Bills have been filed in both chambers of the North Dakota Legislature advocating for annual legislative sessions.

Senate Bill 2247 would permit a 50-day session in odd-numbered years and mandate a 30-day session in even-numbered years. House Bill 1342 would permit a 60-day session in odd-numbered years, followed by a recess and a 20-day remainder session in the following year.

Currently, sessions begin in January of every odd-numbered year and are limited to 80 days.

A renovation of the Capitol Building planned for next year may shorten the Minnesota Legislature’s session. Currently, the session is slated to span 2015 and 2016.

However, with the planned renovation, many lawmakers are considering completing the entire session this year.

Thus far, no official proposals have been made; only discussions among the House and Senate leadership have taken place.

Photo of the Minnesota Capitol dome by Mulad on Wikimedia Commons.

Today the Montana Legislature will convene its 64th regular session. Based on pre-filed bills, issues under consideration include revising campaign laws related to robo-calls, absentee ballots, and disclosure and reporting periods for certain campaign activities.

The Legislature, which regularly meets every two years, is expected to adjourn on April 27.

Photo of the interior dome of the Montana State Capitol by Parkerdr on Wikimedia Commons.

The fall session of the 33rd Yukon Legislative Assembly, which convened on October 23, adjourned on December 18, 2014.

Bill 104, the Paid Lobbying Act, did not progress past the first reading.

On November 27, the third session of the 40th parliament of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly adjourned for the year. The Legislature did not pass Bill M202, the Election Finance Amendment Act. It would have restricted political contributions to donations made by individual residents of the province and eliminated corporate, union, and out-of-province donations.

Photo of the main block of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings by Ryan Bushby on Wikimedia Commons.

In an about-face, Gov. Jay Nixon announced a special session is not necessary.

After alerting the Legislature he was planning on calling a special session, legislative leaders suggested the governor already possessed the power required to ensure Missouri Highway Patrol officers and Missouri National Guard troops were paid for the time spent dealing with unrest in Ferguson.

The governor agreed with the leadership’s suggested interpretation of the law and declared the special session no longer necessary.

Photo of the statue of Thomas Jefferson at the south entrance of the Missouri State Capitol by Nickbigd on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Jay Nixon has informed legislative leaders he would be calling a special session to address funding issues related to the deployment of Missouri National Guard troops and Missouri State Highway Patrol officers in the city of Ferguson.

Gov. Nixon has yet to issue a formal call with the convening date for the session, but has stated he will do so shortly.

Photo of Gov. Jay Nixon by Bernard Pollack on Wikimedia Commons.

Legislators will meet beginning Monday, November 24, 2014 in a special session.

Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla called a special session to debate an increase in an oil tax in an attempt to bolster the financial standing of the Highway and Transportation Authority.

Photo of the Capitol of Puerto Rico courtesy of Mtmelendez on Wikimedia Commons.

Today the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, will convene for the first session of the 41^st Parliament.

The assembly had adjourned its session with unanimous consent on July 24, 2014, in order to continue to work over the summer to address budget issues.

Photo of the Ontario Legislative Assembly Building by Andrijko Z. on Wikimedia Commons.

The fall sitting of the first session of the 33rd Yukon Legislative Assembly will convene on Thursday, October 23, 2014.

The assembly will adjourn on a date to be determined.

The Delaware Senate adjourned its brief special session on October 8, 2014.

Senators unanimously confirmed James Vaughn Jr. to the state Supreme Court.

Vaughn has served the past 15 years as a Superior Court judge.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

Oklahoma: “State Capitol lobbyist Bart McSpadden dead at 46” by Mark Friedel in the Claremore Daily Progress.

Campaign Finance

“Democrats relying on big donors to win” by Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti in Politico.

“FEC Chairman Talks ‘Dark Money’ and the Fine Line Between Free Speech and Censorship” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown in Reason.com.

“Is there a right to contribute to out-of-state elections?” by William Baude in The Washington Post.

Massachusetts: “Massachusetts governor’s race has range of cash sources” by Steve Leblanc in the Portland Press Herald.

Massachusetts: “Pro-casino group ramping up campaign spending” by The Associated Press in the Boston Herald.

New Jersey: “N.J. assemblyman wants to end restrictions on campaign donations, lobbying: The Auditor” in NJ.com.

Winnipeg, Canada: “The money behind the politics: Winnipeg’s most generous political donors” by Joanne Levasseur and Sean Kavanagh in CBC News.

Ethics

Tallahassee, Florida: “City approves 2015 budget, more ethics standards” by TaMaryn Waters in the Tallahassee Democrat.

Elections

California: “A show of disunity at California GOP convention” by Michael Finnegan and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times.

California: “AM Alert: Democrats’ legislative supermajority hinges on several key races” by Alexei Koseff in the Fresno Bee.

Michigan: “Michigan GOP Gov. Rick Snyder Has Created an Opening for His Opponent” by Alan Greenblatt in Governing.

Minnesota: “Unions will play key role in Dayton re-election bid” by Ricardo Lopez in the Star Tribune.

Legislative Sessions

Alaska: “Alaska legislative committee reviews progress on crime-reduction bill” by Jerzy Shedlock in the Alaska Dispatch News.

Missouri state lawmakers returned to Jefferson City today to start the veto session.

During the regular session, Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed 33 regular bills and made line-item vetoes to hundreds of items in the state operating budget.

Lawmakers were expected to prepare for a three-day session due to the historical number of vetoes to consider.

Photo of the Missouri Capitol by Nickbigd on Wikimedia Commons.

House members will hold a special, one-day session to consider two bills vetoed by Gov. Nikki Haley on Wednesday, August 27, 2014. The bills would allow public libraries keep out disrupters and permit a local tax hike for firefighting in coastal Murrell’s Inlet and Garden City.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to override the vetoes, but those votes occurred after the House had adjourned in June. An override requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers.