According to the memorandum filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, the Alabama Ethics Commission has agreed existing Alabama law permits lobbyists to satisfy the ethics training requirement if they participate in live training sessions on their computer, even if not physically present.

Additionally, reasonable accommodations will be made for those persons with a legitimate conflict during the time and date that live streaming is made available.

The commission will begin live streaming by May of 2017.

The commission has yet to publicly release a statement.

Gov. Kay Ivey moved the U.S. Senate seat special election from November 6, 2018, to December 12, 2017. The special election is needed to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by U.S. Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions.

Former Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Luther Strange to fill the vacancy and scheduled the election for 2018, allowing Strange to serve as an incumbent for 22 months.

Ivey changed the date of the election to better follow Alabama law, which clearly states a special election may only be delayed until the next regular election if the senate vacancy occurred within four months of the next regular election.

The special primary will now be held on August 15, 2017, with a special runoff on September 26, 2017. The special general is scheduled for December 12, 2017.

The Alaska Legislature will remain in session despite its April 17 deadline, with lawmakers still working to pass a budget bill and other deficit reduction measures.

A voter initiative passed in 2006 limits the legislative session to 90 days, but legislators often continue after the deadline and follow the constitutional deadline of 121 days.

If more time is needed after the constitutional deadline, a special session would need to be convened.

On April 13, Gov. Jim Justice vetoed the budget bill passed by West Virginia lawmakers.

In the latest stunt in the contentious battle among lawmakers on how to address West Virginia’s $500 million budget shortfall, Justice held a press conference to announce the veto complete with props including a platter of bull excrement.

The fiscal year begins July 1 and a special session to pass a budget bill would need to be held prior to that date or the state government will face a shut down.

The special session is expected to be called sometime in late April or early May.

Lawmakers are considering a bill to move up California’s presidential primary election date.

Senate Bill 568 seeks to move the presidential primary date from the first Tuesday in June to the third Tuesday in March.

The move is aimed at getting presidential candidates to prioritize issues important to Californians during the primary process.

Senate Bill 568 would also move up primary elections in statewide office and legislative races to help eliminate potential voter confusion from multiple election dates.

Former Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager is stepping down from her post as chair of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.

In her resignation letter, she claims circumstances exist mitigating her ability to continue serving on the commission.

Lautenschlager is the second commissioner to resign since the commission was formed last year.

The 2017 regular session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned sine die right before midnight on April 10, 2017.

The General Assembly revamped criminal justice policies, but failed to pass long overdue income tax breaks for Maryland residents.

As a result, a potential special session may be required to approve a tax relief plan.

On April 10, 2017, Gov. Robert Bentley resigned as the 53rd governor of Alabama.

The resignation follows the Alabama Ethics Commission finding probable cause he violated state ethics laws.

Kay Ivey was sworn in as the 54th governor of Alabama immediately following Bentley’s resignation. Ivey is the second woman to serve as governor of Alabama.

A state ban on political contributions to candidates by businesses was upheld by a Suffolk Superior Court judge last week. Massachusetts campaign finance law prohibits contributions from businesses but allows contributions from labor unions.

Two businesses active in a fiscally conservative advocacy group challenged the law hoping for a change in favor of businesses wishing to contribute, asserting the same political contribution rules should apply to businesses and unions.

The Office of Campaign and Political Finance argued businesses are different from unions and the state is within its rights to regulate each entity differently, maintaining the state’s interest in preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption.

Under the upheld law, individuals can contribute $1,000 per year to candidates and labor unions can contribute up to $15,000.

On April 9, the West Virginia Legislature wrapped up its regular legislative session.

The House and Senate passed a spending plan prior to adjournment; however, the governor is expected to veto the bill and call a special session after further negotiations to finalize a more acceptable budget bill.

The fiscal year begins July 1 and a special session would need to be called prior to that date.

Gov. Hickenlooper recently signed House Bill 17-1051, modernizing the Colorado Procurement Code.

Among other changes, the bill exempts grants from the state bidding requirements and makes the Procurement Code of Ethics and Guidelines applicable to state procurement officials, end users, vendors, contractors, and interested third parties.

If the Legislature adjourns sine die on May 10, 2017, the bill will be effective August 9.

Photo of Gov. Hickenlooper By U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons

Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed ethics and campaign finance bills.

Senate Bill 393 would have required lobbyists to report expenses on lawmakers and other public officials under $100. Martinez stated she supports transparency, but thought the bill was unclear and could have several unintended consequences.

Additionally, Martinez vetoed Senate Bill 96 which would have required disclosure of “dark-money” campaign spending by nonprofit groups. Martinez vetoed the legislation because it may discourage charities from advocating for their causes.

The group Represent South Dakota announced plans to lead efforts for a ballot measure in 2018 to amend South Dakota’s constitution to tighten ethics laws.

The Voter Protection and Anti-Corruption Amendment would ban lobbyist gifts to politicians, lower campaign contribution limits, and restrict the ability of lawmakers to overturn laws passed by voters.

Represent South Dakota has already filed the proposal with the Legislative Research Council and expects to start collecting signatures in June 2017.

The push for the new constitutional amendment comes in response to the recent repeal of Initiated Measure 22. Initiated Measure 22 was the voter approved ethics and campaign finance overhaul that established various lobbying and campaign finance restrictions.

The Alabama Ethics Commission found probable cause to believe Gov. Robert Bentley committed violations of both the Alabama Ethics Act and the Fair Campaign Practices Act.

The investigation is related to Bentley’s relationship with Rebekah Mason, a former political adviser.

The matter has been referred to the Montgomery County District Attorney for further review and potential prosecution.