The Mississippi Legislature passed a resolution extending the legislative session to adjourn sine die on October 10 to consider matters concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

This extension pushes back the due date for the Lobbyist End-of-Session Report due 10 days after adjournment sine die to October 20, unless the Legislature votes to adjourn earlier.

Due to the special legislative session being called for August 24, 2020, registered lobbyists will be required to file a monthly report.

Monthly reports must be filed on or before September 15, 2020, covering the month of August.

For questions concerning this matter, contact the Idaho Office of the Secretary of State at elections@sos.idaho.gov or call (208) 344-2852.

The Maine Senate will convene on Monday, August 24, to vote on three nominees for the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Campaign Practice.

Under the Legislature’s joint rules, the Senate may convene independently for confirmation votes.

Two of the nominees were nominated by Gov. Mills in February and the third was nominated by the state’s Republican caucus.

The Senate was unable to vote on the nominations during the regular legislative session due to COVID-19 concerns.

Senate President Harvey Peeler announced he will call the Senate back to session early on September 2 to consider the impact of COVID-19 on upcoming elections.

The Legislature recessed in May and was set to reconvene on September 15.

Peeler emphasized the need to protect the voter and the vote as the chief reason from reconvening early.

The second session of the 106^th Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die on August 13 after 60 legislative days of a session interrupted by COVID-19.

Speaker Jim Scheer suspended the session in mid-March in response to growing safety concerns regarding the global pandemic. After calling lawmakers back into session for three days in late March for the limited purpose of approving emergency funding to combat the pandemic, he suspended the session again.

Senators reconvened July 20 and finished the final 17 days of session in a changed physical environment of plastic barriers and physical distancing guidelines to limit contact between senators, staff, and the media.

The delaying of the session affected lobbyist reporting due dates. Any lobbyists or principals who received or expended more than $5,000 for lobbying purposes during the session must file special reports on September 15, 2020. Additionally, the lobbyist statement of activity is due on September 27, which signifies 45 days after adjournment sine die of the session.

Lawmakers passed 285 bills during the session, including measures to expand access to broadband Internet in rural areas, improve oversight of the state’s Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers and provide a tax exclusion for military retirement benefit pay.

Scheer is among six senators who are leaving the Legislature due to term limits. The others are Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz, Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford, Omaha Sen. Sara Howard and Omaha Sen. Rick Kolowski.

Chambers, whose legislative career will stand as the longest in state history, was first elected to the Legislature in 1970. He left office in 2008 due to term limits but returned in 2012.

The first session of the 107^th Legislature is scheduled to convene on January 6, 2021.

Out of six applicants, three names were forwarded to Gov. Mike Dunleavy to fill the District 30 seat until a new legislator is sworn in in January.

The district currently lacks representation since the untimely passing of Rep. Gary Knopp in a July midair plane collision.

The three chosen by the District 30 committee are Ron Gillham, Derek Leichliter, and Charlene Tautfest.

Gillham is a candidate for the seat and his name is already on the ballot for the primary election.

When a vacancy occurs, the governor typically will choose from the three names the district leaders of the party offer.

In this case, the governor may not appoint a fill-in person, but would need to appoint one if he calls a special session for the purpose of legislative confirmation of his boards and commissions picks.

His choice would have to be ratified by Republicans in the House.

Oregon Lawmakers worked past 11 p.m. Monday to conclude a special session growing tense and at times openly hostile in the Senate earlier in the evening.

Lawmakers passed a dozen bills to patch a $1 billion hole in the state budget, tighten restrictions on police and corrections officers’ use of force and help out-of-work and underemployed Oregonians.

The public was not allowed into the Capitol due to coronavirus concerns and lawmakers only accepted written testimony on the bills.

This was the second special session of the year.

Lawmakers spent three days at the Capitol in June focused on police reform laws and a handful of other proposals left over from the regular session abruptly ending when Republican lawmakers walked out.

Gov. Tim Walz issued a proclamation on August 7 for a third special session of the Legislature to begin Wednesday, August 12 at 12:00 p.m.

The main purpose will be to extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency originally declared on March 13, and ending on August 12.

Minnesota statutes require that if the governor extends a peacetime emergency beyond the original 30 days and the Legislature is not in session, the governor must call a special session for lawmakers to approve the emergency declaration.

Additionally, the Legislature will determine the length of the session.

The Mississippi Legislature plans to reconvene its session on August 10.

The legislature’s return will focus on the recent vetoes by Gov. Tate Reeves, as well as legislation concerning the Department of Marine Resources and education budgets.

The 32nd Special Legislative Session adjourned shortly after midnight and the final bills have gone to Gov. Steve Sisolak for his signature.

Lawmakers wrapped up the state’s latest special session with a deeply divisive amendment.

This amendment cuts schools and hospitals out of a bill to protect business owners from coronavirus related employee lawsuits.

Other issues were also addressed such as police reform, voting rights, more flexibility with Nevada’s unemployment benefits, alternative dispute resolution for rental evictions and a dire budget shortfall as a result of the pandemic.

Legislators appropriated $410,000 from the general fund to pay for the six day session.

Gov. Brad Little stated Wednesday he will call the part-time Legislature back into a special session during the week of August 24 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The special session could include how to conduct the November general election amid the pandemic.

Also a topic of discussion is legislation creating a liability shield for protection against lawsuits during declared emergencies such as the pandemic.

How a special session would work during the pandemic and how much it would cost is unclear.

Lawmakers would have to be in the Statehouse in Boise for their votes to count.

The Massachusetts General Court passed Senate Bill 2873 declaring a state of emergency within the Legislature and extending the legislative session past the traditional last day of July 31.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the General Court extended the session to respond to and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, to protect the health, security, safety, and economic well-being and convenience of the people of the Commonwealth.

The bill suspends Joint Rule 12A and allows the second annual session of the 191st General Court to continue until the end of the calendar year.

Gov. Phil Bryant announced a special session of the state legislature will begin on June 5, 2017. Lawmakers will continue work on the budget for fiscal year 2018 left unfinished at the end of the regular session.

Gov. Bryant, who has sole authority to call special sessions and set the agenda, will announce other issues, if any, the session will cover closer to June 5.

The Florida House is offering training sessions to assist lobbyists in getting to know the new House Rules adopted last month. A seminar will be offered on December 13 and December 14, 2016, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 404 of the House Office Building.

The training will focus on disclosure requirements and the new rules governing lobbyist and member conduct. Supplementary information and tutorials are available on the House’s website, www.myfloridahouse.gov, and lobbyists are encouraged to review the materials prior to attending a training session.

Photo of the Old and New Florida State Capitols by Infrogmation on Wikimedia Commons.