Author: Jerrick Adams

  • Oklahoma lawmakers advance bill barring public agencies from requiring donor information from 501(c)s

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    On March 3, the Oklahoma State Senate voted unanimously to approve SB1491, which would bar public agencies from requiring 501(c) nonprofits to provide them with personal information about their donors. What does the bill propose? SB1491 would bar any public agency from requiring a nonprofit 501(c) group to provide the agency with personal affiliation information…

  • States consider legislation in response to the coronavirus pandemic

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    In recent days, state lawmakers nationwide have taken action on legislation in response to the coronavirus outbreak. With the help of BillTrack50, we are compiling information on all of that legislation. As of March 23, 2020, legislatures in 29 states and Washington, D.C., had taken up at least 184 bills related to COVID-19. Lawmakers in…

  • Alaska state workers sue union over paycheck dues deduction practices

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    On March 12, two Alaska state employees filed a federal lawsuit against the Alaska State Employees Association, alleging that the union has continued to deduct dues from their paychecks against their express wishes. Who are the parties to the suit? The plaintiffs are Linda Creed, an employee of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and…

  • Ohio Democratic Party sues Ohio Secretary of State over primary election postponement

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    On March 17, 2020, the Democratic Party of Ohio and Kiara Sanders, a registered voter in Franklin County, filed suit against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) in the state supreme court, alleging that LaRose was “patently and unambiguously without jurisdiction and legal authority to suspend, move, or set the date of Ohio’s 2020…

  • Federal judge strikes down New Jersey donor disclosure law

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    On March 11, Judge Brian R. Martinotti, of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, signed orders permanently barring New Jersey from enforcing a state law requiring select nonprofits to disclose identifying information about their donors. Multiple organizations challenged the law in court, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans…

  • Virginia lawmakers approve bill allowing local governments to bargain collectively with employees

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    On March 8, the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation to repeal Virginia’s prohibition against public-sector collective bargaining. This measure would allow local governments to bargain collectively with their employees upon adopting an authorizing ordinance or resolution. The approved legislation, SB939, is the product of a joint conference committee compromise between two competing bills: SB939 and…

  • Ballot Bulletin March 2020

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    Virginia General Assembly passes bill allowing localities to use ranked-choice voting in some municipal elections  On Feb. 27, the Virginia State Senate voted 22-18 to approve HB1103, which would allow local governments to implement ranked-choice voting (RCV) for select municipal elections. All of the Senate’s 21 Democrats and one Republican voted in favor of the…

  • Gov. Cuomo includes donor disclosure requirements in New York state budget proposal

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    Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has included amendments to New York’s nonprofit donor disclosure laws in his fiscal year 2021 budget proposal. Part UU of the executive budget proposes that a nonprofit group disclose the following for any donation of $1,000 or more earmarked to pay, in whole or in part, for political communications: the name…

  • Florida House of Representatives advances public-sector labor bill

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    On March 4, the Florida House of Representatives passed legislation that would alter the process by which public-sector workers join, resign from, and pay dues to unions. What does the bill propose? HB1 would amend Florida’s public-sector labor laws as follows: Requires employees joining unions to sign membership cards. These membership cards must include the…

  • What happens to Democratic delegates allocated to withdrawn candidates?

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    Seven Democratic presidential candidates have been allocated at least one pledged delegate each. Three have withdrawn from the race: Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar. What will happen to their delegates? The Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention include two provisions dealing with the binding of delegates to the candidates they…