LobbyComply Blog

 Lawmakers have proposed an amendment to a campaign finance bill passed during the 2024 legislative session. House Bill 4018 establishes contribution limits along with various other oversight of campaign finance and is slated to become effective in future years. The newly proposed amended version of House Bill 4018 seeks to delay the upcoming rollout of certain portions of the bill, including a modernized online system until 2031 or 2032. Some legislators suggest that delaying parts of the bill going forward would lower the costs for the Office of Secretary of State. The new contributions limits would currently be left intact and would still become effective January of 2027.

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The Arkansas Secretary of State promulgated the Combating Hostile Foreign Influence Rule to implement a 2025 state law requiring registration and disclosure by representatives of hostile foreign principals and foreign-supported political organizations. The rules expand the information that must be disclosed for foreign-supported political organizations; create a method for submitting complaints; and provide details of investigation, hearing, and enforcement procedures. The rules took effect January 18, 2026.

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The City of Austin, Texas increased campaign contribution limits for candidates for mayor and city council from $450 to $500 per contributor per election. The aggregate contribution limit to candidates from donors outside of Austin increased to $48,000 per election, and $32,000 per runoff election.

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The Arizona Legislature passed a bill adjusting the primary election date and making other election law changes. House Bill 2022 (Senate Bill 1425), permanently changes the primary election date from the first Tuesday in August to the second-to-last Tuesday in July during even numbered years; makes technical changes for the July 21, 2026 primary election; adjusts ballot signature curing deadlines for federal elections; and expands the locations where authorized party representatives may observe and challenge voting activity. The measure was passed as an emergency and will take effect immediately, if signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs.

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The Arkansas Ethics Commission has reported a website outage, due to an attack by malicious actors. Estimated full restoration time is unknown. It is recommended to reach out to the commission at (501) 324-9600 or (800) 422-7773, or email jill.barham@arkansas.gov for any specific website need. The website is ordinarily a resource for ethics rules, opinions, complaints, and guidance for campaign finance reporting entities. Website visitors are cautioned to confirm the outage is restored before attempting to navigate to the site.

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The Utah Legislature passed a bill concerning state court expansion. Senate Bill 134 increases the number of Utah Supreme Court justices from five to seven; increases the number of court of appeals judges from seven to nine; and adds three additional district court judges. The bill was signed by Gov. Spencer Cox on January 31. Senate Bill 134 is effective immediately but remains at risk of amendment if required funding during the legislative session is not approved.

Pennsylvania will hold special elections on February 24 and March 17 after four representatives resigned to assume other offices. An election for Legislative District 24 and 42 will be on February 24. An election for the Legislative District 79 and 193 will be on March 17.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called for two special elections in state House District 94 and 130. Rep. Karen Bennett of House District 94 resigned after being found guilty of unemployment fraud. Rep. Lynn Heffner of House District 130 resigned citing constitutional residency requirements after her home in Georgia was destroyed during Hurricane Helene. Both special elections will occur on March 10 with a special runoff election on April 7, if necessary.

The 69th Legislative Assembly Special Session adjourned sine die on January 23 after passing all the bills needed to accept the federal rural health transformation program funding. The Legislature was called into special session to address four issues that needed to be addressed and a bill to authorize the ND Department of Health & Human Services to spend the grant funds.

Secretary of State Monae L. Johnson published the 2026 annual limit for lobbyist gifts to public officials. The change for 2026 was 2.9%, making the newly adjusted cumulative gift limit $130.85 for 2026. No public official and no member of the immediate family of a public official may accept from any lobbyist or principal any gifts with a cumulative value greater than $130.85 during the 2026 calendar year.

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Gov. Brian Kemp called a special election for U.S. House District 14 following the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Her resignation is cited to be due to disagreements with President Trump over healthcare, foreign policies, and domestic scandals. The special general election will be held on March 10, with a special runoff election held on April 7, 2026, if necessary.

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The Office of the Secretary of State is requesting federal PACs continue to report as they have in the past until the impact of a recent opinion by the Attorney General is clarified. North Dakota Attorney General Letter Opinion 2025-L-01 required federal PACs to report as a state PAC, in addition to the specified statutory provisions simply requiring federal PACs to file a copy of their FEC reports disclosing the state activity. In consultation with the Office of Attorney General, the Office of Secretary of State is implementing a hold on changes to reporting for federally formed PACs until greater clarity can be provided. The opinion has raised a number of questions because federal PACs have a statutory exemption from registration as a state PAC when complying with the FEC copy requirements. 

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Secretary of State Michael Howe announced a major upgrade to North Dakota’s Campaign Finance System and launched a new Statement of Interests System on January 1. The upgraded Campaign Finance Reporting System will provide a user-friendly interface for reporting campaign finance donations and expenditures for political candidates and committees. Interested parties are invited to attend a demonstration and Q&A session related to using the public search capabilities from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, January 26. A link to join the virtual demonstration will be available at https://www.sos.nd.gov/elections by January 16.

The 103rd Legislature adjourned sine die on December 23 and Gov. Whitmer signed 36 bills into law the same day. Among the bills passed during the session were Senate Bills 99 and 100. Senate Bill 99 changes the financial disclosure reporting requirements for public officers, including the requirement to include the name of the lobbyist or lobbyist agent that made the gift payment, travel payment, or payment to a charity in lieu of honorarium to the officer. Senate Bill 100 amends the Candidate for Office Financial Disclosure Act to expand the term candidate for office to include a candidate who intended to appear on the ballot, in addition to current criteria. The 103rd legislative session will continue on January 14, 2026.