Rep. Mandy Kimmons has resigned from the South Carolina House of Representatives.

In a letter to House Speaker James Lucas and posted on social media, Kimmons cited a desire to focus on her legal career and service to her local community as reasons for the sudden resignation.

A special election will be scheduled to fill the 97th District seat for the remainder of the term.

This, along with the recent passing of Sen. Hugh Leatherman and the suspension of Rep. Rick Martin due to a recent criminal indictment, means the South Carolina Legislature will convene the 2022 legislative session on January 11, 2022 with three empty seats.

Sometime in January of 2022, the city of Burlington, Ontario, Canada expects to have its new electronic Lobbyist Registry webpage available to the public.

The city’s new lobbying law, passed on October 19, 2021, requires consultant lobbyists, in-house lobbyists, and voluntary unpaid lobbyists to file a registration with the City Clerk within 10 days after entering into an undertaking to lobby. Only one registration needs to be filed for each undertaking even though a lobbyist may, in connection with the undertaking, communicate or arrange meetings with more than one public office holder on more than one occasion.

The new legislation defines lobbying as meaning any communication with a public office holder by an individual who represents a business or financial interest with the goal of trying to influence legislative action. In turn, the law defines legislative action as the development, introduction, passage, defeat, amendment or repeal of a bylaw, motion, resolution, or the outcome of a decision on any matter before the City Council or a Committee of the Council.

A lobbyist is required to file a return updating any change in their registration within 10 business days of the change taking place. The subject matter registration will be closed once lobbying is complete or within 12 months of the lobbying commencing, whichever is sooner.

The Cook County, Illinois Board of Commissioners passed a substitute ordinance amending the County Ethics Ordinance on December 16.

The substitute ordinance updates many sections of the ethics code and includes provisions acknowledging registration for lobbying in Cook County will only be filed with the state beginning on January 1, 2022.

The definition of official is amended include any individual elected or appointed to a county office, regardless of whether the individual official is compensated.

Contribution limits are increased for persons doing business with the county from $750 to $1,500 in a calendar year to any local, state, or federal political committee established in support of a candidate for county office or an elected county official.

Officials, employees, and board or commission appointees are prohibited from accepting employment for a period of 364 calendar days following their term of office or employment from any person if the official, employee, or appointee participated personally and substantially in the decision to award a contract with a value of more than $15,000.

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.

The public has until February 18, 2022, to share input on a proposed draft update of Canada’s Federal Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct.

On December 15, the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying began receiving all views, suggestions, and perspectives from stakeholders concerning the mandatory standards lobbyists must respect when engaging in lobbying activities at the federal level in Canada.

The non-statutory Code of Conduct, last updated in 2015, applies to registered consultants and in-house lobbyists.

Comments may be made through email sent to engagement@lobbycanada.gc.ca or at the commissioner’s website hosting the proposed draft at https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/en/rules/the-lobbyists-code-of-conduct/lobbyists-code-of-conduct/consultation-on-future-changes-to-the-lobbyists-code-of-conduct.

All submissions will be published on the commissioner’s website after the consultation period ends.

Campaign Finance

Maryland: “Baltimore County Council Greenlights Fair Election Fund with Spending Caps” by Taylor DeVille (Baltimore Sun) for Yahoo News

Oregon: “Competing Measures Could Muddy Oregon’s Campaign Finance Debate” by Dirk VanderHart for OPB

Ethics

National: “Lead Capitol Riot Charge Is Constitutional, Judges Find” by Rachel Weiner (Washington Post) for MSN

National: “Rep. Scott Perry Calls Jan. 6 Panel ‘Illegitimate,’ Refuses to Cooperate” by Chris Marquette (Roll Call) for MSN

New York: “Hochul Ready to Rev Up Ethics Overhaul to Clean Up After Cuomo, Senate Ally Says” by Josepha Velasquez for The City

Ohio: “Cuyahoga County’s Consultant in Search for New Jail Is Also Listing Agent for Preferred Site” by Kaitlin Durban (Cleveland Plain Dealer) for MSN

Lobbying

Illinois: “ComEd Offers $21 Million Refund to Customers to Confront ICC Probes into Bribery Scheme. Watchdog Calls It ‘Chump Change.’” by Ray Long (Chicago Tribune) for MSN

Procurement

Kentucky: “A Handful of Companies Dominate Road Work in Kentucky. The State Looks the Other Way.” by Jacob Ryan and Jared Bennett for Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting

Ethics

National: “Meadows Contempt Vote Poses Thorny Questions for DOJ” by Rebecca Beitsch and Harper Neidig (The Hill) for MSN

California: “Ex-S.F. Public Works Director Nuru Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charge” by Michael Cabanatuan (Sam Francisco Chronicle) for MSN

Illinois: “Cook County Ethics Ordinance Slated for Biggest Overhaul in 15 Years, but Some Experts Want More” by Alice Yin (Chicago Tribune) for MSN

Ohio: “Ohio Job and Family Services Employee Cut Off Relative’s Unemployment Benefits After Fight” by Jessie Balmert (Columbus Dispatch) for MSN

South Carolina: “Former Richland County Recreation Director Facing Ethics Charges Over Raises, Promotions” by Stephen Fastenau for Charleston Post and Courier

Lobbying

National: “Black Lawmakers Threaten to Cut Off K St Unless It Diversifies” by Hailey Fuchs and Laura Barrón-López (Politico) for Yahoo News

Florida: “Documents Show FPL Wrote Bill to Slow Rooftop Solar’s Growth by Hampering Net Metering” by Mary Ellen Klas and Mario Ariza (Miami Herald) for MSN

Oklahoma: “The Jump from Political Staffer to Lobbyist Isn’t a Far One, at Least in Oklahoma” by Ben Felder (Oklahoman) for Yahoo News

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.

Campaign Finance

National: “GOP Agrees to Pay Up to $1.6 Million of Trump’s Legal Bills in N.Y. Probes” by David Fahrenthold and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) for MSN

Ohio: “Ex-Ohio Legislative Candidate Fined $50,000 for Failing to Report Campaign-Finance Expenses” by Andrew Tobias (Cleveland Plain Dealer) for MSN

Elections

National: “Judge Rejects Fox News Request to Dismiss Dominion Voting’s Defamation Lawsuit Over Election Claims” by Timothy Bella (Washington Post) for MSN

Wisconsin: “‘A Real Conflagration’: Wisconsin emerges as front line in war over the 2020 vote” by Rosalind Helderman and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

California: “LA Commissioner Lobbied CAO to Support His Company’s $3 Million COVID-19 Testing Contract” by Scott Schwebke for Los Angeles Daily News

Michigan: “FBI Arrests Retired Detroit Cop Amid Corruption Crackdown” by Robert Snell for Detroit News

New York: “Attorney General Cites Problems with Ethics Panel’s Order to Cuomo” by Brendan Lyons for Albany Times Union

Lobbying

Missouri: “Former Missouri Lawmaker Goes to Court to Overturn Ban on Lobbying” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Redistricting

Oregon: “How Much Did Interest Groups Shape Oregon’s New Legislative Districts? Here’s Why It’s Tough to Say” by Hillary Borrud (Portland Oregonian) for MSN