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State Legislative Tracker: New York Senate leader under investigation

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April 20, 2015

Edited by Jackie Beran
This week’s tracker includes a look at a federal grand jury investigation in New York, the opening prayer in the Iowa State House by a Wiccan priestess and a bill in Tennessee that would make the Holy Bible the official state book.

Weekly highlight

Rep. Liz Bennett (D)
  • Iowa: History was made April 9, 2015, when the Iowa House of Representatives started their work session with a prayer from a Wiccan priestess.[1] The blessing is believed to be the first of its kind for Iowa's legislature, and drew peaceful protest from members of the chamber.[2] One such protestor was State Rep. Rob Taylor (R), who turned his back when the Wiccan faith leader Deborah Maynard of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans gave the opening invocation. More than a third of the legislature's lawmakers arrived late to avoid attending the daily prayer, but Taylor told reporters he felt the appropriate response was to be in attendance but to protest peacefully.[3] Maynard was invited to give the opening prayer by State Rep. Liz Bennett (D), who told reporters: "My purpose in inviting Deborah was not to force anyone to listen to anything they are uncomfortable listening to. Iowa is a very diverse state and I’m glad that I could do something to make our Statehouse just a little bit more open and welcoming."[3] Bennett said she wasn't affected by the protest by Taylor and others, and that she received numerous supportive e-mails. The protest, however, did draw criticism from Interfaith Executive Director Connie Ryan Terrell, who said the protest was disingenuous and disrespectful.[3]
Sen. Dean Skelos (R)
  • New York: Senate leader Dean Skelos (R) and his son, Adam Skelos, are the subject of a corruption investigation according to unnamed sources in a New York Times article published on April 15.[4] According to people familiar with the matter, prosecutors with the office of Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, are in the process of providing evidence to a federal grand jury.[4] Multiple state senators on Long Island, who have had dealings with the senator's son, have also been subpoenaed to give testimony to the grand jury.[4] The grand jury is focusing on the hiring of Adam Skelos by AbTech Industries, an Arizona company, and the $12 million storm-water treatment contract that was rewarded to the company by Nassau County even though AbTech Industries was not the low bidder.[5] The grand jury is also looking at a $20,000 payment to Adam Skelos from American Land Services, a title insurance company, even though he never worked for them.[5] Prosecutors are trying to determine if Senator Skelos used his political influence to help AbTech Industries win the contract in his home district.[4] Senator Skelos said in a statement about the investigation, "I have and will continue to cooperate with any inquiry."[6] Outside of his job with the State Senate, Skelos has served as "of counsel" at the law firm of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C. in Uniondale, N.Y.[6] According to state records, Skelos has earned between $150,000 and $250,000 in recent years from the law firm, but public court records show that Skelos has never appeared as an attorney for a client in state or federal court.[6] The news that Skelos is under investigation comes less than three months after former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) was arrested on federal corruption charges.[7]
  • Tennessee: A bill to make the Holy Bible the official state book was halted last Thursday after objections from state executives and disagreements among lawmakers led it to stall in the Senate. House members voted 55-38 in favor of the bill last Wednesday; although the House is overwhelmingly Republican at 73-26, 20 GOP members were included in the opposition.[8] Members of the executive branch had their own doubts about the bill. Attorney General Herbert Slatery (R) issued a legal opinion last Monday, stating that the bill would violate both state and federal constitutions, which respectively forbid giving preference to a religion and establishing a religion.[9] David Smith, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Haslam (R) relayed a different view, saying, "The governor doesn't think it's very respectful of what the Bible is." Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (R), who acts as the Speaker of the Senate, held similar sentiments: "I mean the Bible is my official book, it is. It shouldn't be put in the Blue Book with [state song, amphibian and tree] 'Rocky Top,' salamanders and tulip poplars. I'm sorry; it just shouldn't."[10] Prior to the bill's passage in the House, Rep. John Ragan (R) unsuccessfully proposed an amendment that would have made former president Andrew Jackson's personal Bible the state book, arguing that it would be more likely to pass legal muster.[11] The Senate did not follow the House's lead, instead opting to send the bill back to the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 22-9. While the committee could have considered the bill this week, the Senate also voted 19-13 not to hold such a meeting. This puts a stop to the bill until the next legislative session.[12][13]

Sessions

Regular sessions

Current sessions capture for the week of April 20, 2015
See also: Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2015 session information.

