The group Fair Districts for Summit County has proposed a charter amendment to create an independent commission responsible for the approval of redistricting plans. Should the amendment gain enough signatures to get on the November ballot and be passed by voters, the redistricting would take effect in 2016.

Ten Democratic council members have sponsored legislation opposing the amendment, claiming the changes are attempts to gerrymander districts to benefit Republicans and weaken the importance of Akron in county council districts.

The council is introducing its own charter amendment to create a redistricting commission, but any redistricting changes would take place after the 2020 U.S. Census.

Lawmakers returned Monday, July 20, 2015 for a one-day, constitutionally mandated session to consider overrides of the governor’s vetoes.

Democratic majority leaders of both chambers announced there was not enough support for any such override, stating it would be best to revisit any points of contention during the next regular session.

Photo of the Connecticut State Capitol by jglazer75 on Wikimedia Commons.

A special election for the Massachusetts 2nd Plymouth and Bristol Senatorial District has been called to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Thomas Kennedy. The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on October 6, 2015. The general election will follow on November 3, 2015.

The United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court ruling granting a preliminary injunction against a Delaware campaign finance law requiring sponsors of third-party advertisements to disclose the identities of their donors.

Specifically, Section 8031 of the Delaware Election Disclosures Act, which became effective January 1, 2012, requires any person who makes an expenditure for a third-party advertisement exceeding $500 during an election period to file a report with the Elections Commission, including the names and addresses of each person who has made contributions to the sponsor of the third-party advertisements exceeding $100.

The Third Circuit ruled the lower court abused its discretion in granting the injunction. The Delaware Department of Elections may now enforce section 8031.

Seal of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by Djwalsh3 on Wikimedia Commons.

The San Diego City Council Budget Committee approved a proposal to increase lobbyist registration fees. Under the proposal, the fees will increase from $40 to $150. Annual registration fees paid by clients who hire lobbyists would also increase from $15 to $30.

This increase will be the first since the enactment of lobbyist registration fees in 2008. The proposal must be approved by the full council, scheduled to meet again in September. If approved, the proposal would take effect in January.

Photo of the San Diego skyline courtesy of Tomcio77 on Wikimedia Commons.

On July 14, 2015, the Anchorage Assembly voted 7-3 to move the regular 2017 city elections from November back to April. Last year the city Assembly voted to change city elections from April to November in the hopes of boosting voter turnout.

Members of the Assembly who supported the reversal based their votes on a number of issues ranging from logistics to preventing local candidate campaigns from being overshadowed by state and federal campaigns.

The Maine Legislature adjourned the first session of the 127th Legislature sine dine Thursday, July 16, 2015.

The session was marked by controversy, including an historic number of vetoes issued by Gov. Paul LePage. The governor acknowledged many of the vetoes were retaliatory after legislators rejected most of his policy initiatives.

Today, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled campaign finance regulations for coordinated expenditures are limited only to expenditures made for “express advocacy and its functional equivalent.” Express advocacy is a communication expressly advocating for the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate.

In Wisconsin v. Peterson, the court held the state’s legal definition of political purposes, upon which the campaign finance regulations rely, is unconstitutionally overbroad. Instead of invalidating the entire statute, the court narrowed the definition to expenditures for express advocacy and its functional equivalent, thereby rejecting the argument that in cases where there is not express advocacy the “coordinated expenditures constitute disguised contributions to the candidate or candidate’s campaign committee.”

Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is calling a special session of the General Assembly on August 17, 2015, to comply with a court order requiring legislators to redraw the state’s congressional map.

Last month, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 for a second time Virginia must redraw the state’s congressional map by September 1, 2015. The court found the current map draws too many black residents into the 3rd Congressional District, which dilutes voting strength in other districts.

Republican leaders have asked the court to extend the deadline to November 16, 2015, in order to allow time for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Alabama Legislature convened a special session Monday, July 13, 2015, only to recess until August 3, 2015. The Senate was in session for a total of 19 minutes and the House was in session for less than 30 minutes.

Legislators claimed the timing of the special session was rushed, so they were unprepared to consider the governor’s proposed budget.

Lawmakers will reconvene the session on August 3 with the intent of passing a budget.

The Office of the City Clerk has proposed amended rules to chapter 1 of title 51 of the Rules of the City of New York pursuant to the enactment of Local Law 129 of 2013, which amended the city’s lobbying law.

The rules propose the following: set forth the procedure for enrolling in e-Lobbyist; define the roles of principal officer, designee, and compliance officer; provide requirements for retainers and authorization letters; indicate when filing extensions may be obtained; set forth the procedures for obtaining a waiver of late filing penalties; establish enforcement procedures; and create an amnesty program.

The amnesty program sets forth eligibility criteria for lobbyists and clients who have not previously complied with the city’s lobbying law, allowing such individuals to come into compliance without penalty for a given period of time.

A public hearing was held and the proposed rules are still under consideration by the Lobbying Bureau.

The Washington Legislature adjourned its third special session on Friday, July 10, 2015, after approving legislation to fund construction for new infrastructure.

The 2015 legislative session was scheduled to last 105 days, but at adjournment of the third special session, tallied well over 170 days, making it the longest session in state history.

Photo of the Washington State Capitol building by Nikopoley on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Robert Bentley has called a special legislative session to convene Monday, July 13, 2015. Bentley originally planned to call a special session to convene in mid-August or after Labor Day to give lawmakers an opportunity to make summer plans for June and July. Many legislators are frustrated with the abrupt timing of the special session.

Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard sent an email to members of the House detailing a plan to convene the special session on Monday and then immediately adjourn until August 3, 2015. Such a maneuver would keep the clock running on the special session, which by statute may only last 30 days, giving legislators approximately a week to come back into session on August 3.

Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 64, the biennial budget, on June 30. In addition to making $71 billion in appropriations, the bill modifies existing ethics and campaign finance laws. The bill authorizes the creation of a “Teacher of the Year” designation and allows a recipient of the award to receive gifts or privileges as part of the recognition program. In addition, the bill allows a person or entity to make contributions to the program without violating ethics laws.

House Bill 64 also permits nonprofit corporations designated as tax-exempt business organizations (i.e., 501(c)(6) organizations) to transfer portions of dues payments from its unincorporated member businesses to the organization’s political action committee (PAC). Prior to House Bill 64, campaign finance law banned a corporation from using its own funds, even those raised by dues, to aid any PAC, including its own.