Gov. Matt Bevin approved changes to a campaign finance law yesterday, March 27, 2017.

Senate Bill 75 doubles current contribution limits for individuals giving to candidates, state executive committees, and caucus campaign committees. The limit for individuals giving to PACs also increases from $1,500 to $2,000.

Contributions to candidates and PACs will be indexed for inflation every odd-numbered year based on the Consumer Price Index. The bill also creates a single reporting threshold of $3,000 for campaign finance reports.

The bill is effective June 28, 2017, or 90 days from adjournment sine die of the regular session of the Legislature.

A special election will be held on November 8, the same day as the general election, to fill the state’s First Congressional District seat. Rep. Ed Whitfield, who already stated he would not seek reelection, announced his resignation last week amid concerns he granted special favors to his lobbyist wife. His resignation was effective on September 6.

Gov. Matt Bevin announced the special election will be held to fill the seat for the final two months of the term. Republican nominee James Comer, who was already running to take Whitfield’s place, is expected to be the nominee in special election as well.

Last week, Gov. Matt Bevin signed a revenue bill including changes for executive agency lobbyists. House Bill 80 contains a provision increasing the registration fee for lobbying executive agencies from $125 to $500 beginning July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018.

The change was included in a last-minute amendment by the Senate on the final day of the legislative session. The Executive Branch Ethics Commission had been pushing hard during the closing days of the session to increase the fee, fearing a budget short-fall would result in cuts to the Commission’s staff.

Just days after Gov. Matt Bevin vetoed a bill to raise the executive agency lobbyist registration fee, proponents of the increase will have another bite at the apple. Lawmakers came to an agreement on the state budget in the earlier hours of Thursday morning and included a provision allowing the Executive Branch Ethics Commission to increase the fee, currently set at $125. The bill does not provide an amount for the increase.

The budget will be voted on tomorrow, April 15, the final day of the legislative session. Gov. Bevin will then have the final say as lawmakers will not have the opportunity to override any line-item vetoes.

Gov. Matt Bevin has vetoed a bill to increase the executive branch lobbyist registration fee. House Bill 423, a state revenue bill, would have increased the fee from $125 to $275.

Katie Gabhart, executive director of the Executive Branch Ethics Commission, said the increase was necessary to avoid cutting its staff. The agency now faces a $40,000 budget deficit and, after lean years during the previous administration, Gabhart said there is nothing left to cut besides salaries.

Photo of Gov. Matt Bevin by Gage Skidmore on Wikimedia Commons.

State Republicans are celebrating a victory today following a successful gubernatorial election. Matt Bevin, a Louisville businessman and favorite among Tea Party members, was elected governor, defeating Democrat and current Attorney General Jack Conway. This is an unusual change in a state where Democrats have held the governor’s office for all but four of the last 44 years.

Additionally, by capitalizing on the overwhelming unpopularity of President Obama within the state, Republicans will go from holding just one statewide office to four.

Kentucky is the last southern state where Democrats hold a chamber of the legislature, but without the support of the governor, the state’s House is likely to fall as well.