The Montana Senate and the House both adjourned sine die on April 28, 2015.

Governor Steve Bullock, who does not have a pocket veto, has 10 days upon delivery to sign, veto, or recommend amendments to bills. The Legislature, which meets in regular session for 90 working days in every odd-numbered year, will have its next regular session in 2017.

Photo of the Montana State Capitol by Maksim on Wikimedia Commons.

The 2015 regular session of the Washington State Legislature adjourned sine die on April 26, 2015.

However, legislators did not come to an agreement on the state’s budget.

Therefore, the Legislature will convene a special session on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, in order to complete the budget process.

Photo of the Washington State Capitol by Nicopoley on Wikimedia Commons.

Both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the 2015 session on Wednesday, April 22.

The session was highlighted by the passage of legislation allowing handgun-carry permit holders to be armed in any state park and a failed attempt to make the Bible the official state book. Lawmakers also approved the annual budget after rejecting a renewed attempt to authorize Medicaid expansion.

The 2016 session of the 109th General Assembly will convene at noon on Tuesday, January 12, 2016.

Photo of the Tennessee state capitol house floor by Ichabod on Wikimedia Commons.

The Legislature formally adjourned sine die on April 22, 2015, but with the possibility of a special session later this year.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has indicated he will likely call legislators back to address the state’s Medicaid expansion.

A legislative task force is expected to issue a recommendation for an alternative program to the state’s private option Medicaid expansion.

Photo of the Arkansas State Capitol by jglazer75 on Wikimedia Commons.

The Washington State Legislature appears to be headed to a special session if state lawmakers cannot come to an agreement on the state budget before April 26, 2015, the session deadline set by the state constitution.

The source of the disagreement stems from public school funding in light of recent state Supreme Court case McCleary v. State of Washington, where the Court mandated a new funding scheme for public schools by the end of the 2015 legislative session.

Gov. Jay Inslee acknowledged the need for a special session but indicated details have not been discussed.

Photo of the Washington State Capitol by Nikopoley on Wikimedia Commons.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker hinted at a possible special session if the Legislature does not act on Medicaid expansion before the session’s scheduled end on Sunday.

Walker considers expansion necessary while many legislators have concerns about adding thousands of people to what some consider an already broken system.

If legislators run out of time without addressing the issue, Walker said he plans to simply put more time on the clock.

Photo of the Alaska State Capitol by Jay Galvin on Wikimedia Commons.

The General Assembly reconvened Wednesday to review several proposed legislative amendments offered by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, including changes to the ethics reform bill. The bill, as sent to the governor, changes the lobbyist gift limit from $250 per year from any one source to $100 per gift.

The governor, fearing this would allow legislators to accept an unlimited number of gifts as long as they were less than $100 each, suggested a $100 per year limit from any one source. Lawmakers voiced their own concerns with the amendment, stating its wording could be construed to create a $100 lifetime limit.

Much to the dismay of some members, the General Assembly will meet again on Friday, April 17 to clarify the issue and hold a vote.

Photo of the Virginia State Capitol by Anderskev on Wikimedia Commons.

The General Assembly adjourned late Monday, April 13, 2015, after a lengthy debate regarding the state’s fiscal plan.

Last week Gov. Larry Hogan issued an executive order to extend the session if lawmakers failed to pass a budget, but the budget plan opposed by Hogan cleared the House and Senate on party-line votes, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against.

The Idaho Legislature adjourned sine die early Saturday, April 11, 2015.

The 90-day session concluded after both houses reached a compromise on a major transportation funding bill.

The bill approved $94.1 million for road and bridge repairs, failing to erase a $262 million shortfall in annual road maintenance.

Photo of the Idaho State Capitol Rotunda by Kencf0618 on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Larry Hogan issued an executive order to extend the legislative session beyond the expected adjournment date of April 13, 2015. Executive Order 01.01.2015.15 will extend the General Assembly session for no longer than 10 days to provide additional time for legislators to pass a budget.

During the 10-day extension, the budget bill is the only piece of legislation able to be debated among the General Assembly.

The state constitution provides for the governor to take such action when the budget bill has not been passed by the 83rd day of the regular legislative session.

The General Assembly adjourned sine die late Thursday, April 2, 2015.

Lawmakers worked till their midnight deadline, sending dozens of bills to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature.

Any bills not passed by the adjournment deadline cannot become law.

Photo of the Georgia State Capitol dome by Connor.carey on Wikimedia Commons.

The Legislature adjourned sine die on Friday, March 6, 2015, after passing two campaign finance bills.

House Bill 38 was originally filed to remove all contribution limits for political action committees (PACs), but amendments to the bill keep a $5,000 limit from a PAC to any candidate who is not a statewide candidate.

House Bill 39 repeals the state’s aggregate contribution limits, which conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.

Photo of the Wyoming State Capitol by Matthew Trump on Wikimedia Commons.

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die on Friday, February 27, 2015. Before adjourning, the legislature sent an ethics bill to the governor.

House Bill 2070 changes the $250 annual, aggregate gift limit to a $100 per-gift limit. However, the bill also contains a lengthy list of exceptions to the gift limit. Additionally, the bill creates an ethics council, but provides it with little power.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe spoke positively about the bill, but promised to look at it carefully due to the last-minute nature of its passage.

Photo of the Virginia State Capitol by Anderskev in Wikimedia Commons.

While lawmakers meet in an extraordinary session to quickly pass a right-to-work bill, union leaders are sponsoring an opposition rally at the state Capitol. Senate Bill 44 will be debated in the Committee on Labor, with a Senate floor vote expected on Wednesday, February 24.

The Assembly is expected to take action on Assembly Bill 61 after the Senate passes its version of the bill. The AFL-CIO held a press conference urging members to tell their senators to vote against the bill.

Gov. Scott Walker has indicated he will sign the bill if passed.

Photo of the interior of the Wisconsin State Capitol by Dori on Wikimedia Commons.