Currently 32 out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. Five states are in recess and 13 states have adjourned their 2015 legislative sessions.

The following states have convened their 2015 regular sessions:[14]

In recess

As of today, April 20, there are five state legislatures currently in recess:[15]

Adjourned

The following states have adjourned their 2015 regular sessions:[16]

2015 Legislative Elections

See also: State legislative elections, 2015

A total of seven of the 99 chambers will hold state legislative elections on November 3, 2015.

There are seven chambers in four states with elections in 2015:

The New Jersey Senate also typically holds elections in odd years, but all members were elected to four-year terms in 2013 and are not up for election again until 2017.

Of the 1,972 state senate seats in the country, 131 are up for up for election in November 2015, and 407 of the country's 5,411 state house seats are up for election. Altogether, 538 of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats are up for election on November 3, 2015.

Primary Information

The state legislative filing deadlines and primary dates are as follows:

Filing Deadlines

Primary Dates

Special Elections

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See also: State legislative special elections, 2015

There are two special elections scheduled this week in Florida and Texas.

Florida House of Representatives District 64

See also: Florida state legislative special elections, 2015

James Grant was unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Daniel John Matthews (Write-in) in the special election on April 21.[21][22]

The seat was vacant following an invalidated result in the 2014 general election.[23]

A special election for the position of Florida House of Representatives District 64 was called for April 21. A primary election took place on February 10, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 12, 2014.[24]

Florida House of Representatives, District 64, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJames Grant 98.7% 6,852
     Write-in Daniel John Matthews 1.3% 92
Total Votes 6,944
Republican PartyFebruary 10 Republican primary candidates:
April 21 Special election candidates:
Republican Party James Grant
Grey.png Daniel John Matthews (Write-in)

Texas House of Representatives District 124

See also: Texas state legislative special elections, 2015

Nathan Alonzo (D), Delicia Herrera (D), Ina Minjarez (D) and David L. Rosa (D) faced off in the special election on March 31, 2015.[25] Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Minjarez and Herrera, met in a runoff election on April 21, which Minjarez won.[26][27][28]

The seat was vacant following José Menéndez's (D) election to the Texas State Senate on February 17, 2015.[29]

A special election for the position of Texas House of Representatives District 124 was called for March 31. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 10.[30]

Texas House of Representatives, District 124, Special Runoff Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngIna Minjarez 55% 1,331
     Democratic Delicia Herrera 45% 1,090
Total Votes 2,421
Texas House of Representatives, District 124, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngIna Minjarez 42.2% 828
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDelicia Herrera 28.3% 555
     Democratic Nathan Alonzo 23.8% 467
     Democratic David L. Rosa 5.7% 111
Total Votes 1,961
March 31 Special election candidates:
Democratic Party Nathan Alonzo
Democratic Party Delicia Herrera Approveda
Democratic Party Ina Minjarez Approveda
Democratic Party David L. Rosa
April 21 Special Runoff election candidates:
Democratic Party Delicia Herrera
Democratic Party Ina Minjarez

Recent election results

April 14, 2015

☑ South Carolina House of Representatives District 63

See also: South Carolina state legislative special elections, 2015

Jay Jordan defeated Robby L. Hill and Elijah Jones in the Republican primary on February 24, 2015.[31][32] Jordan was unopposed in the special election on April 14.[33]

The seat was vacant following Kristopher Crawford's (R) retirement on December 9, 2014.[34]

A special election for the position of South Carolina House of Representatives District 63 was called for April 14. A primary election took place on February 24, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 5, 2015.[35]

Republican PartyFebruary 24 Republican primary candidates:
Republican PartyApril 14 special election candidates:


☑Arkansas State Senate District 16

See also: Arkansas state legislative special elections, 2015

Thomas Akin, Stan Berry and Greg Standridge faced off in the Republican primary on January 13, 2015. No Democratic candidates filed to run.[36] Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Berry and Standridge, met in a runoff election on February 10, which Standridge won.[37][38] Standridge was unoppposed in the special election on April 14.[39]

