Author: Jerrick Adams

  • New Jersey governor signs donor disclosure bill; prospect of follow-up legislation uncertain

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    On June 17, Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed S1500 into law after conditionally vetoing the bill in May. The measure will require 501(c)(4)s, super PACs, and other entities to disclose their donors who contribute $10,000 or more. What does the legislation do? As enacted, the new law defines an independent expenditure committee as any person…

  • Litigation in the wake of Janus

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    On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, finding that public-sector unions cannot require non-members to pay agency fees to cover the costs of non-political union activities. Since then, a number of related lawsuits have been filed. Listed below in reverse chronological order are five of the most…

  • SCOTUS finds Virginia lawmakers lack standing to challenge newly adopted state legislative district plan

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    On June 17, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling in Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill, finding that the state House, controlled by Republicans, lacked standing to appeal a lower court order striking down the original legislative district plan as a racial gerrymander. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4, with Associate…

  • New Jersey governor to sign donor disclosure bill conditionally vetoed in May

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    On June 10, New Jersey lawmakers and gubernatorial staff announced that Gov. Phil Murphy (D) would sign S1500 into law after conditionally vetoing the bill in May. The measure will require 501(c)(4)s, super PACs, and other entities to disclose their donors who contribute $10,000 or more. What does the legislation do? As enacted, S1500 defines…

  • Legislative activity in the wake of Janus

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    On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Janus v. AFSCME that public-sector unions cannot require non-members to pay agency fees to cover the costs of non-political union activities. Lawmakers nationwide have since taken up legislation in response to Janus. The summary below is a detailed account of legislative activity in the year…

  • What does the legislative landscape look like post-Janus?

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    On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Janus v. AFSCME that public-sector unions cannot require non-members to pay agency fees to cover the costs of non-political union activities. Lawmakers nationwide have since taken up legislation in response to Janus. The summary below is a detailed account of legislative activity in the year…

  • Federal judge hears arguments in case over IRS donor disclosure rules

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    On June 5, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris heard arguments in Bullock v. Internal Revenue Service, a case concerning an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rule exempting select classes of nonprofit organizations from donor disclosure requirements. The subject of the June 5 hearing was whether states have standing to challenge the IRS rule. What…

  • Massachusetts House approves omnibus public-sector union legislation

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    Massachusetts House of Representatives approves omnibus public-sector union legislation On June 5, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted 155-1 to approve H3854, an omnibus bill that would, if enacted, make several changes to the state’s public-sector labor laws. What does the bill propose? It would authorize employers to disclose employee information to unions. It would…

  • Tracking redistricting, electoral system, and primary system bills in state legislative sessions

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    More than half of the states have wrapped up their legislative sessions for the year. Here’s a summary of what actions states have taken so far on election policy.   Redistricting legislation: We’ve tracked 221 bills regarding redistricting policy. Seventeen of them have become law. Examples of enacted legislation are: Mississippi JR202: Signed into law…

  • Halftime report: what states have done so far on election policy

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    Welcome to The Ballot Bulletin, where we track developments in election policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Each issue includes an in-depth feature—such as an interview or legislative analysis—and discussions of recent events relating to electoral and primary systems, redistricting, and voting provisions. Halftime report: what states have done so far on election policy…