A new bill introduced in the Georgia Senate seeks to prevent campaign contributions from companies and executives doing business with the state. Senate Bill 394, introduced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Josh McKoon, prohibits contributions from business entities and affiliated persons who have contracts with the state exceeding $50,000 in the aggregate to any candidate for the office responsible for awarding such contracts.

Just last year, DeKalb County CEO, Burrell Ellis, was found guilty of threatening to end a contract with a state vendor if it did not make a $2,500 campaign contribution.

McKoon introduced the bill after noting Georgia is lagging behind the rest of the country, and federal law, on such legislation. The bill currently only affects statewide offices, but McKoon stated he is open to making the law more robust.

Photo of Georgia State Senator Joshua McKoon courtesy of the Georgia Senate website.

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission issued a notification of proposed changes to the Commission’s rules. New rules being considered deal with lobbying expenditures made to the family of a public official or employee, when campaign contributions are deemed received, and anonymous contributions.

Rule amendments are also being considered to several sections of Chapter 189, including 189-1-.07 concerning adjustments of contribution limits based on inflation.

The Commission will consider the changes on December 15, 2015.

Gov. Nathan Deal has set a special election for December 1, 2015 to fill a vacancy in the state senate. Sen. Ross Tolleson resigned his District 20 seat late last week, citing health issues. Six candidates, all Republicans, have already announced their intentions to run for the position.

If necessary, a runoff election will be held on December 29, 2015.

A special election will be announced to fill the vacant District 43 seat in the state senate. Sen. Ronald Ramsey is leaving the post after being appointed judge of the new DeKalb County traffic court.

The date of the special election has not yet been determined, but must be called for within 10 days of the seat being vacated. The election must then be between 30 and 60 days later.

A special election will be set for November 3, 2015 to fill the vacant House seat of District 122.

Ben Harbin left the post on July 7 to take a job with a lobbying firm.

Gov. Nathan Deal will issue the formal writ for the election in September, 60 days prior to election day.

A special election has been set for July 14, 2015. The election will be held to fill vacant seats in House Districts 48, 80, 146, and 155.

If necessary, a runoff election will be held on August 11, 2015.

Photo of the Georgia State Capitol dome by Connor.carey on Wikimedia Commons.

The Office of the Secretary of State has given notice of a special election for state House District 24.

The election will be held on June 16, 2015, with a runoff election on July 14, 2015, if needed.

The vacancy was created by the May 11 resignation of Mark Hamilton, who announced plans to accept a private sector job in Tennessee.

The Office of the Secretary of State has given notice of a special election for state House District 55. The election will be held on June 16, 2015, with a runoff election on July 14, 2015, if needed.

The vacancy was created by the April 9th resignation of Tyrone Brooks, the same day he pleaded no contest in federal court to five counts of mail and wire fraud and guilty to one count filing false tax returns.

Brooks was indicted in 2013 after prosecutors claimed he used nearly $1 million worth of donations meant for charities to pay personal and family expenses.

The General Assembly adjourned sine die late Thursday, April 2, 2015.

Lawmakers worked till their midnight deadline, sending dozens of bills to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature.

Any bills not passed by the adjournment deadline cannot become law.

Photo of the Georgia State Capitol dome by Connor.carey on Wikimedia Commons.

The Campaign Finance Commission has cancelled and rescheduled a meeting to consider amending rules regarding lobbying and campaign finance.

The February 25 meeting has been rescheduled for the week of March 22, 2015.

The commission drafted the proposed amendments with the intention to clarify and supplement 2014 changes to the Campaign Finance Act.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp has called a special election to fill the seat in House District 120. The special election is set for January 6, 2015, and a runoff will be held on February 3, if necessary.

The newly re-elected Rep. Mickey Channell announced he will not fill the seat when the new term begins on January 12, 2015.

Rep. Mickey Channell has announced his intention to resign soon after the new session starts on January 12, 2015.

Channell is stepping down after 22 years in the Legislature because of health reasons.

The Green County Republican represents House District 120, which includes the counties of Greene, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Taliaferro, and part of Putnam.

The state ethics commission met September 30, 2014, for the first public meeting following the firing of former Executive Secretary Holly LaBerge. The commission closed 14 complaints against officials and candidates, approved three new advisory opinions, and discussed the agency’s future.

New staff attorneys Robert Lane and Bethany Whetzel have identified nearly 200 open ethics cases needing processed.

The commission will continue to consider recently drafted amendments to campaign and lobbying rules with the hope of passing the amendments by the end of the year. The amendments will clarify campaign reporting thresholds, permit gift splitting by lobbyists, and require reporting of gifts to family members of officials.

The state ethics commission is preparing to amend rules regarding campaign finance and lobbyist reporting. The campaign finance changes include allowing the commission to raise or lower campaign contribution limits at the end of four-year election cycles rather than every calendar year. The rules would also clarify only contributions to candidates can trigger the $25,000 annual registration and reporting threshold for individuals or entities making contributions.

Lobbying amendments would require reporting for gifts to family of officials and permit gift splitting by multiple lobbyists so long as a single lobbyist does not exceed the $75 limits.

A public hearing on the proposed changes is scheduled for September 30, 2014.