On June 21, the Washington Legislature adjourned its second special session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill during the session forcing Gov. Jay Inslee to call for another special session to start immediately after adjournment.

A two-year operating budget needs signed into law by June 30 or the state faces a partial government shutdown.

On May 23, the Washington Legislature adjourned its first special session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill during the session forcing Gov. Jay Inslee to call for a second 30-day special session to start immediately after adjournment.

A two-year operating budget needs signed into law by June 30 or the state faces a partial government shutdown.

On April 23, the Washington Legislature adjourned the regular session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill during the regular session, forcing a special session to start Monday, April 24.

A two-year operating budget needs to be signed into law by June 30 or the state faces a partial government shutdown.

The executive director of Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission, Evelyn Fielding Lopez, announced her plan to leave her position in May.

Lopez was appointed in October 2015 and faced calls for her resignation from Republican leaders in 2016 alleging bias in favor of Democrats.

The Commission appointed Barbara “BG” Sandahl as the agency’s new assistant director.

The appointment of the next executive director is expected to be made soon.

Lawmakers in Washington have introduced two bills to enhance campaign finance disclosure and ethics laws.

Senate Bill 5108 aims to increase transparency of “gray money” by limiting political action committees from receiving 70 percent or more of their contributions from other political committees.

Another proposal, House Bill 1159, seeks to establish revolving door provisions requiring former state officials to take a yearlong “cooling-off” period before they can become lobbyists.

The regular legislative session is fast approaching and is set to convene January 9, 2017. With 30 days before the official start date, December 10, 2016, will mark the date legislators and state executive officeholders may not solicit or accept campaign contributions until the session adjourns.

Candidates may accept contributions that were made on December 9 or earlier, including contributions that were mailed and bear a December 9 postmark.

The 2016 election was about a lot more than just a battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Across the country, states asked voters to consider a variety of ballot measures, including a few campaign finance issues. At the 2016 National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) State Vote seminar held in Washington, D.C., Wendy Underhill recapped a number of those issues and the decisions that voters made on Nov. 8.

Both California and Washington held votes related to the United States Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC. Voters approved ballot measures that urged government leaders to use their power to work to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling, possibly through a constitutional amendment, if possible.

In Missouri, voters approved an initiative establishing limits on campaign contributions to candidates for state or judicial office; while in South Dakota, voters approved an initiative to create a publicly funded campaign finance program and an ethics commission.

For more from the NCSL State Vote seminar you can view some of the presentation slides here. To see a list of ballot measure election results of interest to government relations professionals, take a look at our 2016 election dashboard.

Despite strong support from democrats, Washington voters did not back Initiative 1464. The measure would have required new campaign finance disclosures, limited contributions by lobbyists and government contractors, and imposed a three-year waiting period on lobbying by former public officials and senior staff.

On the other hand, Initiative 735 was approved by 63.84% of voters. The measure will urge the state congressional delegation to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution regarding campaign financing. The measure also requests the state to ratify the constitutional amendment once passed by Congress.

Backers of Washington’s Initiative 1464 have submitted more than the required 326,000 signatures to appear on the November ballot.

If voters approve the measure, the initiative will require new campaign finance disclosures, limit contributions by lobbyists and government contractors, and impose a three-year waiting period on lobbying by former public officials and senior staff. I-1464 also seeks to create a publicly funded voucher system for contributions.

The Office of the Secretary of State must still validate the signatures before I-1464 will officially be added to the ballot.

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

The Washington Attorney General’s Office has been asked to give an informal opinion as to whether initiative campaigns need to disclose top five donors on signature gathering petitions. This request comes from Senator Pam Roach, who is taking issue with the Public Disclosure Commission’s advice for initiative campaigns to disclose top donors on petitions.

State law requires political committees to include their five top contributors on political ads about ballot measures that cost $1,000 or more. The issue is whether initiative petitions are advertisements and thus subject to the disclosure requirement. Because this issue arose during an election cycle, the Secretary of State’s Office will accept all valid petition signatures regardless of whether the donors are disclosed.

The Washington State Legislature adjourned its special session on March 29, 2016. The special session was needed to pass a supplemental budget.

The new budget plan increases spending by $191 million.

The Washington State Legislature adjourned its regular 2016 session on March 10.

Gov. Jay Inslee immediately called a special 30-day session. The special session is needed to pass a supplemental budget.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has recommended legislation prohibiting state officials and employees from becoming lobbyists for one year after leaving office.

This is his second attempt to address his state’s revolving door. The bill is being considered in committee.

Photo of Attorney General Bob Ferguson by Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons.

The Legislative Ethics Board in Washington clarified its rule on free meals for legislators, which became effective January 1, 2015. At its December meeting, the board considered whether the rule should have more flexibility in its application in certain circumstances.

The board determined the following based on its discussion: annual, sit-down complimentary dinners to which all legislators are invited during a legislative session are not the type of dinners sought to be limited by the rule; when complimentary lunch is served at a city council meeting that is open to the public, such meal does not count toward the 12 free meals permitted under the rule; annual, sit down lunches hosted by business associations who employ lobbyists do not count against the 12 free meals permitted under the rule because such lunches are permissible under a separate exemption to the state gift ban; and potluck meals held as a result of a social relationship between a legislator and a lobbyist where the purpose of the meal is not to discuss legislative business do not count against the 12 free meals permitted under the rule.

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