Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed Senate Bill 171 establishing a statewide ethics code.

The bill prohibits public officials and employees from accepting or soliciting gifts not expressly permitted by the code.

Permitted gifts include food and beverage where the cost does not exceed $100 and unsolicited de minimis gifts with a value of $50 or less.

The bill also prohibits former legislative employees from being paid to appear before the General Assembly or its committees for one year following the termination of their service.

The bill will take effect on July 1.

The Kansas Legislature adjourned its special veto session just after 2 a.m. on April 29.

During the recently concluded veto session, the Legislature passed the omnibus spending bill to fund public schools and special education.

Typically, upon veto adjournment, the Legislature sets sine die, the last official day of the session. This year, the Legislature set a date to return of May 23, leaving the session open in case court rulings on congressional maps would require further legislative action.

This does not affect lobbying dates.

Last week Tennessee lawmakers overwhelmingly passed House Bill 1201, which requires 501(c)4 organizations to disclose any expenses over $5,000 in the 60 days leading up to an election when using candidate names and images.

The bill seeks to create more transparency for dark-money groups and enhances disclosure laws around campaign service companies.

The bill now goes to Gov. Bill Lee for approval.

The 107th Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die on April 20 after 60 days in session.

Due to term limits, 11 senators are leaving the Legislature and an additional two decided not to seek reelection. The term limit senators include Henderson Sen. Curt Friesen, Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen, Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann, Venango Sen. Dan Hughes, Seward Sen. Mark Koltermann. Creighton Sen. Tim Gragert and Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop chose not to run for reelection.

During the session, legislation to provide Nebraskans with a record $3.4 billion in tax relief by 2027 passed. Other legislation related to lobbying and campaign finance that would have prohibited a school board of an education service unit from authorizing a lobbyist to act on its behalf without a current contract for lobbing services was introduced but not passed.

Lobbying reporting dates are not affected by adjournment. The 2023 session is scheduled to convene January 4.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law legislation creating campaign finance limits for school board races for the first time.

House Bill 1060 will cap individual donations at $2,500 and small donor committees at $25,000 per school board candidate.

The legislation, however, won’t affect spending by independent committees.

The new contribution limits would be subject to existing laws governing the disclosure of campaign contribution and would require filings with the secretary of state.

The bill goes into effect July 1, 2022.

The New York State Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, issued a ruling invalidating the state’s new congressional and state senate districts due to gerrymandering.

The ruling will result in the congressional and state senate district primaries being moved from June to August.

It is unclear whether the primaries for governor and state Assembly will also be postponed.

Campaign finance reporting deadlines associated with the postponed primaries will be shifted accordingly.

The Vermont Legislature passed Senate Bill 171 and delivered it to Gov. Phil Scott today.

The bill establishes a statewide ethics code covering all individuals elected or appointed to serve as public officers as well as all state employees.

The ethics code includes conflict of interest, gift, and revolving door provisions.

If signed by Scott, the ethics code will go into effect on July 1.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for a special session to consider legislation related to property insurance.

This session will convene on May 23 and adjourn no later than May 27.

The main purpose of the special session is to make changes to the Florida Building Code in order to improve the affordability of property insurance prior to the next Atlantic hurricane season.

West Virginia’s special session adjourned on April 26.

Lawmakers planned on dealing with 17 bills, but many did not pass.

The most debated bill was Senate Bill 2001, which eventually passed after being vetoed by the governor due to technical errors.

The bill appropriates $250 million to be used to upgrade infrastructure in municipalities of the state.

Maine Gov. Mills signed Legislative Document 1782 amending the state’s campaign finance law.

Beginning December 1, 2023, the amount individuals can contribute to separate segregated fund committees will be adjusted every two years based on the Consumer Price Index.

The new law also permits corporations, membership organizations, cooperative or labor organizations to contribute the paid staff time of its employees and independent contractors to establish the entity’s separate segregated fund committee and to provide fundraising and administrative services to the committee.

A business entity will also be permitted to provide its separate segregated fund committee with the use of offices, telephones, computers, and other equipment, even if doing so results in an additional cost to the business entity.

Legislative Document 1782 will take effect on January 1, 2023.

The 2022 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly adjourned sine die on April 14.

A campaign finance and an ethics bill passed with a veto override.

House Bill 740 reduces transparency in campaign finance by removing the requirement that candidates report the name and employer of the spouse of the donor for donations over $100 and permitting candidates for legislative office to file annual instead of quarterly campaign finance reports in years they are not running for reelection.

The bill also removes references to paper filing and defines form as an online web page or an electronic document.

House Bill 334 reorganizes the Executive Branch Ethics Commission and requires it to make a finding for each complaint filed, as to whether they are grounded in fact, warranted by law, and filed in good faith.

Both bills are effective July 13.

Maine Gov. Mills signed Legislative Document 1754 amending the state’s major contributor disclosure law.

The amendments exclude committees from the definition of major contributor and exclude certain funds from disclosure requirements.

Major contributors will no longer need to disclose funds restricted to non-campaign uses; derived from the major contributor’s regular trade, business, or investment income; and provided by a source that contributed no more than $5,000 to the major contributor during the relevant reporting period.

The law also clarifies the penalties associated with noncompliance and provides a mechanism to request a waiver of the penalties.

Legislative Document 1754 will take effect 90 days after the adjournment of the current legislative session.

Assembly Bill 09006C was signed by New York Gov. Hochul and replaces the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) with a new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government effective July 8.

The substantive law enforced by the ethics body was not altered, and all lobbyist reporting and disclosure requirements will remain the same.

The agency’s overhaul is designed to increase greater transparency.

While members of the ethics agency will still be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, deans at the state’s law schools will comprise an independent review committee charged with approving appointees to the new commission.

Individuals who were registered as lobbyists in the previous two years are prohibited from serving on the commission.

The 444^th Maryland General Assembly adjourned from its 90-day session on April 11 with over 600 bills being passed as of Monday morning.

Passed legislation includes a compromise increasing local budgets for highway repairs, additional measures to enhance Maryland’s cybersecurity response, and bills aimed toward accelerating the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.