Gov. Brian Kemp announced a special election to fill the vacancy in House District 71 on September 3.

The seat was vacated by the resignation of Rep. David Stover on June 25.

Rep. Stover was facing an ethics complaint regarding his residency and resigned to spend more time with his wife in the United Kingdom.

The winner of the special election will complete Stover’s term until 2020.

The Virginia General Assembly convened and adjourned a special session.

The session was called to consider stricter gun legislation in response to the Virginia Beach shootings on May 31.

For the special session, Gov. Northam proposed eight bills.

The Governors bills included background checks on all firearm sales, a ban on dangerous weapons, and allowing only one handgun purchase a month.

Assembly leaders referred all of the governor’s bills to the state Crime Commission for a full review.

The General Assembly will reconvene November 18 to vote on the proposed bills.

The state Senate kicked off the second special session in Juneau and promptly removed Sen. Mia Costello as the majority leader.

Costello was in Wasilla with nearly a third of her fellow lawmakers.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy called for the second special session to be held in Wasilla on July 8.

The session ended quickly because there was no majority to conduct business.

House minority leader Lance Pruitt stated the members would remain in Wasilla and wait for the legislators in Juneau to attend.

Gov. Janet Mills announced her plan to hold, until next legislative session, a lobbying bill that would limit the influence of lobbyists by expanding the prohibition on accepting political contributions.

Current law prohibits a lobbyist, lobbyist associate or employer from contributing to the governor, members of the Legislature, constitutional officers, or their staff or agents while the Legislature is convened in session.

Legislative Document 54 would extend the application of that prohibition year-round, regardless of whether the Legislature is in session.

Gov. Mills will review the bill at the start of the 2020 legislative session. 

On July 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom was presented with a bill clarifying language related to preelection statements and income from gifts and business entities.

Assembly Bill 903 requires preelection statements to disclose contributions and independent expenditures made to a state, county, or city general purpose committee or made to support or oppose a candidate or measure appearing on the ballot at a specified election.

The specified election will be the next election for certain state or county general purpose committees and elected state officers or candidates for elective state office.

The bill also amends the definition of expenditure to include communications paid for with public moneys by a state or local government agency.

If signed by the governor, the bill takes effect on January 1, 2020.

Leaders in the state Senate and House of Representatives announced on July 5 that lawmakers will not attempt to override any vetoes issued by Gov. David Ige.

House Speaker Scott Sakiki said the Legislature would not convene an override session due to a lack of consensus between the Senate and the House.

Gov. Ige has identified 20 bills that he intends to veto of the 303 passed by lawmakers this year.

Ige has until Tuesday, July 9 to make his final decision on issuing vetoes.

Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order on July 5 instructing state agencies to end the practice of hiring outside firms to lobby the Legislature.

Executive Order 2019-29 prohibits all state agencies from entering or extending any contracts with lobbyists without securing written approval from one of Stitt’s cabinet secretaries.

Stitt stated in the executive order that the practice of expending taxpayers’ money on the hiring of outside lobbyists to lobby on behalf of a state agency was not a proper use of state funds.

The Arizona Secretary of State sent out communication this week regarding updates to the lobbyist filing and registration process.

Senate Bill 1261, passed by the Legislature this year, removes all notarization requirements from lobbying forms.

Updated forms reflecting the elimination of notarization will be put on the state website.

Forms will also be sent to registered lobbyists in advance of the bill’s effective date on August 27, 2019.

The Arizona Secretary of State is also working to implement an online payment portal.

More information about the payment portal is forthcoming.

The 150th General Assembly adjourned for spring just after 1 a.m. on July 1.

Traditionally, the General Assembly remains until midnight strikes on July 1 because the constitution restricts lawmakers from entering into a special session after June 30 unless the session is recalled by the governor or the mutual call of both Houses.

Ending the session in the early hours of July 1 gives legislators the opportunity to go back into session before the regularly scheduled gathering in January without being summoned by the governor.

Legislation not passed by July 1 can be picked up in the next six months or when lawmakers return to the capitol on January 14, 2020.

The Oregon Legislature adjourned on June 30, pushing through over 100 bills.

The Senate passed two campaign finance bills and a resolution to limit the amount of money flowing into Oregon politics and improve transparency in the election process.

House Bill 2716 requires communications made in support of or opposition to a candidate or measure to identify who paid for them.

House Bill 2983 builds on the transparency requirements set up in House Bill 2716.

The bill requires qualifying organizations making political expenditures file a donor identification list identifying donors making donations above $10,000 during the election cycle with the Office of the Secretary of State .

Senate Joint Resolution 18 proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution authorizing adoption of state and local laws requiring campaign finance related disclosures.

The proposed amendment would also authorize limiting political contributions and expenditures.

The resolution will send to voters the question of amending the state Constitution to allow governing bodies to pass laws on campaign finance.

House Bill 3377 was also passed, requiring registered lobbyists to attend annual training beginning in 2021.

The bill directs lobbyists to certify training attendance to the Oregon Ethics Commission and the commission to report lobbyist training attendance to a legislative equity officer.

The Ethics Commission Selection Committee narrowed down the field of candidates from 24 to 17.

However, the July 1 deadline is being pushed back.

Gov. Doug Burgum stated there will be two more meetings in July to reach the final five candidates.

In order to be appointed to the ethics commission, a candidate must be unanimously approved by the governor, senate majority leader, and senate minority leader.

Gov. Bill Lee announced that the General Assembly will convene for a special session on August 23.

Lee released a statement on June 27 announcing that the primary purpose of the special session is to select a new Speaker of the House following Glen Casada’s resignation.

In addition, Lee has asked the General Assembly to take up approval of recent amendments to the Supreme Court rules.

South Carolina lawmakers met for a one-day special session June 25 to review several bills Gov. Henry McMaster recently vetoed.

The special session was held to consider Gov. McMaster’s 28 budget vetoes worth approximately $41 million.

Additionally, lawmakers considered a bill which allowed erasing of a public disorderly conduct charge for first offenders under certain conditions.

Lawmakers aren’t expected to return to the State House until session reconvenes in January.

Last week, New jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation requiring dark money groups spending money to influence elections in New Jersey to disclose their large donors.

Senate Bill 1500, carried over from last year’s session, requires certain groups, like 501(c)(4) political nonprofits to disclose the identities of donors who give more than $10,000.

Additionally, the groups are required to report expenditures in excess of $3,000.

Gov. Murphy previously conditionally vetoed the bill.

However, the Governor signed an identical version when faced with a veto override because the bill’s sponsors agreed to tweak the legislation before it takes effect.

Since signed, the bill has faced opposition from citizen-based organizations and advocacy groups.

Those groups are arguing the new disclosure requirements will prevent people from donating to them.

On Tuesday, a federal lawsuit challenging the legislation was filed by Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian advocacy nonprofit founded by the Koch brothers.

Americans for Prosperity asked for the new law not to be enforced until the suit challenging the constitutionality of the law is decided.

New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission and Attorney General Lee Moore declined to comment on the pending legislation.