Last week, Gov. Matt Bevin signed a revenue bill including changes for executive agency lobbyists. House Bill 80 contains a provision increasing the registration fee for lobbying executive agencies from $125 to $500 beginning July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018.

The change was included in a last-minute amendment by the Senate on the final day of the legislative session. The Executive Branch Ethics Commission had been pushing hard during the closing days of the session to increase the fee, fearing a budget short-fall would result in cuts to the Commission’s staff.

The 2016 session of the 87th General Assembly adjourned on Friday, April 29, 2016.

The House and Senate have agreed to continue state funding for Planned Parenthood clinics and to double the state tax credit for adoptions.

Legislators also approved a state budget of $7.35 billion, effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017.

The Washington Attorney General’s Office has been asked to give an informal opinion as to whether initiative campaigns need to disclose top five donors on signature gathering petitions. This request comes from Senator Pam Roach, who is taking issue with the Public Disclosure Commission’s advice for initiative campaigns to disclose top donors on petitions.

State law requires political committees to include their five top contributors on political ads about ballot measures that cost $1,000 or more. The issue is whether initiative petitions are advertisements and thus subject to the disclosure requirement. Because this issue arose during an election cycle, the Secretary of State’s Office will accept all valid petition signatures regardless of whether the donors are disclosed.

The second regular session of the 127th Legislature adjourned sine die April 29, 2016.

The statutory adjournment date was April 20, 2016; however, the Legislature spent an additional nine days in session.

Legislators successfully overturned 20 of the 30 vetoes by Gov. Paul LePage.

Photo of the Maine State House by Albany NY on Wikimedia Commons.

With scheduled renovations to begin May 1 at the Alaska Capitol, lawmakers are moving to a new location before continuing to work to fix the state’s multi-billion dollar budget deficit. Constitutionally, the legislature can remain in session for up to 121 days, despite a 90-day limit written into state law after voters passed a ballot initiative in 2008.

Senate President Kevin Meyer wants to remain in Juneau as long as the legislature remains in regular session. Last year, lawmakers moved to Anchorage following Gov. Bill Walker’s call for a special session.

On Wednesday, Walker announced he is prepared to call a special session in Juneau if the budget issue, including his plan for a broad-based tax, cannot be addressed before the 121-day deadline.

David Stewart, the head of a Pennsylvania construction business, pleaded guilty last week, on behalf of one of his businesses, for making illegal campaign contributions. The scheme involved executives at The Stewart Companies being reimbursed by the business for making contributions.

Direct corporate contributions are illegal in Pennsylvania, as are so-called straw donations.

Stewart’s company has been ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution, and Stewart has entered a first-time-offender deferral program but has not admitted any wrongdoing. Among the recipients of these contributions is U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, who is facing a very close race for re-election this fall.

Redondo Beach City Council will consider adopting an ordinance to reform local campaign finance rules. The proposed ordinance will include new campaign contribution limits and a prohibition on nonelection cycle contributions.

The details of the ordinance, including contribution limit amounts, have yet to be narrowed down and will be a topic of consideration at the July 19, 2016 city council meeting. The city currently does not have any campaign contribution limits.

Rep. Ed Henry has collected enough signatures to formally begin an impeachment investigation against Gov. Robert Bentley.

Bentley has declined to step down amid a political scandal involving allegations of misuse of state funds and an affair with a former political adviser.

A judiciary committee will be established within the next few weeks to examine the merits for impeachment.

Photo of Gov. Robert Bentley by Sutherland Boswell on Wikimedia Commons.

The South Carolina Senate passed ethics reform legislation yesterday related to investigations of lawmakers and financial disclosure requirements. One bill gives the State Ethics Commission the authority to investigate legislators accused of ethics violations. The bill also puts eight seats on the commission with four picked by the governor and two picked by each party’s legislative leadership.

Another bill requires lawmakers to disclose the sources of their private income, but falls short of requiring them to disclose the amount of the income. Together, the bills represent the Senate’s first real steps towards ethics reform, despite pushing from the House and the governor for the last four years.

Both houses now need to agree on versions of both bills.

State Sen. Terrence Murphy introduced a bill aiming to better prohibit unlawful campaign contributions and increase penalties for state election law violations. Senate Bill 7381 forbids any person acting on behalf of a public officer, candidate, or political committee from soliciting a contribution to a county or town committee for the benefit of the candidate when a direct contribution to the candidate or committee is unlawful.

The bill also increases the penalty for violations to a felony punishable by one to seven years of incarceration. The legislation responds to public concern following Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2014 fundraising activities.

If the bill is adopted, it will become effective immediately.

The Legislature sent a bill to Gov. Robert Bentley creating an exception to the current revolving door provision of the ethics law. Senate Bill 141 grants an exception to the two-year ban on lobbying for former government officials or employees who retire from public office.

The bill clarifies the ban does apply to former government officials or employees who worked pursuant to a consulting agreement or agency transfer while on loan.

The bill will be effective immediately following approval by Bentley.

The executive director of the newly formed ethics council in Virginia has been removed from this position. Chris Piper was fired from his post at the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council after some legislators claimed they thought he was an attorney when he, in fact, is not. Piper was hired by the Division of Legislative Services and confirmed by the Rules Committee.

This change adds a new twist as Gov. Terry McAuliffe considers further changes to the state’s ethics laws. McAuliffe has not yet announced his intentions.

Lawmakers will return to Raleigh today to begin the 2016 short session of the North Carolina General Assembly. The session is expected to primarily address adjustments needed to the biennial budget.

The session is expected to adjourn in early July.

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

The Michigan election law enacted by last session’s Senate Bill 571 is facing yet another legal challenge. A group of labor unions filed suit against the State of Michigan claiming that the law is unconstitutional.

The contested provision of the law allows corporations to use payroll deductions for employees to make contributions to the business’ political action committee (PAC). The unions claim this is unfair because they are prohibited from using payroll deductions for members to make contributions to union PACs.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after a federal judge in a separate matter found other provisions of this law unconstitutionally vague.