The seat was vacant following Michael Lamoureux's (R) appointment as Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson's (R) chief of staff and transition director.[40]

A special election for the position of Arkansas State Senate District 16 was called for April 14. A primary election took place on Jaunary 13, 2015, with a runoff on February 10. Because candidates from only one party filed to run, the primary became the special election. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 1, 2014.[41]

Arkansas State Senate, District 16, Special Runoff Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Standridge 53.6% 2,675
     Republican Stan Berry 46.4% 2,313
Total Votes 4,988
Arkansas State Senate, District 16, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Standridge 47.8% 2,124
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngStan Berry 41.1% 1,826
     Republican Thomas Akin 11% 490
Total Votes 4,440
Republican Party January 13 Republican primary candidates:
Republican Party February 10 Republican runoff candidates:
Republican Party April 14 special election candidates:

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa, "Cabot witch delivered opening prayer in Iowa House today," April 9, 2015
  2. ↑ William Petroski and Brianne Pfannenstiel, The Des Moines Register, "Iowa House starts day with Wiccan invocation," April 9, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 James Q. Lynch and Rod Boshart, KCRG, "Silent protest, boycott greet Wiccan priestess at Iowa House," April 9, 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 NY Times, "Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader, and His Son Are Said to Be Focus of Corruption Inquiry," accessed April 16, 2015
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Reuters, "Federal grand jury probes NY Senate's Skelos, son: New York Times," accessed April 16, 2015
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Wall Street Journal, "N.Y. State Senate Leader Dean Skelos Under Investigation," accessed April 16, 2015
  7. ↑ nbcnewyork.com, "NY Senate Leader Dean Skelos, Son Focus of Federal Corruption Probe: Report," accessed April 16, 2015
  8. ↑ The Tennessean, "Tennessee House votes Bible as official state book," April 16, 2015
  9. ↑ Associated Press, "Attorney general says Bible can't be official Tennessee book," April 13, 2015
  10. ↑ The Tennessean, "Haslam: Bible as official Tennessee book not 'respectful,'" April 13, 2015
  11. ↑ The Tennessean, "Holy Bible edges Jackson Bible to claim good book title," April 15, 2015
  12. ↑ WKRN, "Senate kills bill to make Bible official book of Tennessee," April 16, 2015
  13. ↑ Courthouse News Service, "For Now, the Bible Is Not Official Tenn. State Book," April 16, 2015
  14. ↑ Stateside Associates, "Session Calendar 2015," accessed March 16, 2015
  15. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed April 20, 2015
  16. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed April 20, 2015
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  21. ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "Official candidate list," accessed December 17, 2014
  22. ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "Official special election results for District 64," accessed May 26, 2015
  23. ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Governor calls special election for state House 64 seat," November 24, 2014
  24. ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "Notice of Special Election," accessed November 25, 2014
  25. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 11, 2015
  26. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2015 Special Election, House District 124," accessed April 30, 2015
  27. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Candidates for State Representative, District 124 Runoff Election," accessed April 13, 2015
  28. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Special Runoff Election, House District 124," accessed April 30, 2015
  29. ↑ NewsWest9.com, "Special election March 31 will replace Menendez in House," March 4, 2015
  30. ↑ State of Texas, "Special election proclamation," accessed March 9, 2015
  31. ↑ South Carolina Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed January 14, 2015
  32. ↑ live5news.com, "Jay Jordan unofficially wins House District 63 race," February 24, 2015
  33. ↑ The State, "Jay Jordan wins special election for House District 63 seat," accessed April 15, 2015
  34. ↑ SCNow.com, "Florence Rep. Kris Crawford resigns from office," December 9, 2014
  35. ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "State House District 63 Special Election," accessed December 12, 2014
  36. ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Special Election for Senate District 16," accessed December 3, 2014
  37. ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed February 25, 2015
  38. ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Official primary runoff election results," accessed March 18, 2015
  39. ↑ arkansasonline.com, "1-candidate election nets 110 ballots," accessed April 16, 2015
  40. ↑ Arkansas Business, "Michael Lamoureux Resigns to Work for Asa Hutchinson," November 11, 2014
  41. ↑ The Republic, "Arkansas governor sets April 14 special election to fill vacant state Senate seat," November 21, 2014
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