The Nashville Metro Board of Ethical Conduct has adopted a new lobbyist registration form.

The form, which is now available online, must be filed along with the written client authorization via email to the Metro Clerk’s Office until the new online registration portal is launched.

The Metro Clerk’s Office will begin accepting the new form on December 15 for continuing lobbyist engagements for 2021, which must be filed by December 31.

No new registrations will be accepted until December 15 and will be treated as a continuing registration for 2021.

The Metro Council has also increased the registration fee to $100, which must be hand delivered to the Metro Clerk’s Office or sent via U.S. mail.

Additional information is expected to be made available online on or about December 15.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called for the General Assembly to return on August 10 for a special session.

The special session will address COVID-related liability protection for persons and entities, electronic delivery of health services, and peaceful demonstration legislation aimed at protecting individuals and public and private property.

Per legislative rules, the special session will last at least 3 days, but could last longer.

The 111th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned sine die just after 3 am on June 19 after hours of overnight negotiations.

The negotiations culminated in passing a $39.5 billion budget, cutting $1 billion from the budget passed in March due to the shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Assembly recessed Thursday, March 19 after meeting for over 14 hours.

This marathon session included the approval of the state’s $39 billion budget bill.

Though scheduled to reconvene on June 1, the General Assembly will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation to see if additional delays may be necessary.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting dates.

On December 12, an appeals court found Tennessee laws barring nonpartisan PACs from donating to candidates within 10 days of an election violate the state constitution and cannot stand.

The ruling from the Tennessee Court of Appeals reinforces an earlier judgment from Nashville Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle and will end the donation restriction facing nonpartisan PACs.

State campaign finance laws had created a 10-day blackout period when such PACs couldn’t give to a candidate, but PACs controlled by a political party could.

The group Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws argued that the law created a double standard that unfairly penalized nonpartisan groups while giving political parties an advantage.

The Court of Appeals agreed with that argument, ruling against the state.

A special election will take place on December 19 to fill a vacancy in House District 77.

Former Rep. Bill Sanderson cited family and business demands in his resignation.

The Obion County Commission appointed Casey Hood to serve as an interim representative until the special election is held.

The Tennessee Legislature held a single-day special session to formally elect c as speaker of the House.

Sexton, a Crossville Republican, had already been informally chosen for the role after a series of votes in a July caucus meeting.

Sexton replaces Glen Casada, who resigned from the speakership earlier this month.

Kelsey Ketron, daughter of Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron, resigned from the Tennessee Republican Party’s Executive Committee.

Ketron, who faces a criminal investigation related to insurance fraud, released a statement that it had been an honor to serve District 12 for the past five years.

Ketron’s seat on the state executive committee will remain vacant until the party can appoint a committee to find a replacement to serve the remainder of the four-year term.

Once the committee recommends a name to replace Ketron, it must be voted on by the full executive committee.

Gov. Bill Lee announced that the General Assembly will convene for a special session on August 23.

Lee released a statement on June 27 announcing that the primary purpose of the special session is to select a new Speaker of the House following Glen Casada’s resignation.

In addition, Lee has asked the General Assembly to take up approval of recent amendments to the Supreme Court rules.

The 111th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned May 2 after a nearly four-month session.

During the session, Senate Bill 234 passed requiring any multicandidate political campaign committee registering a new committee to pay the appropriate registration fee.

The fee is due at the time the committee certifies its political treasurer.

Additionally, payment of the registration fee by one affiliated political campaign committee includes disclosed affiliated committees registering separately.

The bill became effective when signed by the governor on April 1.

The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on January 14, 2020.

A bill requiring Tennessee voters to declare their party affiliation in order to vote in a primary election made its way through its first committee on Wednesday.

In order to cast a primary ballot, House Bill 1273 and Senate Bill 1500 would require voters to choose between being registered as a Democrat, Republican, unaffiliated with a statewide party or other.

If a voter chooses unaffiliated, he or she would not be able to vote in any primary elections. The bill does not apply to general elections.

If passed, the legislation would take effect on July 1.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed three executive orders, changing former Gov. Bill Haslam’s policies on gifts to state employees, ethics disclosures for interactions with the General Assembly, and government hiring, among others.

Lee added to Haslam’s policy on gifts by including “beverage” and “refreshment” on the list of banned gifts that can be accepted by a state employee from those intending to conduct business with the state agency where the employee works.

Lee’s Executive Order 2 expands the scope of employees required to file ethical disclosures by adding senior members and all employees who regularly interact with the General Assembly.

Lee’s Executive Order 3 requires human resources and labor officials to train executive branch managers on nondiscrimination employment practices within 120 days and with “reasonable frequency” afterward.

Under Executive Order 4, Lee’s anti-discrimination policy in government hiring practices changes “gender” to “sex” and adds pregnancy, veteran’s status, and any other “category protected and/or federal civil rights laws”.

The executive orders were issued on January 24.

A special primary election will take place on March 7 to fill a vacancy in Senate District 22.

Rep. Mark Green vacated the office to serve as U.S. Rep. for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.

Senate District 22 represents Montgomery, Houston and Stewart counties.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced a special election to fill the vacancy in Senate District 32, which includes Tipton County and part of Shelby County.

The seat was formerly held by Mark Norris, who resigned after being appointed by the president as a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee.

The special primary election will take place on January 24, 2019, with early voting starting January 4, 2019.

The special general election for the seat will be held on March 12, 2019, with early voting beginning February 20, 2019.