On October 28, 2015, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called a special session of the Legislature to meet on the same day at 8 p.m. In anticipation of the session, lawmakers had met to create bills dealing with education funding in the state and to authorize a special election for the May 2016 consolidated election date. Once the bills were ready, Ducey issued the proclamation for a special session and tweeted a picture of the proclamation on his twitter account.

Photo of the Arizona State Capitol by Jeff Dean on Wikimedia Commons.

Dianna Duran resigned as New Mexico’s Secretary of State late Thursday evening, the day before she was due to appear in court on embezzlement and other charges. Duran previously pleaded not guilty to allegations she funneled campaign funds into personal accounts and later used those funds at area casinos.

Her guilty plea, entered this morning, can be withdrawn if the judge decides to impose a prison sentence. The plea agreement requires Duran to pay $14,000 in restitution to campaign donors and to undergo treatment for gambling addiction.

A spokesman for the governor’s office stated Deputy Secretary of State Mary Quintana will serve as acting secretary of state until the governor can make an appointment.

On January 5, 2016, a special election will be held to fill the Rhode Island Senate District 11 seat left vacant by Sen. Christopher Scott Ottiano. Ottiano, whose district covers Bristol, Portsmouth, and Tiverton, resigned on October 13 to work exclusively as an associate medical director at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island. On October 14, Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea announced if more than one candidate from either party qualifies for the ballot, a primary election will be held on December 1, 2015.

According to the Chicago Board of Ethics, unions representing city employees should not be bound by the city’s pay-to-play limits. Current campaign finance law bars vendors from contributing an aggregate amount exceeding $1,500 to any elected city official during a reporting year.

The Board ruled a collective bargaining agreement with the city is not the same as an agreement between the city and a private vendor providing goods or services because a labor union is not doing or seeking to do business with the city.

The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission has approved the publication of a proposal amending lobbyist registration and reporting obligations. The proposal would require governmental affairs agents and represented entities to file all lobbying forms and reports electronically. A registration number and PIN supplied by the Commission would act as an electronic signature and acknowledgement for forms and reports submitted electronically.

Furthermore, when a group of individuals, each registered as a governmental affairs agent, together represents more than one entity, the group will be able to file a notice of representation for a represented entity on behalf of the group. Notice of termination filed by such a group would need to indicate whether termination applies the entire group or to a specific governmental affairs agent.

Additionally, the proposal would require any changes to the notice of representation to be made by electronically filing an amendment. Lastly, the proposal would also require an individual registering as a governmental affairs agent for the first time to personally appear in Commission offices to submit the annual fee and required photographs.

The proposed amendments were published in the New Jersey Register on October 19, 2015, and will be the subject of a public hearing on December 15. If approved following the public hearing, the amendments are expected to go into effect in early February.

Sioux Falls City Clerk Lorie Hogstad brought a proposal before City Council to eliminate the $5,000 cap on contributions from political action committees in an attempt to clear up confusion between state and local election laws. While most of the city’s election rules already mirror state laws, the new proposal would simply remove duplicative sections in local election law and refer instead to the state’s provisions. It would also entirely remove contribution limits specific to the city.

Proponents do not believe the proposal will have much impact on city elections, as the elections are nonpartisan and PACs have historically never reached the $5,000 limit.

The proposed changes are slated for council adoption on November 2, 2015.

Photo of downtown Sioux Falls by Jon Platek on Wikimedia Commons.

Pittsburgh City Council has passed an ordinance to overhaul city campaign finance rules. Introduced by Councilman Dan Gilman in September, the bill raises contribution limits to those imposed by the Federal Election Commission for federal elections, eliminates an exemption voiding limits if a candidate gives more than $50,000 to his or her own campaign, and removes a loophole allowing candidates to accept donations for the primary and general elections at the same time.

The ordinance will take effect on November 4, 2015, the day after election day.

Photo of the Pittsburgh City-County Building by Leepaxton at Wikimedia Commons.

The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust gave its support for a proposed City of Miami Beach ordinance amending campaign finance rules. The ordinance, if passed, would prohibit the mayor and city commissioners, as well as candidates for those offices, from soliciting contributions on behalf of PACs donating to city candidates. The change would be in addition to the prohibition on city vendors, lobbyists, and real estate developers from making contributions.

The proposed amendment, from Commissioner Jonah Wolfson, is in response to an investigation into $1.5 million raised by a PAC established by Wolfson and Mayor Philip Levine. The contributions were from local businesses and lobbyists.

The Office of the City Clerk has published new rules to the city’s lobbying law following a public comment period and summerlong review by the Law Department. The rules require a lobbyist or client to designate a principal officer to electronically file the registration and reports by enrollment in the city’s online e-Lobbyist system.

While the rules allow for a designee or compliance officer to assist the principal officer in completing reports, they prohibit a principal officer from sharing his or her e-Lobbyist password. The rules also detail the procedure for enrolling in e-Lobbyist; provide requirements for retainers and authorization letters; indicate when filing extensions may be obtained; provide procedures for obtaining a waiver of late filing penalties; establish enforcement procedures; and create an amnesty program. The amnesty program would allow certain violators of the lobby law to come into compliance without penalty if meeting the eligibility criteria.

The rules are effective November 4, 2015.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) created a six-month amnesty program to help lobbyists and clients of lobbyists comply with the New York Lobbying Act. This program will assist those who have never turned in required filings.

To be eligible to participate, the lobbyist or client cannot have previously been contacted by JCOPE for failure to comply, or been subject to criminal proceedings concerning a violation of the Lobbying Act.

The program will run from January 1 to June 30, 2016.

On Thursday, October 8^th, The Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG), in conjunction with Women in Government, hosted a luncheon featuring Minnesota Senate President Sandy Pappas as the keynote speaker.  The luncheon was held at Carmine’s Restaurant, and is the second event as part of WASRG’s Fall State Legislator Luncheon Series .

Speaking to an audience of approximately 40 state and federal government affairs professionals, President Pappas discussed key issues involving women in the workforce, such as pay equity, family and medical leave, and the importance of having women seek careers in public office.  WASRG’s Fall State Legislator Luncheon Series will continue through December.

You’ll find more information on this and other WASRG events here.

Photo of Minnesota Senate President Sandy Pappas courtesy of Bobamnertiopsis on Wikimedia Commons.

Today Peggy Nighswonger, the Elections Director with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office, resigned from her position. Nighswonger, who oversaw elections, campaign finance disclosure and election laws, and ethics for the state, “stepped down amid ‘differences in philosophy’ with Secretary of State Ed Murray, who was elected last year,” according to a report in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

Columbus mayoral candidate Andrew Ginther recently proposed a plan for new ethics rules for lobbyists and elected officials. His plan would amend the definition of lobbyist and expand lobbyist reporting requirements. Elected officials would be required to report all gifts received as well as participate in annual ethics training. The plan would also require additional disclosure in city campaign finance filings beyond the requirements already set by state law.

Ginther, president of Columbus City Council, faces Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott in the November election; Scott also has a plan for tightening restrictions on lobbyists and proposing gift rules.

On November 19, the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) will consider a proposed regulation concerning the procedures for notification of enforcement complaints. The proposals to be heard at the public hearing will include a revised policy for media and public record inquiries. The FPPC is accepting written comments submitted to the Commission offices no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 17, 2015. The notice for the proposed regulatory changes can be accessed here.