The South Carolina Legislature adjourned sine die on May 8. This was the first year of the two-year legislative session and only 81 bills were sent to the governor. Any bills still alive will be carried over to the 2026 session. Carried over bills include a lobbying bill requiring additional reporting and a bill that would increase the campaign contribution limits for non-statewide offices from $1,000 to $3,500.

The Arkansas Legislature adjourned sine die on May 5. Several campaign finance bills were passed during this session. Contribution limits were reset to a base of $2,000, and emergency filing of paper campaign finance reports has also been approved. Additionally, rules have been put into place to prevent individuals from acting as agents of foreign principals without true and complete registration statement and supplements with the Arkansas Ethics Commission. This does affect lobbying reporting. The final monthly legislative lobbyist report will be due on June 10.

Lawmakers adjourned sine die April 22, a day earlier than expected. Several political spending bills did not make it out of committee, including a foreign principal bill requiring additional reporting from lobbyists and a campaign finance bill empowering the Registry of Elections to promulgate a list of examples constituting in-kind contributions requiring disclosure. Passed bills included the budget bill and a bill increasing funds for child advocacy centers.

The Miami City Commission announced the date for a special election following the death of Commissioner Manolo Reyes. The date of the District 4 election has been set for June 3. The winner of the election will serve the rest of Reyes’ term ending in 2027.

FLORIDA: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the date for the special election to replace Sen. Geraldine Thompson who died seven months ago. The primary will be on June 24, and the general election will be held on September 2.  One of the candidates vying for the position is State Rep. LaVon Bracy-Davis, who announced her resignation from the House, effective September 1.

The West Virginia Legislature adjourned sine die April 12. An elections bill has passed both houses and is awaiting governor approval. Senate Bill 50 changes the date of all municipal elections to coincide with statewide elections. This bill will require municipalities to adopt new rules to make sure they coincide with the state’s planned election dates.

The Legislative Assembly recently passed a bill to overhaul lobbying regulations for the commonwealth. Currently, the lobbying system in Puerto Rico is split into three district systems for the House, Senate, and executive branch. House Bill 42 unites the three separate systems under one new registry. The bill also establishes new disclosures, penalties, and revolving door restrictions. If approved by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, the bill is effective immediately, but regulators will have 60 days to adopt regulations.

The Maryland Legislature adjourned sine die at midnight on April 7. Several bills affecting government affairs were passed through both houses and are waiting on the governor’s desk to be signed. These bills include Senate Bill 945 and House Bill 945. Together, they will change the gubernatorial primary election date to the fourth Tuesday in June. Senate Bill 262 alters the dates for special elections, requiring them to be set within 90 days of being called. Senate Bill 633 allows registered lobbyists to complete ethics training online. These bills will be effective October 1, if signed by the governor.

Lawmakers adjourned abruptly last week on April 4, resulting in many bills being carried over to the second year of the session in 2026. One important passed bill awaiting the governor’s approval is Senate Bill 199. The bill removes the requirement for legislative lobbyists to report semi-monthly during the session. Under this new system only a single monthly report will be required for lobbyists beginning in 2026. The bill also changes campaign finance reporting requirements. Reports for election as well as nonelection years are due January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 20. This does affect lobbying reporting. The final semi-monthly lobbyist report is due April 15.

The Mississippi Legislature adjourned early following tensions between the House and Senate concerning the state’s budget. The House adjourned following the Senate’s decision to ignore a deadline set by the House to consider extending the session. This decision puts the responsibility onto Gov. Tate to call a special session prior to July 1 so that both houses can reach an agreement. This does affect lobbying reporting. The lobbyist end-of-session-activity report is due 10 days after the legislative session adjourned.

The Georgia House has just passed a bill removing the requirement to submit semi-monthly lobbyist activity reports when the Legislature is in session. Senate Bill 199 requires all reporting to be filed on the fifth of each month, which would bring reporting of state-level legislative lobbying in line with executive branch lobbying. The bill now goes to Gov. Kemp and if signed, will be effective January 1, 2026

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11^th Circuit heard arguments on whether to strike down a Florida state constitutional amendment prohibiting elected officials from being paid to lobby while in office. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene Garcia and South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez argued the lobbying ban should be more narrowly tailored as it currently prohibits any form of paid lobbying by elected officials, even in other states. The state, which lost in district court, argued the government’s interest in preventing corruption overrides free speech concerns. The three-judge panel did not indicate when a decision will be announced.

Both the state House and Senate have approved redistricting plans. The new plan splits several districts in half and pushes several current representatives and senators out of their district. In total, the redistricting changes will cause 15 special elections, 10 in the House and five in the Senate. The schedule for the elections includes a primary election August and a general election in November. The exact dates of the special election will be forthcoming in the affected districts.

A special election has been announced by Gov. Kay Ivey in order to fill a vacancy in House District 11. The seat was formerly filled by Rep. Randall Shedd who was recently tapped to join the office of Senate President Pro Tem Garlen Gudger. The primary has been set for May 13 and a special primary runoff has been set for June 10, if necessary. The special general election will be held on August 26.