The Office of the City Clerk updated their lobbyist forms and combined the Lobbyist Registration, Amendment, and Notice of Termination forms into one new form called the Lobbyist Form.

The registration fee of $100 is due with submission of the new Lobbyist Form.

Also updated were the Lobbying Guide and the Lobbyist Quarterly Report of Activity Form.

The Idaho House of Representatives voted unanimously to expel Rep. John Green, a day after a Texas federal jury convicted him of a felony.

Rep. Green refused to resign from Seat B of House District 2 following a guilty verdict.

The Idaho Attorney General’s Office sent House Speaker Scott Bedke a letter stating based on a review of the Idaho Constitution and state law, under the felony conviction, Green has lost his qualifications for office.

It was also noted in the letter the House is the judge of the qualifications of its own members.

Expelling a House member requires a two-thirds vote of the 70-member body.

With no debate, comment, or discussion the House voted 65-0 to expel Green.

It is the first time a lawmaker has been expelled from the Idaho Legislature.

Gov. Brad Little nominated Tim Kastning to serve as acting state representative during Green’s temporary absence for the trial.

The District 2 Republican Party now has 15 days to present three possible candidates to forward to the governor to choose a replacement.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has set April 28 as the date for a special election for the 27th U.S. Congressional District, meaning the election will coincide with the state’s presidential primary election.

The New York Republican Party sued to have the election scheduled for an earlier date, but lost in the state Supreme Court.

The seat was vacated when Congressman Chris Collins, a Buffalo Republican, resigned after pleading guilty to insider trading.

State party leaders will pick the nominees for the special election.

Akasha Lawrence-Spence was selected by the Multnomah County Commissioners in Oregon to fill the unexpired term of Rep. Jennifer Williamson.

Rep. Williamson resigned from the House District 36 seat in late December to run for secretary of state.

The unexpired term ends in January 2021.

Lawrence-Spence will serve through the remainder of the upcoming 2020 legislative session.

Candidates will vie for the District 36 seat in this year’s primary election.

In an effort to increase transparency, Sen. Jeff Steinborn is sponsoring a bill that would require post-session lobbying reports.

Under Senate Bill 53, lobbyists or their employers would have to file an expenditure report within 14 days after each legislative session listing the legislation they supported or opposed.

The 2020 session of the 54^th Legislature is scheduled to begin on January 21 and adjourn on February 20.

If Steinborn’s bill passes, it will become effective on May 20.

Campaign Finance

New Jersey: “He Raised $21K But Never Ran for Office. Nobody Knows Where the Money Went.” by Karen Yi for Newark Star Ledger

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Senators Want MAGA License Plates, Which Might Violate Campaign Finance Rules” by Katie Mettler (Washington Post) for Seattle Times

Utah: “Special Interests Provided 93.5% of Donations to Utah Legislators Last Year” by Lee Davidson for Salt Lake Tribune

Elections

National: “Justices to Consider Faithless Electors, Ahead of 2020 Vote” by Mark Sherman for AP News

Iowa: “Chaos Feared Despite Iowa Democrats’ Caucus Fixes” by Isaac Stanley-Becker (Washington Post) for Fairfield Citizen

Ethics

National: “Former Rep. Chris Collins Sentenced to Just Over Two Years in Federal Prison” by Chris Marquette for Roll Call

Lobbying

National: “Dem Debates Are Magnet for Lobbyists” by Alex Gangitano for The Hill

Florida: “Hillsborough’s Lobbying Rules Get Tweaked” by Anastasia Dawson for Tampa Bay Times

Utah Agriculture and Food Commissioner Kerry Gibson has resigned from Gov. Gary Herbert’s cabinet to run for Utah’s 1st Congressional District.

Kelly Pehrson was named the interim manager of the department.

Heading into the November 3 election is incumbent Rob Bishop, who has served since 2003.

After eight years, Kansas Rep. Brandon Whipple resigned from his House District 96 seat on January 13 to become mayor of Wichita, Kansas.

Whipple defeated incumbent Jeff Longwell to become Wichita’s mayor on November 5, 2019.

The Sedgwick County Democratic Party has nominated Stephanie Yeager to succeed Whipple.

Gov. Laura Kelly must appoint a successor and has not yet approved Yeager’s nomination.

The Chicago Board of Ethics issued a press release and three binding advisory opinions.

These opinions clarify what does and does not constitute lobbying activity by nonprofit organizations.

The opinions include a total of 44 scenarios or hypothetical situations addressing concerns raised by the nonprofit community in response to recently passed amendments to lobbying laws.

Effective April 20, Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305 imposes new registration and reporting requirements on certain nonprofit interactions with the city.

City Council President Brandon Scott introduced a proposed ordinance in an attempt to close a loophole regarding gifts to elected officials from lobbyists and persons doing business with the city.

Council Bill 20-0483 will prohibit elected officials and their staff from accepting gifts from not only anyone they know to be a lobbyist, but also anyone they reasonably should know to be a lobbyist.

Like current gift restrictions, this prohibition will also extend to those doing business with the city, engaging in regulated activity, or having a financial interest in the performance of an elected official’s duties.

Gov. Henry McMaster released a budget proposal with a provision to expand state lobbying laws to cover local lobbying of county, city, and town councils.

The proposal would also double the current lobbyist registration fee from $100 to $200.

The fee increase would allow the State Ethics Commission to strengthen its investigative and enforcement activities.

Sen. Dan Hegeman, a Republican from Cosby, is sponsoring a Joint Resolution for a constitutional amendment which would ban all gifts from lobbyists or lobbyist principals.

Additionally, the bill will reduce contributions made to or accepted by any candidate or committee from $2,500 to $2,000.

The proposed constitutional amendment also repeals the redistricting system approved by voters in 2018 through Amendment 1.

If passed, the proposed amendment would be voted on by the state on November 3, or at a special election to be called by the governor for that purpose.

Campaign Finance

National: “Democrats Plan $50M Campaign to Flip State Legislatures Before Redistricting” by Maggie Severns for Politico

National: “Courts Urged to Enforce Campaign Finance Law as Regulator Idles” by Kenneth Doyle for Bloomberg Government

Elections

Florida: “Florida Supreme Court Issues Setback for Amendment 4 Supporters” by Lawrence Mower for Tampa Bay Times

Ethics

National: “Trump Hotel’s Mix of GOP Insiders and Hangers-on Helped Give Rise to Impeachment Episodes” by David Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey, and Jonathan O’Connell (Washington Post) for Anchorage Daily News

National: “Ethics Expert: GOP ‘crosses the line’ with House hallway ambushes” by Chris Marquette for Roll Call

Colorado: “Hickenlooper Faces Renewed Pressure and Questions About His Administration’s Spending in Final Months” by John Frank for Colorado Sun

North Carolina: “State Lawmaker’s Failure to Disclose Business Ties Highlights Broader Ethics Enforcement Problem” by Joe Killian for NC Policy Watch

Lobbying

New Mexico: “Report Flags ‘Outsized Influence’ of Lobbyists” by Dan McKay for Albuquerque Journal

The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned the regular session until April 28 after meeting for a single day.

The Senate attempted but failed to override vetoes by Gov. Roy Cooper on teacher pay and the budget.

Before adjourning, lawmakers unanimously approved additional funding for the state’s scholarship for children of wartime veterans, which is expected to be signed into law by Cooper.