The Georgia General Assembly adjourned the special session on November 22.

The special session was dedicated to the redrawing of state and federal districts, which passed mainly on party lines.

The newly approved maps were sent to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will call the Legislature back into a special session beginning December 7 to take up a tax cut plan.

The primary focus of the special session will be on the tax cut package that calls for reducing the state’s top income tax rate from 5.9% to 4.9%.

The package, which also includes corporate tax cuts and a low-income tax credit, would cost the state $135 million in the current fiscal year and grow to nearly $498 million when fully implemented in 2026.

While the session’s agenda will include several other items, Hutchinson said he does not plan to include a proposal to enact neighboring Texas’ unique law banning abortions six weeks into pregnancy.

Lawmakers, however, could vote to extend the session to take up abortion or any other items with a two-thirds vote of both chambers after the items on the agenda are considered.

Elections

National: “Prosecutors Demanded Records of Sidney Powell’s Fundraising Groups as Part of Criminal Probe” by Isaac Stanley-Becker, Emma Brown, and Rosalind Helderman (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

National: “CNN Suspends Chris Cuomo ‘Indefinitely’ After Documents Detail Help He Gave His Brother” by Sarah Ellison and Jeremy Barr (Washington Post) for MSN

National: “Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Cooperating with Jan. 6 Committee” by Mariana Alfaro (Washington Post) for MSN

Connecticut: “Gov. Lamont Says His Wife Will Pull Back on Investments in Connecticut and Blames Politics for Ethical Questions” by Christopher Keating and Stephen Singer (Hartford Courant) for Yahoo News

New York: “In the ‘New Albany,’ State Senate Regularly Outpaces Assembly on Reform” by Ethan Geringer-Sameth for Gotham Gazette

Virginia: “Roanoke Councilman’s Magazine Refunds Money to City After Questions” by Jeff Sturgeon for Roanoke Times

Wisconsin: “Panel Rules No Ethics Violation for Madison Assessor Who Gave Candy Bars to Review Body” by Logan Wroge for Wisconsin State Journal

Legislative Issues

Maine: “Maine Lawmaker Who Flouted Pandemic Rules Resigns After Wife’s COVID-19 Death” by Edward Murphy (Portland Press Herald) for Yahoo News

Lobbying

National: “Dark-Money Group Paid Former Trump AG to Ask for Pardons – and He Never Registered as a Lobbyist” by Roger Sollenberger (Daily Beast) for Yahoo News

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced she will be calling the Legislature into a special session on December 13 to address eviction protections for renters.

The state’s federal funds for rental assistance will be nearly spent by December 1, right before the country enters the winter season.

Brown wishes to extend eviction protections for renters, ensure landlords are paid for rent owed, raise $90 million additional funds for immediate rental assistance, and raise $100 million to create a long-term emergency rental assistance service controlled by the state.

Campaign Finance

National: “Corporate Disclosure of Political Giving Hits Record” by Lorraine Woellert (Politico) for Yahoo News

South Carolina: “SC Democrat Repeatedly Broke Ethics Law, Used Campaign Money to Pay for Netflix, Hulu” by Caitlin Byrd (The State) for MSN

Ethics

National: “Chris Cuomo Sought ‘Intel’ on Media Coverage About Accusations Against His Brother, Text Messages Show” by Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer, and Jeremy Barr (Washington Post) for MSN

National: “Appeals Court Scrutinizes Trump Bid to Keep Jan. 6 White House Records Secret from Congress” by Spencer Hsu and Ann Marimow (Washington Post) for MSN

California: “Former California Union Official Filed $44,000 Worth of Fraudulent Time Sheets, CalPERS Says” by Wes Venteicher (Sacramento Bee) for MSN

Minnesota: “Jan Malcolm’s Horse, and Other Things We Learned About from Minnesota Financial Disclosures” by Walker Orenstein and Greta Kaul for MinnPost

Washington DC: “For a City Still Struggling to Revitalize Its Downtown, Protests Become an Economic Lifeline” by Emily Davies and Ellie Silverman (Washington Post) for MSN

Lobbying

Florida: “Legislative Ball Starts Rolling on Additional Lobbying Restrictions for Former Officials” by Renzo Downey for Florida Politics

Campaign Finance

Massachusetts: “Organizers Seek Up to $25,000 from Donors to Fund Mayor Wu’s Inauguration” by Meghan Irons (Boston Globe) for MSN

Elections

National: “Trump Allies Work to Place Supporters in Key Election Posts Across the Country, Spurring Fears About Future Vote Challenges” by Amy Gardner, Tom Hamburger, and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) for MSN

