The Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die on Saturday, March 8, 2014. The session ended without a state budget, the result of a standoff on whether to expand the state’s Medicaid program. Governor Terry McAuliffe announced he would call legislators back for a special session to begin March 24.

Before adjourning, the General Assembly passed significant ethics reform, limiting gifts from lobbyists, principals, and persons seeking to do business with the state to $250. The legislation also created the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council, tasked with receiving disclosure forms from legislators and lobbyists and enforcing the newly-created ethics laws.

A new semiannual lobbyist reporting schedule will take effect July 1, 2015, with the first report filed under the new framework due December 15, 2015. The new filing schedule does not affect the annual report due July 1, 2014. The final bill awaits signature by Gov. McAuliffe.

Photo of the Virginia State Capitol by Varmin on Wikimedia Commons.