The Washington Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) has raised the threshold for reporting last-minute contributions from $1,000 to $1,500.

Contributions of or exceeding $1,500 that occur within seven days of a primary election and 21 days before a general election must be reported separately by both the contributors and the campaigns who receive them.

Once the threshold is reached, contributors must file with the PDC a last-minute contribution report within 24 hours of reaching the threshold, while recipients have 48 hours to report the contribution.

A federal judge rejected a Florida law limiting contributions to political committees that support ballot initiatives.

U.S. District Judge Winsor has issued a permanent injunction against Senate Bill 1890 and House Bill 921.

These bills placed a $3,000 contribution limit on donors to political committees sponsoring or opposing ballot initiatives.

Senate Bill 1890 was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2021, and House Bill 921’s effective date was July 1, 2022, but neither bill will take effect following the ruling.

Maryland Lawmakers passed a bill late in the session to require lobbyist employers to file contribution disclosure statements even if no contributions were made.

Senate Bill 15 became law when Gov. Larry Hogan declined to veto the bill within 30 days.

Any lobbyist employer who pays at least $500 to one or more lobbyists must file the report on May 31 and November 30.

Previously, the report was due only if applicable contributions were made in the reporting period of $500 or more.

The new law raises penalties for violations from $1,000 to $25,000 and establishes three-year record keeping requirements. Senate bill 15 is effective July 1.

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission issued a memo reminding lobbyists of the ban on contributions while lawmakers are in special session.

Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order 168, calling for a special session of the Legislature to begin Wednesday, June 22.

The Ethics Commission announced the window for personal contributions from lobbyists closes at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22 and lasts until the special session is adjourned.

Once the session is adjourned, the commission will provide notice the window is open.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed House Bill 49 and has not vetoed House Bill 100, allowing it to be enacted.

House Bill 49 defines what an “organization” is in relation to campaign finance reporting and establishes criteria for when an organization must file a statement of formation.

The bill restructures references of the term “organization” and raises the limit an organization can expend before it must file an itemized statement of contributions and expenditures to $1,000.

The bill increases the penalty of not filing a required report with the secretary of state to $500 per day and increases the penalty of not filing a required report with the county clerk to $200 per day.

Gov. Gordon, while not signing House Bill 100, did not veto the bill, approving the redistricting bill and permitting it to become law.

House Bill 49 is effective April 1, 2022, and House Bill 100 is effective immediately.

Candidates for office in Louisiana will soon no longer be subject to aggregate contribution limits from political committees combined under a bill signed into law June 22 by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Effective August 1, the new law will remove the limitation on combined contributions for both the primary and general elections that may be accepted by any candidate and his principal and subsidiary campaign committees from a political committee.

Before the change, PAC donations have been limited to $80,000 for major office candidates in Louisiana, $60,000 for district office candidates and $20,000 for smaller office candidates. That cap is a total applied to the combined primary and general elections for a candidate.

Gov. Edwards signed the legislation despite opposition from the state board of ethics.

The Louisiana Legislature will adjourn sine die no later than 6 p.m. June 10 in accordance with state law.

Gov. John Bel Edwards will hold a media briefing about the 2021 legislative session 30 minutes after adjournment sine die.

During the session, a bill eliminating certain aggregate campaign contribution limitations passed.

Senate Bill 4 removes the limitation on combined contributions for both the primary and general elections that may be accepted by any candidate and his principal and subsidiary campaign committees from a political committee.

Present law provides the total amount of combined contributions for both the primary and general elections that may be accepted by a candidate and his principal and subsidiary campaign committees from political committees must not exceed $80,000 for major office candidates, $60,000 for district office candidates, and $20,000 for other office candidates in aggregate.

Senate Bill 4 was sent to the governor on June 1 and has an effective date of August 1.

On May 24, a bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate to prohibit political campaigns from using tactics that unwittingly enter donors into recurring contributions. The legislation, Senate Bill 1786, was created in response to a unanimous Federal Election Commission (FEC) legislative recommendation sent to Congress earlier this month.

Titled the “Rescuing Every Contributor from Unwanted Recurrences” (RECUR) Act, the bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to ban political campaigns from using pre-checked recurring donation boxes, to create a new opt-in requirement for contributors to affirmatively consent to recurring charges, and to require political committees or campaigns to inform contributors about how to cancel recurring contributions and to cancel recurring contributions immediately upon request.

Cincinnati City Council failed to adopt an ordinance proposing additional campaign finance disclosure.

Ordinance 2021-01549 would have required the mayor and City Council members to report contributions above $200 within 48 hours.

Only Council Member Greg Landsman, who introduced the proposal, voted to adopt the ordinance.

On May 6, a unanimous Federal Election Commission (FEC) sent a message to the U.S. Congress: prohibit political campaigns from using tactics that unwittingly enter donors into recurring contributions.

As part of a package of legislative recommendations approved at its open meeting, the bipartisan commission asked Congress to amend current federal campaign finance law to require “affirmative consent” by donors if a political entity wants the donors enrolled in a program of recurring contributions.

As reported by the New York Times last month, campaigns involved with former President Donald J. Trump steered large numbers of their political contributors, without the contributors’ realization, into repeated periodic donations though prechecked boxes (for authorization) included on what many donors thought was a one-time payment form. The tactic has also been used by groups supporting Democratic candidates, including Actblue and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In its legislative recommendation, the FEC stated “that many contributors are unaware of the ‘pre- checked’ boxes and are surprised by the already completed transactions appearing on account statements.”

The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has increased contribution limits for the 2021-2022 election cycle.

Effective January 1, an individual may not contribute more than $5,300 per election cycle to a candidate committee for statewide office and legislative office. Additionally, an individual may not contribute more than $6,550 per election cycle to a candidate committee for district office, county office, town office, and city office.

Contribution limits for PACs have also increased. A PAC without Mega PAC status may not contribute more than $5,300 per election cycle to a candidate for statewide office. In contrast, a PAC with Mega PAC status may contribute $10,600 per election cycle to candidates for statewide and legislative office and $13,100 per election cycle to candidates for county, city, town, or district office.

A bill prohibiting corporate campaign contributions has been introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates.

House Bill 1906 would not only prohibit direct contributions to candidates and committees but also prohibit indirect contributions.

This would include designated contributions or contributions directed through another person or committee.

The proposed bill includes a civil penalty of up to twice the amount of the prohibited contributions.

The Seattle City Council is scheduled to vote Monday afternoon on a new ordinance.

The ordinance’s rules are meant to shine a light on groups spending money to build public pressure on Seattle politicians.

Recommended in January by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, the rules would apply to groups spending at least $750 in a month or $1,500 in three months on presenting a program to the public to affect legislation.

The individuals behind a group would need to identify themselves, their contractors, and donors for contributions of $25 or more.

The group also would be required to describe its purpose and record spending on monthly reports.

The City Council approved a November ballot measure relating to contributions and gifts from lobbyists.

The proposed measure would bar lobbyists from making campaign contributions.

The mayor, council members, and senior administrators would also be barred from accepting gifts from lobbyists or city contractors.

The mayor and council members would also be required to sit out of any vote involving a person or entity contributing to their campaign or other cause in the last 12 months and the three months following the vote.

The proposed initiative would also give the mayor the power to hire and fire the city manager and department heads starting January 1, 2023.

The measure also includes a provision to align San Jose’s mayoral races with the presidential election cycle in an effort to increase voter turnout.

The City Council will hold a special meeting on July 28 where they will review the proposed ballot language before sending it off to the county Registrar of Voters.