Gov. Hochul will reconvene the New York General Assembly for a special session on June 30 to address the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision invalidating a portion of the state’s concealed carry law.

It is not yet clear when the special session will end.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting

New York Gov. Hochul announced a special election for U.S. Congressional Districts 19 and 23 to be held on August 23.

The District 19 seat became vacant when Rep. Antonio Delgado resigned to serve as lieutenant governor, and the District 23 seat became vacant when Rep. Tom Reed resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct.

The winners of the special elections will serve the remainder of the two-year terms set to expire at the end of this year.

New York Rep. Tom Reed announced his retirement from Congress seven months before his final term was set to conclude.

His resignation comes after the congressman faced allegations of sexual misconduct.

Rep. Antonio Delgado is also expected to resign to become Gov. Hochul’s new lieutenant governor.

Both resignations will trigger special elections for congressional districts that are currently being redrawn.

Assembly Bill 09006C was signed by New York Gov. Hochul and replaces the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) with a new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government effective July 8.

The substantive law enforced by the ethics body was not altered, and all lobbyist reporting and disclosure requirements will remain the same.

The agency’s overhaul is designed to increase greater transparency.

While members of the ethics agency will still be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, deans at the state’s law schools will comprise an independent review committee charged with approving appointees to the new commission.

Individuals who were registered as lobbyists in the previous two years are prohibited from serving on the commission.

New York Gov. Hochul announced special elections for February 15 to fill vacancies in Assembly District 60 and 72.

The seats became vacant when former Assembly members Charles Barron and Carmen De La Rosa began serving on the New York City Council.

During the 2022 State of the State speech, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a plan to replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) with an independent watchdog agency prioritizing transparency.

While JCOPE members are appointed by elected officials, the new agency would have a rotating board of five members made up of the 15 state-accredited law school deans or their designees.

These members will be prohibited from communicating with outside parties regarding any potential or ongoing investigations.

Unlike JCOPE, the new agency would be subject to the Freedom of Information Law and the Open Meetings Law.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has called the state Legislature to reconvene today, September 1.

The session’s primary order of business will be to extend the state’s eviction moratorium, but the meeting is also expected to address the open meetings law, and issues related to legally producing and distributing cannabis.