The 79^th session of the Nevada Legislature adjourned just after midnight local time on Tuesday, June 6, 2017.

A package of budget bills was passed, resolving a stalemate many thought would not be resolved by the end of the regular session.

Legislators also pushed through a clean energy bill and one requiring additional oversight of drivers for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.

On June 5, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that 28 state House and Senate Districts in North Carolina were racially gerrymandered, while also vacating the lower court’s order for a special election in 2017 for one-year terms to address the issue.

The court ruled that the special election remedy was not properly analyzed by the lower court. The matter has been returned to the lower court, which could call another special election or order new districts in time for the regular cycle of elections in 2018.

The Supreme Court’s decision comes just two weeks after the court found two of the state’s U.S. Congressional districts to also be racially gerrymandered.

Lawmakers finished a special session in one day, adjourning late Monday, June 5, 2017.

The Legislature passed funding bills for the attorney general’s office, infrastructure projects, and the Department of Transportation.

Gov. Phil Bryant was forced to call the special session to resolve budget issues prior to July 1, the beginning of a new fiscal year.

Gov. Rick Scott has called the Legislature into a special session to finalize the state budget. The session is scheduled for June 7 to June 9, 2017.

Gov. Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who were at odds throughout the 2017 session, struck a deal on the budget and a controversial education bill, providing an increase in spending for charter schools.

Absent from the governor’s call is the issue of medical marijuana sales, despite overwhelming citizen approval of a 2016 ballot measure. A two-thirds vote by lawmakers, however, could expand the focus of the special session.

Lawmakers return to Jackson today for a special session to deal with unresolved budget issues.

Spending plans for the attorney general’s office and the Department of Transportation were incomplete when the legislature adjourned its regular session in April. The governor, who sets the session’s agenda, is also proposing an increase to the amount of money flowing into the state’s rainy-day fund.

Lawmakers hope to complete their work in just a day or two, with the first day costing taxpayers more than $70,000, and each additional day costing nearly $50,000.

On June 1, a three-judge panel unanimously dismissed Gov. Roy Cooper’s legal challenge against Senate Bill 68.

Senate Bill 68 combines state elections and ethics boards, and became law when the House and Senate voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the bill.

A spokesman for the Democratic governor said shortly after the ruling that Cooper plans to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

This week, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a call for a special session of the Louisiana Legislature as a precautionary measure in response to significant disagreements over the state’s operating and construction budgets.

The special session, if necessary, is to convene Thursday, June 8, at 6:30 pm and must adjourn by midnight on Monday, June 19. The regular session of the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn at 6:00 pm on Thursday, June 8, with the special legislative session convening just half an hour later if no budget consensus is reached.

Gov. Edwards has threatened to veto the current budget, which leaves $206 million unspent, as he believes it forces unnecessary cuts.

Gov. Rick Scott set the dates for a special election for House District 44. The primary election will be held on August 15, 2017, with the general election on October 10, 2017.

The District 44 seat opened when Rep. Eric Eisnaugle was appointed as a judge of the Fifth District Court of Appeals.

Several Republican candidates have already opened campaign accounts as well as one Democrat.

The Phoenix City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to give final approval to the city’s lobbying ordinance overhaul.

Under the amended rules, lobbyists not filing required registration or disclosure forms can face sanctions, including fines of up to $2,500, suspension from lobbying and jail time.

The ordinance also requires lobbyists to disclose to city officials whom they contact if they are working in a capacity as a lobbyist and expands covered officials that trigger registration.

The ordinance will take effect July 1, 2017.

The Alaska Legislature is still at work trying to pass a budget bill to resolve the state’s annual $2.7 billion deficit.

Alaska faces a government shutdown if a budget is not adopted by July 1, and the governor’s administration already sent 30-day layoff warnings to state employees.

Because the legislative session is extending into the month of June, an additional monthly expenditure report for registered legislative lobbyists will be due on July 31, 2017.

Texas adjourned the 85th legislative session sine die Monday May 29, 2017.

Just hours before the House adjourned, Gov. Greg Abbott announced he would be making a decision later this week about whether to call the Legislature back into a special legislative session this summer, largely because lawmakers failed to pass a bill to keep the Texas Medical Board and related agencies open.

A special session could be avoided if the governor uses an executive order to extend the life of agencies involved in health and safety issues.

The Texas Legislature is not scheduled to convene until the 2019 regular session.

Gov. Larry Hogan signed House Bills 390 and 426 into law. Both bills amend the procurement code.

House Bill 390 requires business to file a public disclosure form if, during a calendar year, a business enters into contracts, leases, or other agreements with the state worth $200,000 or more.

House Bill 426 amends the dollar value of small procurements from $25,000 to $50,000.

Both bills will become effective on October 1, 2017.

The first special session of the 2017 New Mexico Legislature adjourned sine die on May 30, 2017.

Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation reinstating funding for higher education and vetoed a bill raising taxes.

Both the House and Senate were in session for less than one hour.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has been sworn in as Iowa’s 43^rd governor.

Reynolds filled the vacancy left by former Gov. Terry Branstad’s ambassadorship to China.

Reynolds will serve as governor through the end of 2018.

Photo of Gov. Kim Reynolds from the Iowa Governors website.