The 2014 session of Iowa’s 85th General Assembly adjourned Friday, May 2, 2014.

While in session, legislators considered an array of legislation, including anti-bullying and the use of medical marijuana for epilepsy patients.

Legislators also agreed on the 2015 fiscal budget for the state.

The 2nd regular session of the 126th Maine State Legislature adjourned sine die May 2, 2014. The statutory adjournment date was April 16, 2014; however the Legislature spent an additional two weeks in session.

Legislators successfully overturned two vetoes by Gov. Paul LePage, one for a bill providing tax credits to primary care physicians who practice in rural areas, and another to preserve a funding bill for the fiscal year beginning in July 2014.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Senate Bill 2120 into law April 25. Immediately effective upon executive approval, the legislation corrects a mistaken reference to a section of the Hawaii Revised Code meant to exempt contributions from a candidate’s immediate family from general statutory contribution limits.

Contributions from immediate family are now limited in the aggregate to $50,000 in any election period, provided the aggregate amount of loans and contributions received from said family does not exceed $50,000 during an election period.

The Dover City Council has set June 17, 2014, as the date of a mayoral special election following the resignation of Mayor Carleton E. Carey, Sr.

Dover’s city charter requires a special election be held no sooner than 30 days and no later than 60 days after the mayor’s office becomes vacant.

Vice Mayor David Bonar will serve as interim mayor until the new leader is chosen. The newly elected mayor will serve the remainder of Carey’s term, which expires on May 11, 2015.

Counsel for the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission John Schaaf testified before the Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee on Kentucky’s strict ethics laws. Pennsylvania has one of the most lax ethics laws in the country, permitting officials to receive gifts in any amount, while Kentucky recently made its own strict law even more stringent by prohibiting all lobbyist gifts. Pennsylvania’s ethics laws have been under scrutiny after the recent allegations of legislators accepting cash payments from a lobbyist as part of a sting operation.

Schaaf testified about prior changes to Kentucky’s law enacted in a special session in 1993, in response to several legislators charged with ethics violations by the FBI. Schaaf stressed the importance of getting a law on the books; once enacted, it is difficult to change.

However, Kentucky’s ethics law only covers legislators and legislative candidates, and Pennsylvania Senator Lloyd Smucker, sponsor of a bill banning cash gifts, said broadening such a ban to other government employees makes the legislation more complex and may make it difficult to win support. Still, Pennsylvania’s lawmakers were interested in Kentucky’s approach to ethics, particularly the idea of an independent ethics commission available to answer questions from lawmakers and lobbyists.

The New York City Council has introduced legislation imposing increased independent expenditure disclosure requirements. Introduction No. 148-A requires any electioneering communications to include the phrase “paid for by,” whether typed or spoken, followed by the identity of the top five donors to the organization sponsoring the communication.

Campaign Finance Board Executive Director Amy Loprest testified before the council on April 25, 2014, supporting the legislation. In support of the bill, Loprest stated, “Providing voters with clear information about who is responsible for these campaign messages will reduce the likelihood of confusion among voters.”

Photo of the New York City Hall by Momos on Wikipedia.

The 28th Alaska State Legislature adjourned an extended session sine die on Friday, April 25.

Originally set to adjourn April 20, both the House and Senate remained in session until compromising on a major education reform bill and a controversial bridge bill.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down a campaign finance law limiting contributions to super PACs. Sections 14-114(8) and 14-126 of the New York Election Law impose an annual aggregate contribution limit of $150,000 per contributor. Plaintiff New York Progress and Protection PAC challenged the aggregate contribution limits on First Amendment grounds.

The committee, although ruled by the court to be an independent expenditure committee, was formed to support the candidacy of Republican Joseph Lhota, the unsuccessful New York City mayoral candidate in 2013.

Judge Paul A. Crotty, citing the precedent established in Citizens United and McCutcheon, enjoined New York’s aggregate contribution limit as applied to independent expenditures.

County commissioners are pushing for a rewrite of the county ethics code only four years after the strict code was adopted. Commissioners complain Broward’s ethics code is too strict, setting up officials for violations and penalties for something as small as accepting a bottle of water at an event. Commissioners discussed limiting gifts to $10 and excluding nonalcoholic beverages from the ban.

The April 22 meeting was the first step towards rewriting the code, and potential changes could be enacted by the County Commission later this year, though some changes may require voter approval.

Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Judge Jodi Remke as the new chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

Remke is currently the presiding judge of the State Bar Court, which is responsible for the discipline of attorneys.

The appointment fills a vacancy created by Ann Ravel’s appointment to the Federal Election Commission.

The Arizona Legislature adjourned its session sine die at 1:46 a.m. Thursday, April 24.

Gov. Jan Brewer has 10 days to sign or veto legislation transmitted to her or the legislation becomes law automatically.

State senators are receiving a refresher in ethics and bills to require tougher ethics rules are advancing following a series of legal cases involving Democratic lawmakers.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg canceled committee hearings Wednesday, April 23 and ordered senators and their top aides to devote the day to ethics training.

The ethics proposals approved by a committee include a ban on fundraising during the end of legislative sessions, a reduction in the value of gifts officials may accept, and a prohibition on such items as spa treatments and golf games.

Photo of the California Senate chamber courtesy of David Monniaux on Wikimedia Commons.

The Board of Commissioners will consider adopting a new county ethics ordinance requiring additional disclosures from county candidates, elected officials, and certain county employees. In 2010, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation mandating local governments to adopt ethics laws at least as stringent as the state’s laws.

The Maryland State Ethics Commission approved the county’s proposed ordinance during its Feb. 27 meeting.

County Attorney Tim Burke will review the ordinance with commissioners in mid-May. It is then the responsibility of the commissioners to submit the ordinance for public review and to vote on whether to adopt it.

In light of the United States Supreme Court ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission announced it would no longer enforce the aggregate limits on contributions to city and school board candidates.

Limits on contributions to individual candidates remain in place.

Photo of the Los Angeles skyline by Nserrano on Wikimedia Commons.