers to pass bills out of their chamber of origin.

Ahead of the deadline, lawmakers are set to consider campaign finance and ethics bills that were proposed in the wake of the repeal of Initiated Measure 22.

A bill to create a state government accountability board is scheduled to be heard by the House on Wednesday, February 22, and another bill to increase the revolving door restriction to three years was scheduled to be heard by the House on Tuesday, February 21.

Tuesday was the last day for bills in the 2017 session of the Wyoming Legislature to be approved in the house of origin.

All bills, with the exception of the budget bill, that have not passed a third reading in the house of introduction are dead.

The legislative session is expected to adjourn on March 3, 2017.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

A joint committee of the South Dakota Legislature voted Monday to send House Bill 1069 to a full chamber debate in an attempt to repeal Initiated Measure 22.

Initiated Measure 22 is the voter approved ethics and campaign finance overhaul that established various lobbying and campaign finance restrictions.

The bill contains an emergency clause to avoid the possibility of voters proposing a referendum to reverse a repeal.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

After months of taunting the public, a special session may happen in late December.

Recently, four Minnesota legislative caucus leaders met with Gov. Mark Dayton and tentatively agreed to a special session. The primary purpose of the session will address Minnesota’s 59 percent increase on its individual health insurance market premiums.

Along with insurance premiums, the special session will address both a vetoed tax bill and a failed bonding bill from the 2016 regular session. While the official date has yet to be announced, the special session will likely occur around December 20, 2016.

The regular legislative session is fast approaching and is set to convene January 9, 2017. With 30 days before the official start date, December 10, 2016, will mark the date legislators and state executive officeholders may not solicit or accept campaign contributions until the session adjourns.

Candidates may accept contributions that were made on December 9 or earlier, including contributions that were mailed and bear a December 9 postmark.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives cancelled a non-voting session day scheduled for Nov. 22, 2016, effectively ending the 2015-2016 legislative session.

Adjournment sine die does not technically take place until Nov. 30; however, both chambers have completed their work. Lawmakers will reconvene for the next legislative session on Jan. 3, 2017.

Both chambers of the Florida Legislature held organizational sessions yesterday, Nov. 22, 2016. Agenda items included selection of House and Senate leadership, administering the oath of office for new members and approving the rules governing the upcoming session.

Newly minted Speaker Richard Corcoran’s agenda to reduce the influence of lobbyists will take effect during the next session through the approved House Rules. Among the changes, lobbyists are now required to disclose the issues they are lobbying by filing an electronic notice of appearance; former members of the Legislature are prohibited from lobbying the House for six years; and no member of the House may accept private plane travel from a lobbyist or a corporation employing lobbyists.

The Senate also passed its rules but did not make such sweeping changes.

Since pre-filing began for the 2017 Arkansas legislative session, multiple measures have been introduced regarding lobbying, ethics and campaign finance.

If passed, measures introduced in the House would require reporting and disclosure of electioneering communications and covered transfers (House Bill 1005), prevent a member of the General Assembly from forming more than one political action committee (PAC) as either a registered agent or an officer (House Bill 1009), require the Secretary of State to make independent expenditures and PAC reports public (House Bill 1010), prohibit PAC-to-PAC transfers (House Bill 1011)  and ban direct contributions to candidates from PACs (House Bill 1012). Several measures introduced in the Senate mirror the House bills.

Additionally, bills introduced in the Senate would bar soliciting or accepting campaign contributions before the expiration of the immediately preceding general election (Senate Bill 2), prohibit elected officials from registering as a lobbyist while serving as an elected state official (Senate Bill 3) and ban constitutional officers, like the governor, from soliciting or accepting loans from lobbyists (Senate Bill 7).