On July 24, the Ontario, Canada, Legislature adjourned its session with unanimous consent until October 20, 2014. According to The Record, legislators will continue to work over the summer to address budget issues. “Make no mistake, this is not an extended vacation that MPPs are going on, and certainly I will be working very hard over the coming weeks to prepare for all the implementation that comes with the passage of the budget,” said Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Photo of the Ontario Legislative Assembly Building by Antoien Cadotte in Wikimedia Commons.

The 147th Delaware General Assembly adjourned sine die Tuesday, July 1, 2014. In keeping with longstanding Delaware tradition, legislators worked into the early hours of the morning attempting to pass dozens of bills before the end of the session. Noteworthy among those bills are measures to provide $10 million in relief to the state’s three ailing casinos and to toughen penalties on DUI offenders.

Lawmakers adjourned the regular session on Thursday, June 5, 2014, but will return for a veto session on June 17. House Bill 3945, the ethics reform bill, passed the House, but was filibustered by Sen. Lee Bright. The Senate will have a final opportunity to vote on the measure during the veto session.

Gov. Nikki Haley confirmed on Twitter she would sign the bill if passed.

The Senate is also expected to select a new President Pro Tem, who will automatically be promoted to lieutenant governor and replace retiring Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell. Former President Pro Tem John Courson resigned to avoid becoming lieutenant governor.

Today Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer called for a special session of the Legislature to convene on May 27.

According to Brewer’s press release, the purpose of the special session will be to “overhaul the state’s child safety system” by creating and funding an entity called the Department of Child Safety, “a new, stand-alone agency whose sole focus is the safety of Arizona’s children.”

If passed, the state child welfare programs would be removed from the authority of the Department of Economic Security.

The regular session adjourned on April 24.

Photo of the Arizona State Capitol courtesy of Jeff Dean on Wikimedia Commons.

The first session of the 33rd Yukon Legislative Assembly, which convened on March 25, adjourned on May 15, 2014.

The Legislative Assembly is scheduled to reconvene later this year.

The session dates will be announced two weeks before the session begins.

The 28th Alaska State Legislature adjourned an extended session sine die on Friday, April 25.

Originally set to adjourn April 20, both the House and Senate remained in session until compromising on a major education reform bill and a controversial bridge bill.

The Arizona Legislature adjourned its session sine die at 1:46 a.m. Thursday, April 24.

Gov. Jan Brewer has 10 days to sign or veto legislation transmitted to her or the legislation becomes law automatically.

The state Senate adjourned the last general-business floorperiod of the 2014 regular session on April 1, 2014, after passing more than 50 bills. The Assembly previously adjourned early on March 21, 2014.

Gov. Scott Walker has six business days to sign or veto legislation he receives. While the Legislature has no plans to return this year, Walker may call a special session to pass a bill requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Photo of the Wisconsin State Capitol courtesy of Dori on Wikimedia Commons.

The Legislature adjourned sine die on March 31, 2014, following the veto session.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard vetoed only a measure to allow certain municipalities to charge a higher occupational tax.

Legislators failed to override the veto on Senate Bill 98.

Lobbying

“Former White House lawyer defends Obama limits on lobbying, hints at possible changes” by Holly Yeager in The Washington Post.

“Obama alumni join ranks of ‘unlobbyists’” by Mike Dorning in the Concord Monitor.

“Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Hires Blanche Lincoln” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

“House Ethics Reviewing Gutierrez Contract With Illinois Lobbyist” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

“Putin’s lobbyists escape sanctions” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

Connecticut: “Lobbyists command millions from Conn. Industries” by Neil Vigdor in the Stamford Advocate.

Missouri: “Our million-dollar Legislature” opinion piece by State Rep. John Wright in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Campaign Finance

“Forget the Dictionary, Super PACs Aren’t New” by Francis Barry in Bloomberg View.

Louisiana: “Feds asked to look into super PAC backing Vitter” in The Advocate.

New York: “Campaign finance reform benefits women” opinion piece by Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Letitia James in The Journal News.

New York: “Business interests against NY public campaign financing want to preserve their influence (Commentary)” by Lawrence Norden in The Post-Standard.

Ethics

Kentucky: “Former state official assessed ethics fine” by The Associated Press in the Bangor Daily News.

New Jersey: “Christie’s campaign treasurer goes to bat for underfunded agency: The Auditor” in The Star Ledger.

Pennsylvania: “Gift ban urged after report of Pa. lawmakers getting cash” by Mark Scolforo (Associated Press) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

State Legislative Sessions

Idaho: “Idaho Legislature wraps up with pay raises at the top” by Betsy Z. Russell in The Spokesman-Review.

Virginia: “McAuliffe proposes expanding Medicaid in two-year pilot” by Olympia Meola and Jim Nolan in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Elections

Rhode Island: “House speaker candidates courting votes” by Randal Edgar in the Providence Journal.

Redistricting

Pennsylvania: “Legislators clash over district boundary changes” by Robert Swift in The Times-Tribune.

The Legislature adjourned the fiscal session sine die on March 19, 2014.

Legislators successfully passed the $4.7 billion budget and overrode Gov. Mike Beebe’s line-item veto of a tax break for oil and gas drillers.

The Utah Legislature adjourned its 2014 session sine die on March 13, 2014.

Governor Gary Herbert has until April 2 to veto or sign legislation. The Governor does not possess a pocket veto. May 12 is the last day a veto-override session may begin.

The normal effective date for bills passed this year is May 13.

Photo of the Utah State Capitol by Scott Catron on Wikimedia Commons.

The Legislature adjourned sine die on Thursday, February 20, 2014.

A bill to expand revolving door restrictions passed the House, but did not move out of the Senate Rules Committee.

Gov. Susana Martinez has until March 12 to act on legislation. Any bill failing to reach her desk is now dead.

The Legislature is not meeting this week because of the winter storm in the Carolinas. Most legislative meetings are also canceled.

Gov. Nikki Haley declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, January 28, as light sleet began falling on the state capital.

The Legislature will resume its normal schedule next week on Tuesday, February 4.