Gov. Rick Scott has announced the special election dates to fill the Florida House District 64 seat. The special primary will be on February 10, 2015 with the special general set for April 21.

The seat remains vacant following the House’s rejection of the results from November’s election. An appeals court ruled a write-in candidate, Daniel John Matthews, was wrongfully removed from the November ballot.

The non-binding election results showed incumbent Republican Jamie Grant with 59.5 percent of the vote.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster will no longer accept campaign contributions from anyone under investigation by his office. He will also refuse to accept contributions from lobbyists, lawyers, or law firms who represent them. In addition, he will no longer take gifts of any value from registered lobbyists.

Koster announced the self-imposed policy last week after a New York Times report alleged he was influenced by lobbyists and campaign donations.

Attorneys general from around the country are now also considering possible voluntary changes in ethics policies.

On December 1, 2014 Bill Walker will be sworn in as Alaska’s governor. If you are planning involvement in inaugural events, be aware of the gift and campaign finance laws.

Lobbyists and non-lobbyists may provide legislators with tickets or contributions to a preapproved charity event with an annual aggregate value of less than $250.

Executive branch officials are prohibited from accepting gifts that may improperly influence the official. A gift from a lobbyist to a public official or to an immediate family member is presumed to be intended to influence the performance of official duties unless the giver is an immediate family member of the person receiving the gift. Occasional gifts of $50 or less from a non-lobbyist are presumed not to improperly influence.

Corporate contributions are prohibited in Alaska. Additionally, candidates are unable to use campaign funds for inaugural expenses until they receive an opinion from APOC designating inaugural activities as reasonably related to their political campaign. Use caution if asked to make contributions for inaugural events.

Hawaii’s Governor-Elect, David Ige, is scheduled to be inaugurated on December 1, 2014. There are several things to keep in mind if you are considering involvement in inaugural events.

In Hawaii neither lobbyists nor non-lobbyists are permitted to provide event tickets to state legislators or employees.

If you intend to make a contribution to defray inaugural expenses, keep in mind contributions made or accepted for that purpose are subject to ordinary contribution limits. Individuals, partnerships, noncandidate committees, parties, associations, corporations, business entities, organizations, and labor unions may contribute up to $6,000 per election period to a candidate for a four-year statewide office.

For the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, the four-year contribution period ended on election day. Contributions made to a candidate’s committee on or after November 5, 2014, will count towards the 2018 election period limits.

The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has made adjustments to the gift and campaign contribution limits by adopting amendments to state regulations. The adjusted annual gift limit for covered candidates, officers, and employees will increase from $440 to $460.

Contribution limits will increase to $4,200 from $4,100 for candidates to the Legislature, the Board of Administration of the Public Employees Retirement System, and the Teachers’ Retirement Board.

The new limits are based on changes to the consumer price index and effective for the period from January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2016.

City Council voted November 18 to remove portions of the city’s Campaign Reform Act. Ordinance 14-0926 allows candidates to deposit large contributions before obtaining donor information and to transfer contributions to other candidates. Both practices are currently allowed by the state, but prohibited by city law.

The ordinance would also adjust contribution limits on January 1 of odd numbered years, rounded to the nearest $100. Currently, limits are adjusted in even numbered years to the nearest $50.

The ordinance takes effect 31 days following approval by Mayor Robert Garcia.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a Mississippi campaign finance disclosure law, reversing the district court’s ruling. The case, Justice v. Hosemann, focused on a law requiring persons or groups who spend more than $200 in support or opposition to a ballot initiative to register and report contributions and expenditures.

The district court ruled this unconstitutional, however, the Fifth Circuit, applying an “exacting scrutiny” standard, found the disclosure requirements were substantially related to the state’s interest of keeping the voters informed.

Plaintiffs in the case have until November 28 to seek a rehearing before the full Fifth Circuit or until February 12 to seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

On Monday, the Akron City Council rules committee voted to wait to make changes to the city’s campaign contribution limits.

Council President Gary Moneypenny’s proposal would have increased the limits for mayoral and council candidates by $100.

Former Councilman Warner Mendenhall, who promoted a petition for the original contribution limits in 1998, protested the proposed changes during the afternoon committee meeting.

The ethics panel recently assembled by Gov. Terry McAuliffe has assembled its recommendations for reforming laws covering gifts and conflicts of interest. The panel recommended a $250 gift limit to public officials as well as creating a new ethics review commission with the power to investigate complaints and hand out penalties for violations.

Other recommendations include requiring electronic filing of disclosure forms and prohibiting board and commission members from voting on matters affecting their interests.

The panel will formally submit its recommendations to the governor on December 1.

Lawmakers have prefiled a bill to clarify new ethics laws contained in a constitutional amendment passed by voters on November 4, 2014.

The amendment prohibits lobbyist gifts and corporate contributions, but the Ethics Commission needs further legislative authority to enforce the constitutional changes.

Democratic Rep. Warwick Sabin and Republican Sen. Jon Woods filed House Bill 1002 as a shell bill, without any specific proposals, to publicize the issue ahead of the session start date on January 12, 2015.

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

A legislative committee has voted to table a draft bill to expand disclosure requirements for political independent expenditure groups. The bill would require a group to report an independent expenditure if it “directly or indirectly” advocated for the election or defeat of a candidate.

Current law requires reporting only if the expenditure “expressly” advocates for the election or defeat of a candidate. A majority of the Joint Corporations, Elections, and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee decided the language was overly broad.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board has proposed rules regulating political contributions by text message. The rules set forth the eligibility requirements for public funds matching of text message contributions, the process of record keeping requirements for such contributions, and requirements of contributors to certify their identities when making text message contributions.

The rules are open for public comment until November 20, 2014. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, November 24, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.

Gov.-elect Tom Wolf, fresh off of a victorious first campaign for public office, is already taking steps to ensure the ethical conduct of his administration.

Wolf is requiring members of his transition team to sign a code of conduct including a ban on accepting gifts, one he plans to extend to the entire executive branch upon taking office.

The pledge also includes a requirement to disclose current and future conflicts of interest and a promise to not use their position for personal gain.

Photo of Gov.-elect Tom Wolf by Bruestle2 on Wikimedia Commons.

The Akron City Council is considering legislation to increase campaign finance limits for mayoral and council candidates. Limits for mayor and at-large council candidates would increase to $750 and the limit for ward council candidates would increase to $500.

The council is waiting to take action on the legislation until after public hearings have been held. Hearings will take place at the Rules Committee meeting and at the regular council meeting later today.

The 10 ward council seats, the three at-large council seats, and the mayoral seat will all be on the 2015 election ballot.