Michigan: “Benson’s Bid to Make Permanent Absentee Voter Rules Draws Opposition” by Beth LeBlanc for Detroit News

Ethics

New York: “Senate and Assembly Sexual Harassment Policies Are Not Strong Enough, Some Say” by Michelle Del Rey for Albany Times Union

Ohio: “Big Questions Remain in Huge Medicaid Procurement” by Marty Schladen for Ohio Capital Journal

Pennsylvania: “Pa. Commissioners Called LGBTQ Gathering a ‘Hate Group’ and Denied Funds to Library Where It Was to Meet. So Citizens Stepped In.” by Sydney Page (Washington Post) for MSN

Lobbying

Europe: “New Rules for MPs Proposed in Wake of Lobbying Scandal” by Alan McGuiness for Sky News

Redistricting

Oregon: “Redistricting Reduces Indigenous Voting Power in NW Legislative Races, Advocates Say” by Chris Aadland (Indian Country Today) for Portland Oregonian

Indiana lawmakers canceled the one-day special session scheduled for November 29, and Gov. Eric Holcomb has extended the COVID-19 emergency.

The session’s agenda, ending the public health emergency, has been delayed to the January legislative session.

The Indiana Supreme Court decided to hear Gov. Holcomb’s challenge to House Enrolled Act 1123, permitting the Legislature to call itself into special session.

Oral arguments are scheduled in April after the Legislature ends its session on March 14, 2022.

If the General Assembly called itself into a special session, any laws passed could be subject to a constitutional challenge.

Campaign Finance

California: “Accusations Against a California Campaign Finance Watchdog Went Undisclosed for Months” by John Meyers (Los Angeles Times) for Yahoo News

Missouri: “Campaign Fund Linked to Stenger Fined by Missouri Ethics Regulators” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

New York: “NY Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin Submitted Incorrect Information on Background Check” by Michael Gartland (New York Daily News) for Yahoo News

North Dakota: “North Dakota Ethics Measure Group Unhappy with Draft Rules Exempting Campaign Donations” by Jack Dura for Bismarck Tribune

Ethics

National: “Facebook’s Race-Blind Practices Around Hate Speech Came at the Expense of Black Users, New Documents Show” by Elizabeth Dwoskin, Nitasha Niku, and Crag Timberg (Washington Post) for MSN

Texas: “Reports Detail Texas Railroad Commissioners’ Ties to Oil and Gas Industry” by Philip Jankowsky for Dallas Morning News

Lobbying

National: “K St. on Capitol Hill: Lobbyists look to leverage prime real estate near Congress as in-person events return” by Hailey Fuchs and Emily Birnbaum (Politico) for Yahoo News

California: “Lobbyist in Ash Street Settlement Doesn’t Appear for Deposition but Reports More Meetings with City Officials” by Jeff McDonald for San Diego Union Tribune

Campaign Finance

National: “Joe Kennedy III’s 2020 Senate Campaign Was Fined $35,000 for Spending $1.5 Million in Donations Intended for the General Election That He Never Made It To” by Bryan Metzger (Business Insider) for MSN

Arizona: “Corp Comm Defends Ethics Policy on Campaign Cash, Recusal to Legislature” by Jeremy Duda for Arizona Mirror

Missouri: “‘Exploiting a Loophole’: PACs tied to Missouri lobbyist draw new criticism” by Jason Hancock for Missouri Independent

Elections

Colorado: “Judge Orders Two Lawyers Who Filed Suit Challenging 2020 Election to Pay Hefty Fees: ‘They need to take responsibility’” by Rosalind Helderman (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

National: “Red Brands and Blue Brands: Is hyper-partisanship coming for corporate America?” by David Gelles for New York Times

Michigan: “Rizzo Lawyer Convicted of Bribery in Macomb County Corruption Crackdown” by Robert Snell for Detroit News

New York: “Cuomo Impeachment Probe Bolsters Claims on Book Deal, Sexual Harassment and Nursing Homes” by Bill Mahoney, Anna Gronewold, and Shannon Young for Politico

South Carolina: “Uncovered: S.C. public officials skate by ethics investigations with little accountability” by Avery Wilks, Stephen Hobbs, and Thad Moore (Charleston Post and Courier) for Sumter Item

Washington: “King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg’s Office Cut Deal to Head Off Ethics Probe into Nepotism Claims” by Lewis Kamb for Seattle Times

Lobbying

North Dakota: “Fargo School Board Member Could Face Censure After Lobbying Lawmakers on COVID-19 Issues” by C.S. Hagen for Fargo Forum

Oregon: “Accusations Against a California Campaign Finance Watchdog Went Undisclosed for Months” by Alex Baumhardt (Oregon Capital Chronicle) for Bend Bulletin

The Legislature met in a one-day special session on November 22 to approve a bill allowing municipalities to impose their own mask mandates.

