City officials are accepting applications for the ethics commission approved by voters last November.

The charter amendment established a seven-member ethics commission.

The ethics commission will implement campaign finance, lobbying, conflicts of interest, and governmental ethics laws.

Qualified applicants may not concurrently hold elective office, work as an officer for a city candidate campaign, be a city employee, or employ or be employed by anyone required to register as a city lobbyist.

The mayor and city auditor will make four appointments to be confirmed by City Council.

The remaining three members will be appointed by the confirmed commissioners.

The deadline for submitting applications is June 7.

Gov. Doug Burgum signed the last 53 bills remaining from the 2019 North Dakota legislative session, including House Bill 1521 and Senate Bill 2148.

House Bill 1521 establishes an ethics commission to hold state elected officials and legislators accountable.

The bill also requires a lobbyist who expends an amount greater than $200 for the purpose of lobbying to file a report with the Office of Secretary of State.

The report must include the source of the funds and prohibits a lobbyist from giving, soliciting, or facilitating a gift to a public official with a value of over $60.

Additionally, the bill requires any person who expends an amount greater than $200 to influence state government action file a report with the Office of Secretary of State on or before August 1.

The sections of House Bill 1521 establishing an ethics commission became effective on May 2, while the sections on report filing become effective on January 5, 2021.

Senate Bill 2148 requires the legislative management to study the implementation and requirements of Article XIV of the Constitution of North Dakota.

The study concerns the transparency of funding sources, lobbyists, responsibilities of the ethics commission, and a review of existing laws and laws enacted to implement Article XIV.

The legislative management must report its findings and recommendations to the 67th Legislative Assembly, with any legislation necessary to implement the recommendations.

Senate Bill 2148 becomes effective on August 1.

A special election will take place on October 8 for City Council Districts 1, 6, and 7.

The seats were filled through appointments following vacancies late last year and early January.

The council appointed Clinton Woods to the District 1 seat formerly held by current Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales.

Crystal Smitherman was appointed to the District 6 seat previously held by current Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson.

Following the resignation of Jay Roberson, who left the council after moving to Alabaster, the council appointed Wardine Alexander to the District 7 seat.

On May 5, Mayor Gavin Buckley issued a proclamation declaring the Ward 6 council seat vacant after the resignation of former Alderwoman Shaneka Henson.

Henson was selected to complete the term of the late Michael Busch in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Henson resigned after last Monday’s regular City Council meeting.

According to the City Charter, the Mayor had to issue a proclamation to fill the council seat within five days after receiving the resignation and schedule the dates for a special election.

The dates for the two special elections are the primary on June 4, with the general on July 2.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board will hold a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Campaign Finance Program.

Amendments address disclosure, contributions, expenditures, public fund payments, and disclosure of independent expenditures.

Proposed rules amend and clarify the following sections:

• The reporting requirement of an in-kind contribution’s fair market value
• The next contribution limit adjustment to occur in 2022
• Enumerate the categories of prohibited contributions
• Cash contributions from a single source
• Attribution of expenditures after the date of a contested primary
• Update other provisions of the Campaign Finance Program

The public hearing on the proposed rules will take place on June 13.

The Florida Legislature adjourned sine die on May 4.

The 61-day legislative session ran a day longer than expected as lawmakers passed a $91.1 billion state budget over the weekend.

During the session, lawmakers failed to pass an ethics reform bill revising post-service lobbying restrictions and executive branch lobbyist registration.

The Legislature passed House Bills 7021 and 7023 requiring the electronic filing of financial disclosures.

If signed by the governor, the electronic filing requirement is effective January 1, 2022.

The 111th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned May 2 after a nearly four-month session.

During the session, Senate Bill 234 passed requiring any multicandidate political campaign committee registering a new committee to pay the appropriate registration fee.

The fee is due at the time the committee certifies its political treasurer.

Additionally, payment of the registration fee by one affiliated political campaign committee includes disclosed affiliated committees registering separately.

The bill became effective when signed by the governor on April 1.

The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on January 14, 2020.

Gov. Janet Mills recently signed two lobbying bills and one campaign finance bill into law.

Legislative Document 76 bans future lawmakers from any paid lobbying within their first year out of office beginning with the 130th Legislature.

Legislative Document 825 expands the scope of harassment prevention training required for legislators, legislative staff, and lobbyists to include racial harassment.

The bill will take effect 90 days after adjournment of the legislative session.

Legislative Document 780 reduces from $850 to $500 the maximum allowable contribution individuals, corporations, PACs, and labor unions may make to candidates for municipal office.

The bill will take effect on January 1, 2020.

The 72nd Colorado General Assembly adjourned sine die on May 3 after 120 legislative days.

During the session, House Bill 1007 passed creating contribution limits under the Fair Campaign Practices Act for county office candidates.

Additionally, Senate Bill 68 passed expanding disclosure of electioneering communications.

The last day for the governor to act on bills for the 2019 session is June 2, 2019.

The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on January 8, 2020.

A three-judge federal panel unanimously ruled Ohio’s gerrymandered congressional district map unconstitutional under the First and 14th Amendments.

On behalf of the League of Women Voters, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed the suit.

The suit claimed the congressional map disfavored democratic voters on the basis of their political affiliation.

The court ordered the state to create a new map by June 14 to prepare for the 2020 election.

Gov. Kate Brown signed House Bill 2595 on May 3.

The bill prohibits a former member of the Legislative Assembly from receiving money or any other consideration for lobbying within one year after ceasing to be a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Currently, the revolving door period begins on the date the person ceases to be a member of the Legislative Assembly. The period then ended on the date of adjournment sine die of the next regular session after the person ceases to be a member.

House Bill 2595 applies to persons who cease to be members of the Legislative Assembly on or after the effective date of January 1, 2020.

On May 1, Mayor Jim Kenney signed Ordinance No. 190083 amending the city’s provisions regarding campaign contributions, transition and inauguration committees, and campaign finance disclosures.

Ordinance No. 190083, increased contribution limits for persons other than individuals from $11,900 to $12,000 per calendar year.

Candidates may now establish a separate committee to raise money for transition or inauguration into office.

Additionally, a candidate may accept contributions to the transition or inauguration committee in addition to the contributions for their candidate committee.

The ordinance also requires enhanced disclosure of expenditures for publicly-distributed electioneering communications of $5,000 or more based on the date of the expenditure or date of its dissemination.

The provisions of the ordinance are effective immediately.

The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) missed a self-imposed deadline this week to release updated regulations limiting political contributions from labor unions.

A spokesperson for the agency said it could take several more weeks to work out the details and release the new rules.

The push to update a labor union contribution loophole comes after a 2018 court ruling upholding the state’s ban on corporate contributions.

The ruling acknowledged the significant difference for labor unions.

The draft regulations released in March seek to reduce the amount of money a union can contribute to a candidate annually from $15,000 to $1,000.

The 30th Hawaii Legislature adjourned sine die on May 2 after 60 legislative days in session.

During the session, House Bill 165 passed adding a new registration and reporting requirement for noncandidate committees.

Committees that do not intend to receive contributions or make expenditures of more than $1,000 in an election period must notify the commission of its intent in the committee’s organizational report by the fifth calendar day, before the due date of the preliminary primary report.

The 31st Legislature is scheduled to convene on January 15, 2020.