A special election for Houston City Council District G is scheduled for January 25, 2022.

The special election was called after former incumbent Greg Travis resigned on October 27 to run for the District 133 seat in the Texas House of Representatives.

Travis served on the 16-member Houston City Council from 2016 to 2021.

Five candidates filed to run in the special election by the deadline: Mary Nan Huffman, Piper Madland, D. Duke Millard, Raul Reyes Jr., and Houshang Taghizadeh.

Former Rep. Rocky Miller, who represented House District 124 from 2013 to 2021, has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri seeking compensatory damages and an injunction to prohibit the Missouri Ethics Commission from enforcing the lobbying ban for legislators.

Miller alleges the 2018 Amendment known as Clean Missouri is an unconstitutional infringement on his rights to freedom of speech and petitioning the government because he was unable to successfully register as a lobbyist to lobby the executive and legislative branches for a prospective client.

New Mexico legislators concluded a volatile 12-day special session December 17 by granting final approval for a new map for Senate districts and authorizing an emergency update to New Mexico’s medical malpractice law.

The two proposals now head to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has until January 6, 2022 to take action on them.

The final work of the Legislature came in the House, where lawmakers engaged in another aggressive debate over how to redraw political boundaries to reflect 2020 census data.

Over the last two weeks, much of the sparring has been especially personal, as lawmakers’ own districts and reelection chances are at stake.

For each separate expenditure of $500 or more made or incurred by a lobbyist or employer during a special legislative session, a report will be due within 48 hours.

Massachusetts State lawmaker Rep. Claire Cronin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Saturday as the next ambassador to Ireland.

Rep. Cronin, who currently serves as the House’s majority leader, is expected to resign, creating a vacancy in the 11^th Plymouth House District.

The House is expected to call for a special election to fill the vacancy.

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced the special election for Virginia House District 89 will be held on January 11, 2022.

The election is to fill the seat vacated by Del. Jay Jones, who is resigning to prioritize time with his family.

Republican Washington State Senator Doug Ericksen has passed away.

Ericksen was in El Salvador when he contracted COVID-19 and was flown out to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for treatment.

Whatcom County Council will fill the vacancy in the 42^nd Legislative District from a list of candidates proposed by the local Republican party.

Del. Jay Jones of Norfolk, Virginia announced his resignation from the General Assembly.

In a public letter, Jones cited a desire to prioritize being a father and supportive husband, as he and his wife prepare to welcome their first child.

Jones easily secured reelection in November after a failed primary challenge for the Democratic nomination for Virginia Attorney General earlier this year.

Jones has served in the General Assembly since 2018.

Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to call a special election to fill the 89th district seat at a later date.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced special elections to fill three vacancies in the Michigan House of Representatives following the election of District 36 Rep. Douglas Wozniak and District 74 Rep. Mark Huizenga to the Michigan State Senate, and the passing of District 43 Rep. Andrea Schroeder.

The special primary elections will be held on March 1, 2022, and the general elections will be held on May 3, 2022.

An election to fill the expected vacancy in District 15 due to Rep. Abdullah Hammoud’s election as mayor of Dearborn has not been called because Hammoud has not yet resigned.

The District 15 special election is expected to be held on the same dates of March 1 and May 3.

The Oregon Legislature adjourned after their one-day special session.

Lawmakers passed a $215 million emergency rental assistance bill, with $100 million earmarked to immediately assist the looming eviction crisis.

Policymakers also passed a bill to combat illegal cannabis sellers, assist in Afghan refugee resettlement, and establish a $100 million fund to assist Oregonians impacted by last year’s harsh summer.

The Maine State Ethics Commission released the dates of the next lobbyist harassment training.

All lobbyists must complete harassment training at the start of each legislative session and lobbyists must maintain copies of their annual certifications for at least two years.

Training sessions will be held on December 14, January 4, 2022, January 18, 2022, and March 4, 2022.

Lobbyists can register for a training session by visiting the Ethics Commission’s website.

Connecticut Gov. Lamont announced a special election for House District 144 to be held on January 25, 2022.

The seat became vacant when Rep. Caroline Simmons was sworn in as the first female mayor of Stamford.

The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the two-year term set to expire in December 2022.

Lamont is also expected to call for a special election to fill the vacant seat in House District 71.

State Rep. Anthony “Tony” D’Amelio announced he will retire on December 31 at midnight to spend more time with his family and focus on running his restaurant.

The City of Portland’s Open and Accountable Elections Program has voted and accepted new administrative rules for candidates participating in the program.

The new rules change the name of the program to the Small Donor Elections Program.

The new guidelines clarify candidate reporting requirements and address any sections of the program left to the Portland Elections Commission in the code.

The commission set the limit on seed donations to $500 per entity.

Seed money contributions are allowed to be made by any legal entity, including corporations.

The North Carolina Supreme Court ordered the 2022 primary elections be delayed two months from March 8 to May 17.

The order comes in response to lawsuits filed challenging the recently approved redistricting maps.

The order also suspends candidate filing until the litigation is resolved.

The Supreme Court also stated the lawsuits must be heard and ruled upon by January 11, citing the need for urgency in resolving the matter.

Emilia Sykes, Minority Leader in the Ohio House, announced she will resign her leadership position at the end of December.

Sykes stated she is considering any and all options to continue to serve her community and will announce a decision in the near future.

Sykes was the first Black female lawmaker in the Ohio Legislature under the age of 30 when she was elected in 2014.

She was elected House Minority Leader by her fellow Democrats in 2019.