A state judge ordered the Florida Legislature to redraw two congressional districts by August 15, 2014. In Rene Romo, et al v. Ken Detzner, et al, Judge Terry Lewis of the Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee found the redistricting maps drawn by the Legislature for the 5th and 10th Congressional Districts to be created “in contravention of the constitutional mandates” found in Article III, Section 20 of the Florida Constitution.

In addition to a new redistricting map drawn by the Legislature, the secretary of state and the supervisor of elections must present a proposed special election schedule by August 15, 2014.

A hearing is scheduled August 20, 2014, where objections to the proposed map and special election schedule will be heard. The judge is still tasked with determining whether a special election is necessary before a new Congress takes office in January 2015. While it is not an option to use a newly drawn map for the upcoming November 4, 2014, elections, Lewis pointed to the possibility of pushing the general election date back to allow for a special election in 2014 for any affected districts.

Republican leaders are considering an appeal to the ruling. In the interim, Lewis’ ruling forces the Legislature to convene a special session to revise its map by the August 15 deadline.

State Sen. Johnny Key has vacated his seat in order to coordinate lobbying efforts for the University of Arkansas system as the associate vice president for university relations.

Gov. Mike Beebe will not call a special election to fill the empty seat due to the expected costs and logistical hurdles of replacing Key, whose term ends in January 2015.

Scott Flippo won the Republican nomination for the District 17 seat in June and will not have a Democrat challenger in the November election.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called a special legislative session for Thursday, July 31. The session will convene at noon with Christie detailing his recommendations for amendments to the state’s bail system.

Christie is asking the legislators to consider a constitutional amendment allowing judges to deny bail to defendants considered dangerous or a flight risk, as well as legislation offering a non-monetary option for pre-trial release based on a risk assessment.

A constitutional amendment requires voter approval, and the amendment must pass both houses with 60 percent majorities by Monday, August 4, to make it on the ballot in November.

Gov. Jack Markell has called a special legislative session to convene October 8, 2014.

The purpose of the special session is to confirm a new state Supreme Court justice after the abrupt resignation of sitting Justice Carolyn Berger.

The nominee, Leo Shrine, currently sits on the bench of the Delaware Chancery Court.

A libertarian group has filed a lawsuit in federal court to remove the state’s aggregate limit on political contributions. The Liberty Group, on behalf of Dan and Carleen Brophy, sued Secretary of State Max Maxfield claiming the state’s aggregate limit of $25,000 per two-year cycle unconstitutionally restricts free speech.

The state has declined to follow Maryland and Massachusetts in issuing orders not to enforce state law following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.

In June, a majority of the Joint Corporations, Appropriations, and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee voted to order staff to draft a bill repealing a new limit for PAC contributions as well as the existing aggregate limit.

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission voted Wednesday to withhold from the public all financial disclosure statements filed by public officials prior to July 8. The decision came in response to a new law expanding the list of financial disclosure statements to be made publicly available.

More than two dozen volunteer board members resigned since the bill’s passing, citing privacy concerns over the release of information regarding income, investments, real estate holdings, and business interests of members, their spouses, and their dependent children.

Les Kondo, executive director of the Ethics Commission, initially interpreted the law as requiring public disclosure of statements already on file. A state deputy attorney general recently found retroactive application of the law to be inappropriate; the financial information of those who resigned will remain confidential and active members’ statements will not be made public until filing again in 2015.

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County Executive Ken Ulman gave to charity the $34,000 in campaign contributions he received from insurance executive Jeffrey B. Cohen, who was indicted last month on federal fraud charges. Cohen has been accused of misrepresenting the amount of cash his company had available to provide liability insurance to thousands of bars, restaurants, and strip clubs.

Although current Maryland election law requires political contributions to be used only for campaigns, the state Board of Elections issued a waiver. Ulman, who is Democrat Anthony Brown’s running mate for governor, donated Cohen’s contributions to the Maryland Crime Victims Network and the United Way of Central Maryland.

The Ethics Commission will consider adopting draft regulations related to the Lobbyist Ordinance at the next regular meeting on July 28, 2014. The drafts include preparation and research in the definition of “lobbyist services” and count a single conversation with multiple officials as multiple “contacts” for purposes of the new registration threshold.

