Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea has announced special election dates for Rhode Island House District 56.

The seat became vacant when Rep. Shelby Maldonado, a Providence Democrat, resigned to be Hispanic Outreach Director for the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Assuming more than one candidate from either major party qualifies for the ballot, the special primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 4.

The general election will be held on Tuesday, March 3.

The Office of the Secretary of State released a notice on December 17 that registration of lobbyists and lobbying entities will be delayed until January 6, 2020.

The delay is due to the programming required to implement the registration changes required by Senate Bill 1639, which passed during the veto session in November.

Senate Bill 1639 requires lobbying entities to report if they are registered or expect to be required to register to lobby a unit of local government.

Additionally, the lobbying entity must disclose the name of the unit of local government.

The House of Delegates adjourned the Second Extraordinary Session of 2019 on December 16 after reconvening the same day.

Before adjourning, the House passed Senate Bill 2001.

Senate Bill 2001 extends tax credits for tourism development projects through December 2025.

A federal judge temporarily blocked a Los Angeles law requiring businesses seeking city contracts to disclose any links to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance in February requiring companies doing business with the city to disclose any financial connections to the gun-rights advocacy organization.

The NRA responded with a federal lawsuit against the city, arguing the policy silences NRA members and supporters in the city by forcing them to disclose their ties with the organization.

U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of the ordinance while the case moves forward.

However, the judge granted the city’s motion to dismiss claims the ordinance violates the NRA’s equal protection rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and the ordinance has the effect of compelling speech.

Also, the judge removed Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city clerk as defendants in the lawsuit.

The city may appeal the ruling or the NRA may request the injunction be made permanent.

On December 12, an appeals court found Tennessee laws barring nonpartisan PACs from donating to candidates within 10 days of an election violate the state constitution and cannot stand.

The ruling from the Tennessee Court of Appeals reinforces an earlier judgment from Nashville Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle and will end the donation restriction facing nonpartisan PACs.

State campaign finance laws had created a 10-day blackout period when such PACs couldn’t give to a candidate, but PACs controlled by a political party could.

The group Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws argued that the law created a double standard that unfairly penalized nonpartisan groups while giving political parties an advantage.

The Court of Appeals agreed with that argument, ruling against the state.

For the first time, the Ohio Lobbying Activity Center (OLAC) will accept electronic payment for registration renewals, meaning lobbyists who pay electronically will not have to print and mail anything to OLAC.

A lobbyist may pay individually, by client, or simply by selecting the “add all pending items to cart” from the agent homepage and pay for renewals at one time.

Lobbyists may begin renewing registrations for executive and retirement engagements in OLAC on December 1. Legislative registrations do not expire until December 31, 2020.

The renewal option closes on January 15, 2020. Registrations submitted after this date will require a signature page signed by both the lobbyist and the employer.

For lobbyists who wish to still pay by check, the Office of the Legislative Inspector General must receive an invoice and filing fee no later than January 31 for each 2020 engagement.

Gov. Gary Herbert called a special session of the Utah Legislature for December 12 to consider a massive tax reform plan.

The special session comes a day after a divided legislative panel voted to advance a significant tax cut for Utah residents.

In addition to the tax reform, the special session will include discussion of funding for behavioral health programs.

The Connecticut General Assembly is scheduled to convene for a special session on December 18.

The special legislative session is to vote on issues regarding a hospital tax settlement and a restaurant workers wage bill.

Gov. Ned Lamont and the Legislature also agreed to convene a special session in early January to address a bonding bill and a long-term infrastructure plan.

The Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced a special election for January 28 for House District 171.

The seat is vacant after Rep. Jay Powell unexpectedly died in November while attending a Republican leadership retreat.

A runoff election is scheduled for February 25 if no candidate receives a majority of the vote during the special election.

The winner of the election will serve the remaining year of Powell’s term.

The Chicago City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight unanimously passed a proposal on December 4 to prohibit city elected officials and employees from lobbying state or local government on behalf of private clients.

Proposed ordinance 2019-8541 also precludes elected officials anywhere in Illinois from lobbying on behalf of private clients in Chicago.

In both circumstances, the proposed ordinance carves out an exception for elected officials who are attorneys providing legal representation in certain administrative or legislative actions.

The proposal will be presented for a vote on December 18.

If approved, the ordinance would take effect 90 days after passage and publication.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Maryland law aimed at extending the state’s campaign finance oversight into online political ads to prevent foreign interference in local elections is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment.

The Online Electioneering Transparency and Accountability Act, passed by state legislators in 2018, requires newspapers and other media platforms to collect and self-publish information about sponsors of online political ads.

The three-judge panel found that the law targets political expression and compels certain speech, and affirmed a lower court’s ruling to strike down the law.

The state’s attorney general’s office will review the decision and decide whether to file an appeal.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced a special election on January 21, 2020 for House District 151.

The seat for House District 151 was vacated earlier this week by Rep. Fred Camillo after being elected first selectman of Greenwich in November.

The winner of the special election will complete the remaining year of Camillo’s term.

The Portland Auditor has announced administrative rule changes to the city’s lobbying regulations.

The revised rules clarify the definition of lobbying to include grassroots lobbying and attempts to gain goodwill.

Fiscal disclosures are required to include expenses related to grassroots lobbying.

The rule changes also provide guidance on governments registering as lobbying entities if certain types of lobbying occur.

Governments will be considered lobbying entities when certain outside individuals lobby on their behalf.

The regulation changes also exclude certain cultural gifts from the city’s lobbying registration and reporting requirements if the market value of the gift cannot be easily determined and declining the gift is likely to cause offense.

Additionally, the revised rules provide guidance on when lobbying groups and city officials may be fined for late filings.

The auditor’s office will issue a warning notice for late filings.

Reports must be filed within 24 hours after the deadline or a late fee will be assessed up to $500 per report.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill on December 5 requiring increased disclosure from lobbyists.

Senate Bill 1639 provides that lobbyist registration must include each unit of local government for which the registrant is or expects to be required to register to lobby, as well as each elected or appointed public office to be held by the registrant at any time during the registration period.

The bill also requires the secretary of state to create a combined online database for lobbyist disclosures, campaign contributions, and public officials’ annual statements of economic interest.

Senate Bill 1639 became effective when signed.