House and Senate leadership announced the legislative session will continue as scheduled with some precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Beginning Tuesday, March 17, only elected members, staff, and members of the media will be allowed in the Capitol Annex until further notice.

Governor Beshear has already closed the Capitol.

In order to ensure transparency and accessibility, there will be an increase in live streaming services and broadcasting by Kentucky Education Television (KET).

The KET will broadcast committee meetings and House and Senate Floor proceedings.

On March 15, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the postponement of the Queens Special Election for Borough President scheduled for March 24.

Mayor de Blasio postponed the special election due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.

No new date has been set and acting Borough President Sharon Lee will continue her tenure until the special election is rescheduled.

The Legislature adopted procedural changes this week in response to the coronavirus pandemic, following Gov. Whitmer’s declaration of a state emergency.

The House and Senate will continue to meet for the next few weeks as needed.

This will be at the discretion of the House Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader, with additional precautions in place.

All scheduled Senate committees for this week have also been canceled.

Both chambers have a legislative break that is scheduled to start March 27 and end April 14.

The Capitol Commission also suspended all tours and events in the Capitol extending through Friday, May 1, 2020.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Due to ongoing concerns with COVID-19, the Maine Legislature will suspend the legislative session on Tuesday, March 17.

Lawmakers will meet to consider bills relating to the supplemental budget and legislation regarding coronavirus response before adjourning.

Currently, the scheduled suspension is indefinite and no timeframe to reconvene lawmakers has been announced.

Until March 30, the State House will only be open to legislators, staff, and members of the press.

Gov. Mike DeWine has delayed Ohio’s in-person voting by order of the state’s Health Department after a day of uncertainty about the status of the presidential primary election.

DeWine indicated earlier in the day at a press conference he did not have authority to unilaterally delay the primary and a lawsuit would be filed to move the election to June 2 over concern about COVID-19.

On Monday evening, Judge Richard A. Frye of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas rejected the request.

After the court ruling allowing the election to proceed and an evening of conflicting information, DeWine ended speculation with a tweet at 10:11 p.m.

The Health Department ordered all polling places not to open for Tuesday’s primary elections to protect voters and poll workers from the coronavirus outbreak.

The General Assembly has announced the 2020 session will adjourn on Wednesday, March 18, due to concerns about COVID-19.

Though they intend to reconvene the session the last week of May, lawmakers are pushing to complete legislation by Wednesday’s self-imposed deadline.

Senate President Bill Ferguson stressed the importance of focusing and prioritizing the most important measures and policies.

Among these important measures is the budget bill constitutionally required to be completed during this session.

On March 12, Gov. Janet Mills signed into law Legislative Document 1867 clarifying lobbyist reporting and registration requirements.

The bill requires lobbyists to file a separate report for expenditures totaling over $300 in a calendar month.

Expenditures include those made to or on behalf of covered officials by the lobbyist, lobbyist associate or lobbying firm without reimbursement from an employer.

Legislative Document 1867 also defines a lobbying firm as a partnership, corporation, limited liability company or unincorporated association that employs or contracts with more than one lobbyist or lobbyist associate.

Additionally, the firm receives or is entitled to receive compensation for engaging in lobbying either directly or through its employees.

The bill also expands the annual harassment training to include lobbyist associates.

Legislative Document 1867 is effective December 1, 2020.

Campaign Finance

National: “Omar’s Marriage to Political Consultant Renews Scrutiny of Campaign Spending” by Michelle Ye Hee Lee (Washington Post) for Connecticut Post

National: “Senior Judge Calls Out FEC for Changing Arguments ‘In Its Own Self-Interest’” by Jacqueline Thomson for Law.com

Elections

National: “Coronavirus Tests American Democracy as Planning Begins for ‘Worst Case’ in November Election” by Isaac Stanley-Baker and Amy Gardner for Washington Post

Georgia: “Georgia Delays Primary Election” by Zach Montellaro for Politico

Ethics

National: “Full Appeals Court to Hear McGahn, Border Wall Cases” by Josh Gerstein for Politico

Florida: “Andrew Gillum Entering Rehab to Treat Alcohol Abuse After Hotel Incident” by David Smiley and Steve Contorno for Tampa Bay Times

Lobbying

New York: “Top Lobbyist Suri Kasirer Enjoys Strong Ties to NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson” by Michael Gartland for New York Daily News

Procurement

Missouri: “Amid FBI Inquiry, Controversial Figures in Play for Another Huge City Power Project” by Kevin Hardy, Steve Vockrodt, and Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

On March 16, the Louisiana Legislature was temporarily suspended due to COVID-19.

The suspension is scheduled to be in effect until 11 a.m. on March 31.

Per the constitution, the legislature is still scheduled to adjourn sine die on June 1.

Due to ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, the General Court is suspending all legislative activities for at least one week.

The legislature will be closed from March 16 to March 20.

The State House will be closed to legislative members, staff, and visitors but remains open for governmental operations until further notice.

This closure does not affect lobbyist reporting.

State lawmakers voted on March 14 to suspend the Colorado legislature for two weeks over concerns about the coronavirus.

The decision comes after Gov. Jared Polis issued guidance against gatherings of more than 250 people.

The General Assembly, which began its session on January 8, will adjourn until March 30 in the interest of public health.

On Sunday, the Iowa House and Senate announced the legislative session will be suspended for a minimum of 30 days due to concerns over COVID-19.

The House and Senate will convene today at the regular scheduled time to consider resolutions regarding continuity of government.

Previously scheduled subcommittee and committee meetings have been cancelled, and standing committees will be on-call as needed.

The Capitol building opens today at 11:00 am, with entrances open on both the south and west sides.

The Department of Public Health will administer health screenings to all persons prior to entering the Capitol.

This includes filling out a health questionnaire as well as a temperature reading.

All schedule events, tours, and receptions at the Capitol are cancelled until further notice.

The Nebraska Legislature announced on March 16 that it will temporarily suspend its legislative session due to growing concerns about COVID-19.

The Legislature will not meet as scheduled March 17 and will remain suspended until reconvened by the speaker’s office.

This does not immediately affect lobbyist reporting.

On March 16, the Legislature announced the postponement of the session until later this week due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.

Lawmakers hope to resume the session on Wednesday to take action on coronavirus legislation and the state budget.

This will not affect lobbyist reporting.