On March 7, an inauguration ceremony was held for Governor Daniel J. McKee.

McKee was sworn in as Rhode Island’s 76th Governor after former Gov. Raimondo resigned to join President Biden’s administration as secretary of commerce.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current public health and safety requirements limited attendance capacity for the inauguration event.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has announced another special election to be held in 2021.

This election will be for Alabama House District 78, which became vacant when Rep. Kirk Hatcher won the special election to fill the vacant Senate District 26 on March 2.

The primary election for the House seat will be held on May 25 with a runoff election on June 22, if necessary.

The general election will be held on September 7.

Aurora City Council member Angela Lawson is sponsoring an ordinance to create lobbyist registration and reporting requirements.

Lawson’s sweeping proposals would require lobbyists to register their clients and income with the city and submit quarterly, detailed reports on their activities and financial motivations.

Lobbyists who do not comply with the regulations could lose the ability to influence city officials on matters from development to zoning rules, permits and city contracts, face possible expulsion and up to $2,500 fines per charge.

The rules would apply not only to lobbyists and the City Council but also to the city manager, staff, board and commission members, and presiding judges, among others. The city clerk would be responsible for deciding if rules have been violated and handing down judgments.

City Council members will review the proposal during their next regular meeting on March 8.

A special session or pause in the Nebraska Legislature is anticipated due to delays in delivering U.S. Census data.

This data is needed for redrawing districts served by state legislators, U.S. congressional representatives, and other elected officials.

Normally, the once-a-decade census is done by October, affording plenty of time for double-checks so that census numbers needed for redistricting can be delivered by April 1.

COVID-19 and other factors delayed the 2020 Census, and now state officials are expecting the census data to be delivered September 30.

This is three months after the regular session of the Legislature is scheduled to end.

A special meeting, session, or some of the 49-member Nebraska Legislature will be special accommodation, will be necessary.

Rather than calling a separate special session, the Legislature could decide to pause its 90-day session before its scheduled end date of June 10.

The session will, then, resume the remainder of the session in the fall.

Delaying the end of the session would also delay the implementation date for many bills until late into the year.

This created a strong argument for ending the regular session and then gaveling in a special session later.

No decision has been made yet because of the uncertainty due to the pandemic.

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned their special session on March 1.

The special session focused on pandemic relief efforts and the state’s budget.

Additionally, the General Assembly passed bills abolishing the death penalty, legalizing marijuana, and establishing new environmental regulations.

The City Ethics Commission announced the mandatory annual adjustments to limits and thresholds in the city’s campaign finance laws.

The new limits apply beginning with any city election for which the fundraising window opens after March 1, 2021.

The per person contribution limits for mayor, city attorney, and controller have been raised to $1,600.

The adjusted limits do not apply to elections for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education.

The Colorado Secretary of State temporarily adopted lobbyist rules 8 C.C.R. 1505-8 on March 1, defining and establishing new requirements for redistricting commission lobbyists.

The new rules define redistricting commission lobbyist as a person who is contracted or compensated to communicate directly or indirectly with a member of a redistricting commission for the purposes of aiding or influencing such redistricting commission or their staff. Additionally, the rules require those who are registered as professional lobbyists to electronically register as a redistricting commission lobbyist and disclose all clients that contract with or compensate them.

The secretary of state also issued a notice of rulemaking to consider permanent adoption of the temporary rules.

The virtual public rulemaking hearing is scheduled for April 19 at 3 p.m.

Governor Ned Lamont today announced a special election for Assembly District 112 on Tuesday, April 13.

The district consists of the entirety of the Town of Monroe and portions of Newtown.

The seat became vacant on February 17 following the resignation of J.P. Sredzinski.

The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of Sredzinski’s two-year term through 2022.

The search committee for the Office of Campaign and Political Finance has named William Campbell as the new director for the independent agency.

The panel has been searching for a new director for the OCPF since Mike Sullivan retired in 2019 after serving as director since 1994.

Campbell is the current Woburn city clerk and will lead the independent agency administering the state’s campaign finance and public financing laws.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan selected Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar to fill his seat as representative for the 22nd House District after his first choice, Edward Guerra Kodatt, resigned due to allegations of questionable conduct.

Madigan resigned as chairman of the state Democratic Party on Monday but remains Democratic committeeman for the 13th Ward.

Rep. Guerrero-Cuellar will serve as representative for the 22nd House District for the remainder of Madigan’s term.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office released the 2021 Campaign Contribution Limits.

These limits will be effective from February 25, 2021 through February 24, 2023.

Beginning Wednesday, PACs, PCEs and individuals may contribute $13,704.41 per election period to statewide candidates and candidates for the General Assembly; $13, 704.41 per calendar year to other PACs and PCEs with which the contributing PAC or PCE is not affiliated; $41,113.24 per calendar year to state parties; and, $20,556.62 per calendar year to legislative campaign funds.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics opened the online Lobbying Application for the submission of bimonthly reports and posted updated PDF forms.

Additional time has been provided to file bimonthly reports covering the January 1 to February 28 reporting period.

These reports will be considered timely if submitted by March 22, 2021.

JCOPE recommends users review statement of registrations before filing the bimonthly reports.

In certain cases, information not previously reported in a registration cannot be added directly to the report and requires an amended registration or updated organization profile.

Resources to help navigate the Lobbying Application can be found at https://jcope.ny.gov/2021-22-lobbying-biennial-period-information.

For any questions or technical assistance, please contact the JCOPE Helpdesk at helpdesk@jcope.ny.gov or by phone at 518-474-3973.

The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) updated their regulations regarding local campaign contribution limits due to Assembly 571.

The updates will add language to the regulations regarding candidates for elective city or county offices subject to the state contribution limits.

Those local candidates and their committees will now be subject to the regulations regarding reporting of contributions and expenditures, establishing campaign accounts, solicitation of funds, loans, terminations, and other regulations related to campaign finance.

These regulations do not apply to candidates for an elective city or county office or the candidate’s controlled committee prior to January 1, 2021.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed attorney Camille Joseph Varlack as the new chair of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

The appointment comes after the former chairman, Michael Rozen, resigned on February 10.

Ms. Varlack is a partner at the Manhattan law firm Bradford, Edwards, & Varlack, and previously served in Gov. Cuomo’s administration as an aide, deputy director of state operations, chief risk officer, and special counsel.

The appointment of Ms. Varlack takes effect immediately.