The Illinois General Assembly has canceled in-person work for a second week due to COVID-19 concerns.

Of the nine scheduled session days, eight have now been pushed to remote.

Committee meetings can still be viewed by the public on the Legislature’s website.

Leading up to the January 19 start date of the 2022 legislative session, Hawaii state leaders in the Senate and House have announced the state Capitol will be closed to the public due to rising concerns over the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

This announcement follows increasing numbers of positive COVID-19 cases across the state because of the Delta and Omicron variants.

The Capitol’s status will be reevaluated in the following weeks.

Additionally, the Senate and House floor sessions and hearings will be held remotely. There will be an announcement explaining how the public can submit testimony during this time.

Washington’s fast-approaching 2022 legislative session has hit a bit of a snag with the rampant Omicron variant.

The chief clerk of the House has announced that his chamber will hold its floor sessions remotely for the first two weeks of the session.

Only five lawmakers who are vaccinated, boosted, and masked, along with critical staff, will be allowed in the House chamber during the restrictions.

These policies will be reassessed every two weeks.

The Senate is looking into either a hybrid or fully remote sessions, though no final decision has been made.

The Illinois Legislature canceled two of the three days scheduled this week and may cancel the session for next week due to a spike in daily average of COVID-19 cases.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced the House and Senate will not meet January 4 or January 6 and will convene only on Wednesday for organizational purposes and to empower committees to meet and vote remotely.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

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.

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.

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.

The Wyoming Legislature adjourned their special session after passing HB 1002, outlawing enforcement of federal vaccine mandates.

Included in HB 1002 is the ability for Wyoming’s attorney general to initiate or participate in litigation and take any appropriate action to challenge or resist federal government mandates relating to COVID-19.

A four-million-dollar fund has been set aside to finance legal actions opposing federal government COVID mandates.

The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the third special session on October 30.

Lawmakers passed several bills limiting COVID-19 restrictions and mandates.

In addition to these measures, lawmakers also introduced and passed Senate Bill 9009 making school board elections partisan elections.

All of these bills now await action by Gov. Bill Lee.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has set the dates for the November Florida Legislature’s special session concerning COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Lawmakers will convene the special session on November 15 and can adjourn no later than November 19.

Speaker of the House Scott Bedke announced the Idaho Legislature will reconvene November 15 to address Federal Covid-19 rules for employers and consider an ethics complaint against Rep. Priscilla Giddings.

Normally, only Idaho’s Governor has the power to call a special session.

Instead of adjourning, the house called for an extended recess, a maneuver that allows the house to return to the regular session.

The Covid-related bill being considered would make it a misdemeanor for state or local government employees to implement President Biden’s Covid-19 rules in Idaho.

The Legislature will also consider censoring and removing Rep. Giddings from the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee.

The ethic complaint stems from Rep. Giddings sharing the name and picture of a 19-year-old legislative staffer who accused former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger of sexual misconduct.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he intends to call a special session of the Florida Legislature in November.

Though the specific dates have not been set, the session will take up issues regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

West Virginia lawmakers completed their third special session after approving redistricting plans.

In addition to approving new House and Senate districts, the Legislature passed a bill to require employers to allow religious and health exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

The Legislature also approved the creation of the Broadband Development Fund.

A special legislative session has been announced by the Wyoming Legislature after a majority of state House and Senate members voted in favor of convening.

The session will begin October 26 and is tentatively scheduled to adjourn on October 28.

The purpose of the special session is to address COVID-19 mandates and “vaccine passports.”