In California, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved a contract with NetFile Inc. to create a new electronic filing system for campaign finance reporting.

The new system is supposed to be more user friendly, which will increase transparency and allow the public to more easily access campaign finance data.

Electronic filing is not mandatory and the county will still accept paper filings.

The West Virginia Legislature passed a budget bill Thursday that is being sent to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s desk.

Upon the bill’s passage on the 13th day of a special session, the Legislature decided to recess the session until June 12.

The governor is expected to veto the bill. The state faces a potential government shutdown if a budget is not approved before July 1.

The California Assembly passed AB 2523 on Thursday.

The bill would limit campaign contributions to $4,200 in local governments that do not already have established campaign contribution limits. The bill includes a provision for local governments to reject the limit if local voters agree.

The bill passed 43-15 and is being sent to the Senate.

On June 22, lobbyists in Texas will be required to include previously excluded types of compensation when reporting lobbyist activity. On June 1, the Texas Ethics Commission adopted rules changing some regulations.

One regulation currently allows for compensation exceptions for purposes of calculating the threshold requiring registration as a lobbyist. Those same exceptions were also exempted from lobbyist activity reporting. Effective June 22, those exceptions for calculating the registration threshold remain, but registered lobbyists will now have to report those types of compensation.

Additionally, the Ethics Commission enacted a rule narrowing the gift exemption for permissible fact-finding trips provided to government officials and employees by lobbyists.

Mountain View City Council approved the introduction of new campaign finance rules aimed at increasing transparency.

The ordinance establishes an electronic filing system for campaign finance documents and creates new rules for independent expenditures and disclosures on political advertisements.

The ordinance is set for a second reading on June 14, 2016. If passed, the measure will become effective 30 days after adoption.

The second regular session of the 121st South Carolina General Assembly adjourned Thursday, June 2.

The Legislature is expected to return for a special session on Wednesday, June 15, and may continue in statewide session, if necessary, until not later than June 22.

Prior to adjournment, both houses were working to reach an agreement on an ethics reform bill requiring complaints against legislators to be independently investigated. Senate Judiciary Chairman Larry Martin is optimistic a compromise can pass during the upcoming special session.

On June 1, the New Hampshire Legislature adjourned its final full day in session. Recessed until the next call of the chair by the House and Senate, the legislative body may meet again for a veto session in the fall. When lawmakers meet to organize in December for the 2017 legislative session, the 2016 session will then be adjourned sine die.

Gov. Larry Hogan has appointed his top legislative lobbyist, Joseph M. Getty, to the Court of Appeals.

Getty has extensive policy making experience, previously serving in both the House of Delegates and Senate, but has never before worked as a judge.

The appointment is effective immediately, but Getty must still be confirmed by the Senate, which will not meet until next year’s General Assembly session.

Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley is requesting the county attorney investigate donations to the political action committee (PAC) New Mexicans for New Mexico, which is supporting County Commission candidates Steven Michael Quezada and Robert Chavez.

There is a $1,000 cap for contributions from people doing business with Bernalillo County, but disclosure reports reveal owners of businesses with city contracts donating to the PAC in amounts exceeding the limit.

The matter has been referred to the county’s ethics commission for further investigation.

Gov. Mark Dayton has outlined several conditions legislators must meet before he will call a special legislative session.

In a letter sent to House and Senate leaders, Dayton indicates they must agree on several points in the priority subjects of transportation, taxes, and numerous omissions in supplemental budget and bonding bills before he will call the session.

Several lawmakers have requested a special session after the Legislature recessed last month without passing an important bonding bill, but only Dayton has the authority to call the session.

The Kansas Legislature has adjourned its 2016 session sine die today, June 1, 2016.

Following a decision by the state’s Supreme Court disapproving of how funding is distributed among public schools, many were expecting lawmakers to take action during its typically ceremonial session. Senate leaders, however, blocked any consideration of a school funding bill, causing both houses to adjourn the session.

Gov. Sam Brownback will now have to call a special session if any changes will be made prior to a court-imposed deadline of June 30. Many Republican senators, however, are pledging to defy the court’s ruling.

Photo of the dome of the Kansas State Capitol by Aviper2k7 on Wikimedia Commons.

Denver Councilman Kevin Flynn is drafting legislation to amend the city ethics code.

His proposal will establish a monetary gift limit. Officials or employees in a position to take action benefiting a donor would be prohibited from accepting more than $250 from a donor in each calendar year.

Other proposed ethics changes may appear in a ballot initiative set to be finalized soon. The measure may include lower campaign contribution limits for local candidates and a ban on corporate contributions, as well as create a public financing system for local elections.

Proponents of the system argue it would provide incentive for candidates to build wider bases of funding support from small-dollar donors. The Denver Board of Ethics has been discussing changes to city ethics laws for nearly two years.

Sen. Robert Ortt has introduced a new plan to fight corruption in the Legislature.

His “Shake up the Status Quo” plan aims to fight corruption by combining elements from several recent bills into a single bill with three planks: pension forfeiture for elected officials convicted of corruption charges; term limits; and additional ethics oversight.

Although Ortt is optimistic the bill can pass before the Legislature adjourns, only nine days are left in the legislative session.

The Alaska Legislature reached a bipartisan budget deal Tuesday, May 31.

The bill was approved nine days into the special session that was called when lawmakers could not produce a budget during the 121-day regular extended session.

It is unclear whether Gov. Bill Walker will sign the bill. Alaska faces a government shutdown if a budget is not adopted by July 1, and lawmakers were feeling the pressure to approve a budget before June 1 to stop the governor’s administration from sending 30-day layoff warnings to state employees.