A revolving door ban, prohibiting legislators from serving in office one day and returning as lobbyists the next, has been a priority for the Missouri General Assembly as it considers sweeping ethics reform legislation.

The House passed a bill earlier in the year barring lawmakers from lobbying for one year after leaving office. The Senate removed the waiting period and wanted legislators to simply finish their respective terms before becoming lobbyists.

After months of deliberation and negotiation, a conference committee reached an agreement Wednesday both sides are likely to approve. The compromise would prohibit legislators from working as paid lobbyists for six months after their terms expire.

If both houses approve the committee’s recommendations, the bill will be sent to Gov. Jay Nixon for final approval.

Photo of the Missouri State Capitol by Nickbigd on Wikimedia Commons.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed into law a bill requiring lobbyists to file registration statements within three business days of commencing or ceasing representation of a client. The bill also requires each person employing a lobbyist to sign a designation of official authorization to lobby within 10 calendar days after the lobbyist files the registration statement.

The bill has an emergency clause making it effective immediately; however, the bill states it applies to lobbyist registration statements filed on or after January 1, 2017.

The 90th Arkansas General Assembly entered its second extraordinary session on Wednesday, April 6, to consider Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s Medicaid proposal. Hutchinson believes the proposal can expand the state’s Medicaid program while also encouraging recipients to stay employed and to take responsibility for their health care.

The legislature’s fiscal session is slated to convene on Wednesday, April 13.

Photo of Arkansas State Capitol Building by Stuart Seeger on Wikimedia Commons.

The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a Mississippi campaign finance law requiring individuals or groups to report expenditures of $200 or more to support or oppose a ballot measure.

Five residents of Mississippi sued the state in 2011, claiming the reporting requirement was too burdensome and infringed on their rights of free speech and association.

A federal judge agreed, stating such requirements overly burdened smaller groups, but was overturned on appeal.

Kaua`i County lobbyists will soon be required to register with the county clerk within five days of engaging in lobbying. The mayor signed a new lobbying ordinance on March 30, after council unanimously adopted the measure the week before. The ordinance defines a lobbyist as one who is compensated for more than five hours in any month to communicate with a state or county officer or employee with the purpose of influencing any legislative or administrative action.

Spending more than $750 on lobbying during any reporting period will require registration even if the five-hour threshold is not met. Lobbyists, lobbyist employers, and individuals spending $750 or more on lobbying must file an annual statement of expenditures on or before January 31, covering the previous calendar year.

A violation of the lobbying ordinance may result in an administrative fine for each violation, as well as suspension or revocation of lobbyist registration. The lobbying ordinance is effective July 28, 2016.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe will soon set a special election to fill the District 1 seat of the state senate. Sen. John Miller, who passed away Monday, leaves the seat open less than a year into a four-year term.

Given the state’s rules on when special elections can be held, the November 8 general election is the date the governor will most likely choose. District 1, a historically Democratic-leaning district, encompasses several areas including Newport News, Hampton, and Suffolk.

Sen. Miller won the seat last year by more than 5,700 votes.

The Portland City Council will consider adopting new ethics reform measures to broaden the revolving door prohibition to two years, and increase the penalties associated with repeated ethics violations. The proposal would also close a loophole in registration requirements, requiring lobbying entities that spend more than $1,000 a quarter on lobbying activities to register.

A separate ordinance requiring political consultants working with Portland politicians to meet certain reporting and registration requirements will also be considered.

The new ordinances will be introduced at the council meeting on April 13, 2016.

State and Federal Communications is excited to be a Bronze Sponsor of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Legislative Reception in Columbus, Ohio on April 5, 2016! The keynote speaker for the event is former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner.

State and Federal Communications President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz and a team from the company are in attendance.

The Kentucky Registry of Election Finance (KREF) cannot enforce the state’s constitutional prohibition on corporate contributions, according to a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove concluded the rule to be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause because it prohibits corporate contributions while allowing other organizations, such as labor unions, to make contributions.

The case, Protect My Check, Inc. v. Dilger, grew out of right-to-work legislation. Labor unions who opposed the bill were allowed to make political contributions while a non-profit corporation, in favor of the measure, were not. The judge, however, rejected a First Amendment, free speech argument for allowing political contributions.

KREF stated it is still reviewing the opinion and is weighing its options.

On March 31, a bill overhauling campaign finance passed by the Arizona Legislature was signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey. Among the changes to the state’s law, Senate Bill 1516 allows groups registered with the IRS as “social welfare” organizations to withhold disclosing donor information, removes spending caps on expenditures for political fundraisers, and allows for candidate to candidate transfers of campaign funds.

“When it comes to free speech and participation in the democratic process, our laws should reflect the goal of making it easier for more citizens to engage. That’s what this reform package does,” the Albuquerque Journal reports Ducey as saying. The law becomes effective January 1, 2017.

A special election for House District 162, held on March 29, 2016, is headed for a runoff after no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote. Voters will return to the polls on April 26, 2016 to choose between Rev. Carl Gilliard and Alicia Blakely.

The winner will become the office’s incumbent for the May 24 primary. Josey Sheppard, Jr., who came in third, plans to run against Gilliard and Blakely in the May primary to determine who will hold the seat for the 2017-2018 term, as all three are running as Democrats.

Citing burnout from over 18 years of elections work, Director of Arkansas Elections Rob Hammons has turned in his resignation to the secretary of state’s office. Assistant Director Leslie Bellamy has taken over as the interim director.

The Elections Division is responsible for maintaining elections records, assisting county officials with conducting elections, and ensuring compliance with federal election laws.

A bill prohibiting communications between members of California’s Coastal Commission and lobbyists during the 24 hour period before commission hearings has passed in committee. The Committee on Elections and Redistricting approved Assembly Bill 2002, getting lawmakers one step closer to making state commissions more transparent.

AB 2002 is one of six bills currently in the legislature aimed at shedding light on state boards and commissions. All of the proposed bills must still pass floor votes in both houses.

The Wisconsin Senate announced this month it is unlikely to meet again this year, bringing an unofficial end to a two-year session. Both houses of the legislature may choose to reconvene for a brief floor period in April.

The legislature made several significant strides while in session, including partially eliminating the state’s prevailing wage, passing a contentious budget, replacing the Government Accountability Board with ethics and elections commissions, and overhauling state campaign finance laws.