Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown approved a series of bills affecting campaign finance and lobbying requirements.

Senate Bill 215 will require any entity or person seeking to influence actions taken by the Public Utilities Commission to register as a lobbyist under the Political Reform Act of 1974.

Senate Bill 1349 will overhaul Cal-Access, California’s outdated online campaign contribution and lobbying database.

And Senate Bill 1107 establishes citizen-funded elections reforms, enabling the creation of small donor matching programs where candidates who voluntarily opt in and agree to turn down large contributions receive limited public matching funds for each small contribution they secure.

On September 22, 2016, Secretary of State John Merrill certified Republican Joe Lovvorn as the winner of House District 79. As a result, the special general election scheduled for November 29 has been canceled.

Originally, Lovvorn was supposed to face Libertarian Gage Fenwick, but Merrill’s office stated Fenwick failed to get enough signatures to qualify for ballot access.

Brian Spano, chairman of the Denver Board of Ethics, has resigned due to a potential conflict of interest.

Spano is a law partner with Kristin Bronson, the newly appointed city attorney. Mayor Michael Hancock appointed Bronson in mid-August, and she will begin her position with the city on October 17.

Because the city attorney occasionally appears before the Board of Ethics, Spano is stepping down to avoid any questions about future conflicts of interest, real or perceived. His term was set to end in April. His resignation is effective October 19.

On September 29, 2016, Gov. Susana Martinez called a special session for September 30, 2016. The long-awaited proclamation will focus on fixing budget shortfalls and restoring the death penalty.

The ban on fundraising during regular or special session is a major concern for New Mexico legislators as the general election is on November 8, 2016. Per New Mexico law, all legislators are prohibited from soliciting a campaign contribution beginning when a proclamation has been issued and ending when the special session adjourns.

The adjournment date has yet to be determined.

Photo of Gov. Susana Martinez by the New Mexico State Government on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill requiring persons submitting bids or proposals of $100,000 or more to state agencies to certify they are in compliance with the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.

The law is aimed at preventing state agencies from contracting with businesses that boycott Israel.

This law becomes effective January 1, 2017.

On September 28, the Reno, Nevada, City Council moved one step closer to creating a lobbying law for the city. The council unanimously agreed to put the proposed ordinance over to October 12 for a second reading and adoption.

The “Registration and Regulation of Lobbyists” ordinance would require lobbyists to register with the city clerk, to inform the city of their clients, and to wear lobbyist badges when in city hall. The ordinance also includes civil and criminal penalties.

If passed, the code change will take effect on January 1, 2017.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a New Hampshire law banning “ballot selfies.” The 2014 law imposing fines of up to $1,000 for anyone who took a picture of their marked ballot was passed to combat vote buying or voter coercion.

The three-judge panel unanimously decided the ban was overbroad and a violation of voters’ right to free speech. In overturning the law, the court cited insufficient and uncorroborated evidence connecting ballot selfies and voter coercion.

The suit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of three voters including state Rep. Leon Rideout (R) and a man who wrote in his dog’s name on the ballot and posted the photo on Facebook, only to later have it censored.

California recently repealed a state law making ballot selfies a felony. However, more than 20 states still have laws against photographing marked ballots or using a camera inside a polling place.

Nassau County Legislator Judith Jacobs passed away on September 13, 2016.

Jacobs, the presiding officer of the county Legislature, was serving her 11^th term as the District 16 representative.

With more than one year left in her term, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano has set a special election to fill the Jacob’s seat on November 8, 2016.

On September 27, 2016, a federal appeals court upheld the ban on transfers between political action committees, or PAC-to-PAC transfers.

The Alabama Democratic Conference (ADC) sued to overturn the ban arguing the prohibition of PAC-to-PAC transfers was a violation of freedom of speech and due process.

In the opinion, written by U.S. Circuit Judge Beverly Martin, the court found the ban to be closely drawn “to meet Alabama’s interest in preventing quid pro quo corruption (or its appearance) as applied to the ADC here.” In turn, the ban survives constitutional scrutiny.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther signed emergency legislation yesterday creating a City Council Ethics Policy. The ethics policy aligns with state ethics law as well as with an executive order signed by Ginther in May 2016.

Ginther’s executive order was immediately effective for executive branch public officials and employees. The new City Council policy has nearly identical provisions on prohibited conduct and financial disclosure, but is applicable to all public officials and city employees.

Effective immediately, public officials and employees may not solicit or accept gifts or employment from anyone doing business with the city. They also must wait at least one year after leaving public service before representing any person or entity before any city department or division with respect to a matter they personally participated in while serving with the city.

Designated officials and employees must also file financial disclosure statements each year. The statements must include a description of each gift, or aggregate of gifts, exceeding $75 from certain sources during the previous calendar year.

Photo of Mayor Andrew Ginther by David Paul on Wikimedia Commons.

Contribution limits have been lifted in the Illinois comptroller race between incumbent Leslie Munger and Democratic challenger Susana Mendoza after Munger’s husband loaned $260,000 to her campaign.

State law stipulates any contribution exceeding $250,000 to a candidate’s own race abolishes the limits for all candidates in the race.

Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed Munger last year following Judy Baar Topinka’s death. The winner of the November election will finish the remainder of the four-year term.

On September 22, an ordinance revising the lobbying law for the city of Austin, Texas, was approved by the City Council.

The new law repeals and replaces Chapter 4-8 of the city’s code relating to the regulation of lobbyists.

The ordinance, which was to have taken take effect on January 1, 2017, was amended before passing and will now take effect on June 1, 2017.

Gov. Dannel Malloy has summoned lawmakers back into a special session beginning Wednesday, September 28, 2016, to approve a deal with Sikorsky Aircraft.

The tentative agreement, worth $220 million in grants and tax exemptions, will keep the company in the state for the next 14 years.

Sikorsky has also committed to growing its Connecticut workforce to 8,000 individuals, and they will build nearly 200 CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters in-state.

Photo of the Connecticut State Capitol by jglazer75 on Wikimedia Commons.

A joint legislative session is tentatively scheduled to begin September 28, 2016. During the session, lawmakers will focus on legislation to assist with the opioid crisis affecting the state.

Gov. Tom Wolf initially contemplated a special session earlier in the summer, but opted for the joint session instead in hopes getting legislation to his desk before the November election.

While there are several bills in the pipeline already, new legislation could be introduced as well.