San Jose City Council approved an ordinance amending the definition of “committee” to increase the qualifying threshold for the receipt of contributions from $1,000 to $2,000 to be consistent with the Political Reform Act. The ordinance will go into effect July 28, 2016.

The Multnomah County Charter Review Committee voted Wednesday to add a campaign reform ballot measure to the November ballot.

Voters will decide whether the county should amend its charter to limit campaign contributions from individuals to $500 per person per cycle for county races. The measure would also require candidates to disclose their five largest contributors on political advertisements.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has announced a project with the University of California and California Forward to update the Political Reform Act (PRA).

The FPPC plans to submit revisions based on public input from this project to the Legislature in 2017. A webinar is scheduled for Thursday, July 14, at 10 a.m. with FPPC Chair Jodi Remke to discuss the project. Interested persons can register for the webinar at www.cafwd.org/PRAtalk.

Jersey City Councilman Michael Yun has proposed changes to the city’s pay-to-play laws.

The changes would broaden the laws to include the city’s autonomous agencies as well as restrict some vendors from contributing to city elected officials seeking higher office. The proposal would also extend the ban on no-bid city contracts, from one year to four years, for those who contribute more than $300 to a candidate.

Yun, a longtime critic of Mayor Steve Fulop, claims the changes are meant to close loopholes in the current law and not to target Fulop. In the past, Fulop’s donors have received large contracts with the city Municipal Utilities Authority, an autonomous agency not bound by current pay-to-play rules. Fulop is also rumored to be considering a 2017 gubernatorial run.

Yun submitted his proposal to corporation counsel for review and hopes to receive initial approval from council at its July 13 meeting.

Photo of Jersey City by David Jones on Wikimedia Commons.

Ohio Sen. Kris Jordan recently introduced a bill to eliminate special elections in February and August.

His proposal is the result of historically low voter turnout in Ohio special elections. Fewer than 10 percent of residents usually participate in any special election, and an election can cost the state $4 to $6 million.

An attempt to place an initiative on the November ballot to overhaul state campaign finance and ethics regulations has failed.

The Keep Idaho Elections Accountable campaign, chaired by Democrat Holli Woodings, failed to collect the 48,000 signatures needed, coming up roughly 6,000 short. The initiative would have changed contribution limits, created stricter penalties for violations, and prohibited lobbyists from giving gifts valued at more than $50.

The group collected 79,000 signatures, but many were disqualified due to a lack of a current address.

Today, the 2016 Rhode Island Lobby Reform Act was celebrated at a ceremonial signing during a State House Library ceremony.

“This legislation provides the public with the means to easily discern who is lobbying for what, as well as, giving the Secretary of the State the means to root out those who are undermining the democratic process through unethical lobbying behavior,” said Sen. Lynch Prata, one of the bill’s sponsors, according to a State House press release.

Senate Bill 2361 and House Bill 7388, both officially signed into law on June 13, repeal the current lobbying laws in Title 22 and Title 42 in the state’s statutes and enact the Rhode Island Lobbying Reform Act. Among the changes in the bills are the simplification of lobbyists’ reporting requirements, an increase in penalties for failing to comply with lobbying requirements, and the allowance for more investigative and administrative authority for enforcing the lobbying laws, including administrative subpoena power.

The effective date for the two bills is January 1, 2017.

The Executive Branch Ethics Commission has launched a new payment application for the 2016 lobbyist employer registration fee.

The application is available on any mobile device; however, updated registration statements must be submitted directly to the Ethics Commission.

Payments may be made through the application from July 1 to July 31.

The Urban County Council is reviewing proposed changes to Lexington, Kentucky’s ethics act. The changes would be the first major overhaul of the act since 1994, when it was first enacted.

Among the proposals, the mayor will be given sole authority to appoint members of the ethics commission, with confirmation by the Council, and same-sex and domestic partners will be included in the financial disclosure requirements and prohibition against nepotism. The issue of lobbyist registration was also discussed but was dismissed because most people speaking to the council are private citizens rather than paid lobbyists.

No vote was held, but the changes will be discussed again at the Council’s November meeting.

Photo of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Building by Nyttend on Wikimedia Commons.

Lawmakers in Montana rejected a request for a special legislative session to address the state’s campaign finance laws.

Ten legislators called for a special session to address the law controlling contribution limits. In May, a U.S. District Court found Montana’s current law concerning political contribution limits unconstitutional. The ruling reinstated most contribution limits in place before the statute was enacted.

In order to convene the special session, 76 lawmakers, just over half the 150 total number of legislators, needed to agree to the special session. However, only 20 legislators voted in favor of a special session. Montana Public Radio reports Sen. Cary Smith, a supporter of the special session, as saying, “I know the standard is high to call a special session, and that we will be back in session in 2017 and be able to work on this issue.”

Photo of the Montana State Capitol by Maksim on Wikimedia Commons.

For the second year in a row, the General Assembly adjourned on June 30, the final day of the regular session, and entered into a special session through the early hours of July 1, 2016.

Gov. Jack Markell signed the budget bill at 5:15 a.m. Friday, marking the end of the state’s legislative proceedings for the year.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has asked Gov. Kate Brown to introduce legislation in 2017 to strengthen lobbying registration requirements. The commission wants to crack down on the registration exception that allows persons spending less than 24 hours or $100 on lobbying per quarter to avoid registering as lobbyists.

Brown has until December 9, 2016 to review proposals from state agencies and file bills for the 2017 session.

The North Carolina Legislature adjourned its short session on Friday, July 1, 2016. The session lasted almost 10 weeks with the biggest accomplishment being the passage of the state budget.

The next regular session is not scheduled until January 2017.

Photo of the North Carolina State Legislative Building by Jayron32 on Wikimedia Commons.

The Frederick County Ethics Commission is working to revise its standard ethics procedures and will accept comments and suggestions via email through July 27, 2016.

The following items are among the proposed changes: to establish standard procedures for filing ethics complaints; adopting a process for investigating complaints, including outlining appropriate behavior for commission members during this process; adding provisions for the issuance and enforcement of subpoenas; developing procedures for reconsidering or revising advisory opinions; and requiring annual training in ethics law for all public officials and their employees.

The commission will vote on the revised procedures on August 10.