Alaska’s second special session adjourned July 15 with lawmakers ending the oil tax credit program.

The Legislature may be called back into another special session soon to deal with the unfinished business of the capital budget and deficit reduction measures.

Gov. Bill Walker said in a press conference he is waiting for legislative leaders to present a compromise on the budget before he will call another costly special session.

Hawaii Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Scott Saiki recently sent a memorandum to the Hawaii Legislature providing notice of a tentatively scheduled special legislative session.

Subject to final confirmation and an agreement on the proposed language for bills to be discussed, the leadership asked all lawmakers to be in Hawaii for a legislative session from August 28 to September 1, 2017.

The purpose of the special session will be to create a solution to fund the Honolulu Rail Transit Project.

Becky Campbell is here covering the state government and ethics news from around the country in this week’s video digest!

On June 21, the Washington Legislature adjourned its second special session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill during the session forcing Gov. Jay Inslee to call for another special session to start immediately after adjournment.

A two-year operating budget needs signed into law by June 30 or the state faces a partial government shutdown.

The Louisiana Legislature adjourned the second special session Friday, June 16, 2017 after passing the state’s budget.

The Legislature could not reach an agreement to pass the budget during the 2017 regular legislative session forcing Gov. John Bel Edwards to call a special session to set an operating budget for the 2017 fiscal year.

The legislature is not scheduled to convene again until the 2018 regular legislative session.

The Alaska Legislature’s first special session ran out of time on June 16 without lawmakers passing a budget bill to resolve the state’s annual $2.7 billion deficit.

Gov. Bill Walker immediately called a second special session convening that same day to address the budget.

Alaska faces a government shutdown if a budget is not adopted by July 1.

On June 8, North Carolina lawmakers voted to reject Gov. Roy Cooper’s call for a special concurrent session to redraw district voting maps.

Lawmakers accuse Cooper of overstepping his constitutional authority to call special sessions in extraordinary circumstances in this case because the General Assembly is already in session.

The rejected special session comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 28 districts unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering.

Legislative leaders indicated they plan to wait for instructions from the courts before redrawing district maps.

The Louisiana Legislature adjourned its regular legislative session Thursday, June 8, 2017, and immediately convened a 12-day special legislative session to pass the state’s operating budget for the financial year beginning July 1, 2017.

The Legislature was unable to reach an agreement on the budget during the regular session. House Democrats want to allocate the entire state operating budget while House Republicans are set on only funding a portion of the budget so there is a cushion in case the revenue prediction is wrong.

The session is to adjourn no later than Monday, June 19, 2017. This is Louisiana’s second special session this year.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard called a special session for June 12 to consider legislation relating to public recreational use of non-meandered waters overlying private property.

The issue comes after a Supreme Court opinion prohibited state officials from facilitating access to waters on private property.

Under the drafted legislation to be considered by lawmakers during the special session, South Dakota’s Game, Fish and Parks Department would be able to negotiate with landowners to open access to such lakes for recreation.

The Connecticut General Assembly adjourned the 2017 regular session Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Lawmakers will have to return for a special session after failing to reach an agreement on a two-year state budget.

For the second year in a row, Gov. Dannel Malloy declined to give the traditional after-session speech to members due to the Assembly not completing its work by the midnight deadline.

A budget must be finalized by June 30. Other legislation left hanging in the balance includes a bill to allow Tesla to build a dealership in the state and a proposed constitutional amendment to protect state parks.

On June 7, Gov. Roy Cooper called a 14-day special session for North Carolina lawmakers to redraw district voting maps.

The session begins June 8 and will run concurrently with the regular session.

The special concurrent session comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 28 districts unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has called a special legislative session to consider new abortion regulations.

The extraordinary session is slated to begin Monday, June 12, just one week after the Legislature adjourned its first extraordinary session.

Lawmakers will consider stricter regulations on abortion clinics as well as attempt to nullify a St. Louis ordinance banning employers and landlords from discriminating against women who have had an abortion.

Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session of the Texas Legislature on Tuesday in an effort to push through a bill package necessary to keep some state agencies from closing.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick intentionally kept the legislation, known as a sunset bill, from passing in order to force a special session to discuss other items that did not pass during the regular session of the Legislature.

Gov. Abbott announced a 20-item agenda for the session but stated no other legislation would be looked at until the sunset bill is passed in full. Some other items listed on the agenda include school finance reform and mail-in ballot fraud.

The special session is scheduled to convene July 18, 2017.

Lawmakers finished a special session in one day, adjourning late Monday, June 5, 2017.

The Legislature passed funding bills for the attorney general’s office, infrastructure projects, and the Department of Transportation.

Gov. Phil Bryant was forced to call the special session to resolve budget issues prior to July 1, the beginning of a new fiscal year.