The new regulations are designed to interpret and otherwise provide guidance concerning recent amendments to the ordinance taking effect on July 26, 2014.

On July 22, 2014, Gov. Jack Markell signed several bills amending Delaware’s campaign finance and lobbying laws. Senate Bill 187 allows political committees to donate prohibited contributions to certain charitable organizations. House Bill 300 protects whistleblowers from employer retaliation for reporting campaign finance violations or participating in the investigation of such violations.

Both Senate Bill 187 and House Bill 300 became effective upon the governor’s signature. House Bill 301 requires contributions given from a joint account, whether by check, debit card, or credit card, to be attributed to the signator of the contribution. Senate Bill 186 requires entities making contributions of more than $100 to disclose the name and address of one responsible party. A responsible party, as defined by the bill, is an individual who exercises control over the entity.

House Bill 301 and Senate Bill 186 are effective January 1, 2015. Also effective January 1, 2015, is House Bill 306, which imposes late filing fees on lobbyists who file late reports. A fee of $25 will be assessed for the first day and $10 for each subsequent day a lobbyist report is delinquent. The maximum late fee allowable is $100. The Public Integrity Commission may waive such late filing fees if it determines circumstances make imposition of the fee inappropriate.

Of the newly minted legislation, Gov. Markell said, “We must always look to improve our laws to strengthen the public’s confidence in the political process.”

Photo of Governor Jack Markell by John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV on Wikimedia Commons.

Under New York ethics regulations, a registered lobbyist, under certain circumstances, must report the names of each source of funding of more than $5,000 from a single source used to fund the lobbying activity reported and the amounts received from each identified source. The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) can grant an exemption to this disclosure requirement if such disclosure would put contributors at risk of harm, threats, harassment, or reprisals.

Recently, the JCOPE denied an exemption to Family Planning Advocates, the New York Women’s Equality Coalition, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, and the New York Civil Liberties Union. The groups appealed the ruling to an independent judicial hearing officer who must determine whether the denial of an exemption was clearly erroneous in view of the evidence of record.

On July 11, 2014, George C. Pratt, the presiding judicial hearing officer, reversed the JCOPE’s denial of the exemption, finding the commission’s decision to be clearly erroneous in light of the specific evidence presented. In his decision, Pratt stated the advocacy groups had experienced several incidents over a period of years showing a pattern of threats and manifestations of public hostility. As a result of Pratt’s ruling, all four groups will be granted an exemption from the donor disclosure requirement.

David Perdue has won the Republican runoff primary for Senate by edging past Rep. Jack Kingston with less than 51 percent of the vote.

Purdue, a businessman and nephew of the popular former Gov. Sonny Perdue, will face Democrat Michelle Nunn in the November general election to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Neither Nunn nor Perdue has ever been elected to public office.

Today Texas Gov. Perry announced a special election will be held September 9, 2014, for the State Senate District 28 seat.

State Sen. Robert Duncan resigned on July 3, 2014, in order to serve as chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. The winner of the election will serve out the unexpired term of Duncan, which expires in 2017.

Duncan has served in both the state House and the Senate since 1993.

City Council has approved a proposal by Councilmember Dan Kalb to amend the Oakland City Charter to strengthen the authority, resources, and independence of the Public Ethics Commission.

The amendment would expand the authority of the commission by transferring filing officer duties from the city clerk for lobbying and campaign finance reporting. The seven-member commission would also be given the authority to enforce state ethics laws by imposing fines when four members agree by vote.

The amendment will now be placed on the November 2014 ballot.

The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved an ordinance lengthening the county’s revolving door prohibition. Under current law, the revolving door restriction period is two years.

Ordinance 141569 amends existing county law by prohibiting county officials and their staff members from lobbying the county for a period of four years. The ordinance exempts certain former county officials who become lobbyists for governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, or educational institutions from the four year restriction period.

The board adopted the ordinance in a 7-5 vote in its July 15, 2014, meeting.

The next step in the legislative process is a public hearing before the Public Safety and Animal Services Committee, which is scheduled for August 27, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. The outcome of the public hearing will determine the effective date of the new legislation.