The second regular session of the 122nd Indiana General Assembly adjourned sine die on March 8 after passing House Bill 1242 and Senate Bill 348.

Senate Bill 348 requires campaign finance reports to be filed electronically and allows for electronic signatures.

House Bill 1242 requires the Department of Administration to adopt administrative rules to establish a goal to procure in each state fiscal year at least 1.5% of state contracts with state agencies from minority business enterprises, nonprofit agencies for individuals with disabilities, veteran-owned small businesses, and women’s business enterprises.

The 2022 session of the Florida Legislature adjourned sine die on March 14.

Originally set to adjourn on March 11, the session was extended to enable the passage of the state’s $112 billion budget, which passed with bipartisan support.

However, most of the notable bills passed were approved along party lines, including a 15-week abortion ban, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the “Stop WOKE Act” and the creation of an election police force.

The Wyoming State Legislature adjourned sine die March 11 after passing House Bills 49, 80, and 100.

House Bill 49 requires organizations that receive contributions or expend funds in excess of $1,000 to file a statement of formation and increases penalties for failure to file an itemized statement of expenditures.

House Bill 100, a contentious redistricting bill, was finalized during the twilight hours of the 2022 session and provides a term limit for House members who were removed from the district because of legislative boundary changes.

House Bill 80, already signed by the governor, changed the reporting requirement for expenditure reports so all committees who contribute to another committee must file a report, not only if the receiving committee expended funds during a primary or general election.

The 2022 session of the West Virginia Legislature adjourned sine die on March 12.

Key measures passed include the $4.65 billion state budget and Senate Bill 4, which repeals the state’s ban on nuclear power plants first established in 1994.

Additionally, a proposed amendment to the state constitution shifting the power of public education policy and rule decisions from the Board of Education to state lawmakers was passed.

This proposed amendment will be submitted for voter ratification on November 8.

The 2022 session of the Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die on March 12, but failed to complete and pass the biennial budget.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to call a special session to enact a budget once lawmakers have reached an agreement.

Passed bills included Senate Bill 57 to provide an exception to gift restrictions for certain tickets and admission if performing official duties; and House Bill 125 to impose a $10,000 penalty for illegal negative campaign advertisements.

Both bills now await gubernatorial action by Youngkin.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

The lobbyist gift notification to public officials is due on April 2.

Voters in St. Louis, Missouri will decide on April 5 whether to amend the city charter to include several new conflicts of interest provisions.

Proposition R would prohibit alderpersons from knowingly using their official position to influence others for their own financial benefit; require alderpersons to declare personal or financial conflicts of interest and abstain from voting when there are conflicts of interest; prohibit alderpersons from accepting employment or contracts that interfere with the discharge of public duties or create conflicts of interest; and require former alderpersons to wait at least one year before serving as a lobbyist to influence a city government decision.

Proposition R would also transfer redistricting from the Board of Alderpersons to a nine-member redistricting commission and change the name of the Board of Aldermen to the Board of Alderpersons.

A special election for Ward 28 will be April 19.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a campaign finance bill into law on March 10.

House Bill 80 states all political action committees or candidate’s campaign committees must file an itemized statement of contributions and expenditures at least seven days but not more than 14 days before any election, regardless if funds were expended in the election.

The bill also increases the penalty of not filing an expenditure report to up to $500 per day past the due date. This bill becomes effective July 1.

Following an ethics workshop discussing recommendations by the city’s Independent Ethics Board, the Tallahassee City Commission voted to move forward with introducing ordinances amending the city’s ethics code, including a ban on contingency lobbying.

However, the commission declined to move forward on other recommended changes to lobbying laws including changes to the definition of lobbyist; a lobbyist contact log requirement; and a charter amendment to give the Independent Ethics Board direct oversight over lobbyists.

The Washington Legislature adjourned sine die March 10 after passing a $64.1 billion state budget and a nearly $17 billion transportation package.

During the session, both houses passed Senate Bill 5196 and Senate Bill 5855.

Senate Bill 5196 allows the Legislature to call a special session through an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of both chambers.

Senate Bill 5855 allows the use of campaign funds to reimburse a candidate for expenses incurred for childcare, care for a person with a disability, or the care for a person with a medical condition that occurred directly because of the candidate’s campaign activities.

Both bills have been sent to Gov. Jay Inslee and await his signature.

Tennessee Rep. Robin Smith has resigned effective immediately after being charged with federal wire fraud for allegedly taking kickbacks from a campaign vendor.

Smith was elected to the House District 26 seat in 2018.

The Utah legislative session adjourned sine die March 4 after 45 days.

During the session, lawmakers approved a $25 billion budget that included a notable increase for public education funding.

The budget was the largest ever, driven by the economy and additional spending from Washington D.C.

Additionally, a nearly $200 million package cutting income taxes was approved.

Legislation that passed during the session will become effective 60 days following the date of adjournment sine die.

The Oregon Legislative Assembly adjourned sine die March 4, after voting on 60 bills on their last day in session.

Highlights from the short session include access for low-income Oregonians to air conditioners, financial aid for low-income families, and mandated overtime payments to farmworkers.

The session was affected by the Great Resignation, with 20 lawmakers retiring or moving to different positions within the government.

The New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) announced it expects the online filing system to be back online by March 11.

JCOPE’s online system has been down since February 21 following a malicious cyberattack.

All filings due during the outage will be granted an automatic 21-day extension and the March 15 lobbying bi-monthly report deadline is extended to March 31.

JCOPE will distribute additional guidance to lobbying filers before the system is back online.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) has issued a final order rejecting the revival of previous campaign limits.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court remanded Thompson v. Hebdon, asking the lower court to consider whether Alaska’s campaign contribution limits were consistent with previous First Amendment precedents.

The Ninth Circuit held the limitations on contributions made by individuals to candidates and groups were unconstitutional but held the limits from political parties to candidates were valid.

With this holding and no action by the state Legislature, Alaska does not have restrictions on individuals donating to candidates or groups other than political parties.

APOC was asked to consider reviving the limits set in 2003 but declined to do so.

The commission’s final order implores lawmakers to pass new campaign finance limits.

There are currently three bills introduced in the Legislature to limit political contributions.