Legislative leadership agreed to the special session after Gov. Scott made it clear he would not impose statewide masking requirements.

This session marked the Legislature’s first return to the Statehouse since the pandemic began.

Beginning January 30, 2022, all federal agencies are required to incorporate a $15 minimum wage in new contract solicitations. On April 27, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden had signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay $15 per hour for employees working on or in connection with a federal government contract. On November 22, 2021, Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh announced the final rule implementing the president’s order.

By March 30, 2022, all agencies will need to implement the minimum wage into new contracts. Federal agencies are also directed to implement the higher wage into existing contracts when the parties exercise their option to extend such contracts.

Contractors and subcontractors must certify they will meet this condition requiring the minimum wage. This certification is a condition of payment to the contractors from the government. The order applies, with certain exceptions, to any new contract; new contract-like instrument; new solicitation; extension or renewal of an existing contract or contract-like instrument; or exercise of an option on an existing contract or contract-like instrument. This order does not apply to grants; contracts, contract-like instruments, or certain specific type of agreements with Indian Tribes.

Starting January 1, 2023, the minimum wage will be adjusted annually, but not lowered, by the U.S. secretary of labor based on a consumer price index formula and rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. For tipped workers, the minimum wage mandated by the order is $10.50 per hour beginning January 30, 2022. Beginning January 1, 2023, tipped workers must receive 85% of the wage rate in effect for non-tipped employees, rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. Then beginning January 1, 2024, and for each subsequent year, tipped workers must receive 100% of the wage received by non-tipped worker, eliminating the difference between the type of workers. Adjustments must be considered by employers of tipped workers who do not receive a sufficient additional amount on account of tips to equal to the minimum wage of non-tipped workers. If a state or municipality has a higher minimum wage, the Executive Order does not excuse noncompliance with the laws requiring the higher wage.

Indiana lawmakers have called for a one-day special session on November 29 to consider legislation to end the current COVID-19 public health emergency order in place since March 2020.

Gov. Holcomb has stated he will allow the public health emergency to expire if lawmakers approved steps that would allow the continuation of enhanced federal funding for Medicaid expenses and food assistance programs, and also maintain the childhood vaccination authorization.

Campaign Finance

National: “Texts Show Kimberly Guilfoyle Bragged About Raising Millions for Rally That Fueled Capitol Riot” by Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan for ProPublica

Michigan: “Michigan GOP Asks Court to ‘Freeze’ Gov. Whitmer’s Recall Funds” by Craig Mauger for Detroit News

New York: “Exec with Ties to NY Lieutenant Governor Indicted for Campaign Fraud” by Joshua Solomon for Albany Times Union

Elections

National: “U.S. Indicts Two Iranian Hackers Over 2020 Election Disinformation Campaign” by Devlin Barrett (Washington Post) for MSN

Kentucky: “Commission Alleges Grimes Violated Ethics Code, Improperly Assisted Democratic Candidates” by Austin Horn (Lexington Herald-Leader) for MSN

Ethics

Maryland: “Maryland Lawmaker-Doctor Won’t Face Ethics Violation for Tuning into Legislative Meetings from the Operating Room” by Pamela Wood (Baltimore Sun) for MSN

Washington DC: “Bowser’s New Chair of D.C. Public Housing Board Did Not Pay $15,000 in Taxes, Records Show” by Paul Schwartzman (Washington Post) for MSN

Redistricting

Ohio: “Ohio Republicans’ Redistricting Map Dilutes Black Voters’ Power in Congress, Critics Say” by Colby Itkowitz (Washington Post) for MSN

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation prohibiting dark money contributions to judicial candidates.

Effective immediately, Senate Bill 536 prohibits a political committee established to support a state judicial candidate from accepting contributions from any out-of-state person and from any entity that does not disclose the identity of all donors to the entity.

The bill also prohibits any entity that does not disclose the identity of all donors from financing a distribution or broadcast of campaign materials prepared by the candidate, his or her campaign committee, or designated agents.

The bill also increases the threshold for which contributions to a conduit must be itemized from $500 to $1,000.