The Vermont special session adjourned sine die on June 29.

Gov. Phil Scott called the special session after vowing to veto the budget bill passed last month to prevent tax rate increases.

On Monday, Scott announced his intention to let the third version of the budget bill become law without his signature to prevent a government shutdown on July 1.

The Maine Ethics Commission will be rolling out a new campaign finance reporting system for candidates, party committees, political action committees, and ballot question committees.

The lobbyist reporting system will remain the same. However, for those individuals who use the same login credentials to access both the campaign finance system and lobbyist system, the login will remain the same, but the reporting systems will be separate.

As a result of the upgrade, both the lobbyist reporting system and campaign finance system will be inaccessible starting at 6:00 p.m. June 28 until the morning of July 2.

This month, the San Antonio City Council approved substantial changes to the campaign finance and ethics codes.

The new ordinance requires additional campaign finance reports and disclosure of the name and title of anyone contributing $100 or more to a council member or mayoral campaign.

In the same council meeting, an ordinance increasing campaign contribution limits by 50% did not pass as a result of a tied vote.

The new disclosure and reporting rules will go into effect starting on July 1, the beginning of the next campaign cycle.

The passed changes are not yet available online but are anticipated by the City Clerk to be available this week.

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission filed suit in the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday, asking the court to require the Legislature and Gov. Mary Fallin to increase the agency’s funding.

Lawmakers refused to provide the commission with any money from the state’s general revenue fund, leaving it with insufficient funding to complete its constitutional duties.

Earlier this month, the commission increased registration fees for lobbyists and political committees in an effort to increase revenue. Despite doing so, the fiscal year appropriation remains insufficient by more than $2 million.

Missouri Ethics Commission Director James Klahr is leaving his post to become deputy director of the Veterans Commission.

After four years as executive director, Klahr’s last day at the Ethics Commission is July 5.

State law allows the director to serve only one six-year term; his term was set to expire September 2019.

Gov. Jim Justice called a special session for June 26, 2018.

Lawmakers will convene to consider impeachment proceedings for state Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry.

A federal grand jury indicted Justice Loughry on charges including fraud, making false statements to investigators, and witness tampering.

Pictured: State Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has schedule a special election for November 6, to fill the state House District 45 seat vacated by Jeremy Gillam.

There will be no special primary and political parties must choose their nominees by party convention.

Gillam resigned in order to become the director of governmental relations and external affairs at the University of Central Arkansas.

Legislation amending San Francisco’s Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code takes effect next week. Ordinance No. 129-18 is effective June 30, though most of its provisions are not operative until January 1, 2019.

The ordinance extends the restriction period for contractor contributions from six to 12 months following contract approval. It also requires interested parties making a behested payment or payments of $10,000 or more to file a disclosure within 30 days.

Other changes include, but are not limited to, additional disclosure requirements for contributions from business entities and for bundled campaign contributions, as well as an additional pre-election statement for committees.

Gov. Greg Abbott called a special election this week to fill a vacancy after the surprise resignation of state senator Carlos Uresti.

Uresti, a democrat representing Texas Senate District 19, was convicted on 11 felony counts of fraud and money laundering earlier this year but refused to resign until the appeals process was complete.

Uresti urged the governor to hold the election in November to coincide with the regularly scheduled election to save taxpayer money but Gov. Abbott scheduled the emergency special election for July 31, 2018, noting Uresti’s district has been “without effective representation” for over a year as a result of legal troubles.

Pictured: Former state senator Carlos Uresti

The Board of Governors for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation unanimously approved a new policy requiring lobbyist registration.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis asked the board last month to create a registration and disclosure process at the corporation similar to executive branch requirements.

Effective September 1, lobbyists will be required to register by a new online system before communicating with a member of the board or an employee of the corporation outside of a public meeting.

The Missouri House of Representatives announced the resignation of Republican Rep. Shawn Rhoads. The resignation was effective Monday afternoon.

Rhoads, who served on the special committee investigating former Gov. Eric Greitens, did not cite a reason for his resignation.

Greitens resigned June 1 and the investigation officially ended June 11 upon the adjournment of the special legislative session.

The Colorado secretary of state adopted new campaign finance rules today in response to a federal court ruling issued last week.

Judge Raymond Moore struck down provisions of state law allowing private citizens to file complaints. Until the ruling, all complaints received a hearing without review for merit.

New enforcement mechanisms provide for initial review of complaints and an opportunity to cure violations prior to investigation and enforcement.

Substantive requirements of state campaign finance law were not affected.

Pictured: Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams

The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of the Maine Legislature called a special session for June 19 and expected to last multiple days.

Legislators want to finish business from the regular session regarding Medicaid expansion and minimum wage increases.

Lobbyists who have filed non-session waivers and plan on lobbying during the special session must file a monthly activity report, next due on July 15, 2018.

The Louisiana Legislature will convene its third special session of the year on Monday, June 18, 2018.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a call for the session on the same day he signed the skeleton operating budget passed by the legislature in the last special session.

Lawmakers will aim to pass legislation regarding state sales and use tax to raise money to fund state services taking deep cuts in the current budget.

Gov. Edwards and legislators have been meeting in the interim hoping to reach an effective solution before the deadline for adjournment.

The special session must adjourn no later than June 27, 2018.