State Legislative Tracker: Georgia passes concealed weapons bill

### April 28, 2014[edit]

Edited by Joel Williams
This week’s tracker includes a look at a new gun law in Georgia.

## Weekly highlight[edit]

Last week, Alaska and Arizona adjourned their legislative sessions, while California began a special session concurrent with its regular session. Here is a brief look at issues making headlines across the country:

* Georgia: On April 23, 2014, Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed into law House Bill 60, known as the "Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014." The bill allows all Georgia citizens with a concealed weapons permit to take guns into bars, churches, schools and into certain areas of government buildings and airports. Last month, HB 60 passed the House by a 112-58 vote and a 37-18 vote in the Senate. The law allows guns into bars and churches as long as the owner has not banned them. Citizens that bring a gun into a prohibited area face a $100 fine. Permit holders will be free to bring guns into government buildings that do not have metal detectors and into the areas of airports that are not beyond the security checkpoints. In response to the 2012 school shooting in Connecticut, House Bill 60 will also allow school administrators and teachers who have permits to carry weapons to work. Deal said about the bill that "[p]eople who follow the rules can protect themselves and their families from people who don't follow the rules. The Second Amendment should never be an afterthought. It should reside at the forefronts of our minds." The law takes effect on July 1.[1][2][3][4]

* Missouri: The House Judiciary Committee began consideration of three articles of impeachments against Gov. Jay Nixon (D) in a hearing held last Wednesday. The primary article, authored by Rep. Nick Marshall (R), accuses Nixon of violating the state constitution when he signed an executive order allowing same-sex couples married outside of the state to file joint tax returns. Another article by Rep. Mike Moon (R) charges Nixon with violating election law by not quickly scheduling special elections to fill legislative vacancies. The third article, submitted by Rep. Rick Brattin (R), argues that Nixon did little to hold accountable executive employees who released the names of over 163,000 holders of concealed-carry gun permits to a Social Security Administration representative last year. The hearing, which dealt mainly with Marshall's bill, lasted for about an hour; the committee will revisit the articles on Wednesday. The movement is considered unlikely to succeed, even with Republicans decidedly controlling both houses. Nixon has called the hearings "some sort of show," and Rep. Mike Colona (D) framed the controversy as "just a disagreement over legal theory and legal philosophy." Should the articles move past the House, a seven-member panel of judges appointed by the Senate would then decide on their validity; removing Nixon from office would require five votes. The impeachment process has resulted in the expulsion of a state official only once, when legislators removed Secretary of State Judith Moriarty in 1994.[5][6][7][8][9]

* West Virginia: Republicans in the House of Delegates are facing an important election in 2014. A four-seat swing would make them the majority in the house for the first time in 85 years. The GOP suspects that their rise in power partly comes from state Democrats disagreeing with Pres. Barack Obama, who "remains unpopular with West Virginians for policies on coal, social issues and gun rights." The issues with the Democratic president have played a role in causing state Democrats to "jump ship" and switch parties. One of the most notable converts is Sen. Evan Jenkins (R), who switched affiliation in July 2013. Some Democrats might face former colleagues in the November general election. If Sen. Sam Cann (D) wins the May 13 primary, he will face Mike Queen (R), a former Democratic Delegate, in November. Of the 100 House seats and 17 Senate seats up for election this year, Republican candidates have filed for 116 of the total 117 seats. Twenty of these seats are unopposed, guaranteeing a Republican win.[10][11]

# Sessions[edit]

#### Regular sessions[edit]

See also: Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2014 session information.

Currently 19 out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. One state, Virginia, is in special session. California is in special session concurrent with its regular session.

The following states have convened their 2014 regular session:[12]

* January 6: California
* January 6: Idaho
* January 7: Indiana
* January 7: Kentucky
* January 7: Mississippi
* January 7: Ohio
* January 7: Pennsylvania
* January 7: Rhode Island
* January 7: Vermont
* January 8: Colorado
* January 8: Nebraska
* January 8: Maine
* January 8: Maryland
* January 8: Michigan
* January 8: Missouri
* January 8: New Hampshire
* January 8: New York
* January 8: West Virginia
* January 8: Virginia
* January 13: Georgia
* January 13: Iowa
* January 13: Washington
* January 13: Arizona
* January 13: Alabama
* January 14: Wisconsin
* January 14: New Jersey
* January 14: Delaware
* January 14: South Carolina
* January 14: South Dakota
* January 14: Tennessee
* January 14: Massachusetts
* January 15: Hawaii
* January 21: Alaska
* January 21: New Mexico
* January 27: Utah
* January 29: Illinois

* February 3: Oklahoma
* February 3: Oregon
* February 5: Connecticut
* February 10: Arkansas
* February 10: Wyoming

* March 3: Florida
* March 10: Louisiana

The following states have adjourned their 2014 regular session:[13]

* February 20: New Mexico

* March 7: Wyoming
* March 10: Oregon
* March 10: Virginia
* March 10: West Virginia
* March 14: Indiana
* March 14: Utah
* March 14: Washington
* March 20: Arkansas
* March 21: Georgia
* March 21: Idaho
* March 31: South Dakota

* April 3: Mississippi
* April 4: Alabama
* April 8: Maryland
* April 16: Kentucky
* April 18: Nebraska
* April 18: Tennessee
* April 24: Arizona
* April 25: Alaska

#### Special sessions[edit]

Snapshot of State Legislatures

There are 7,383 Total State Legislators
Total Democratic state legislators  | 3,272 (Expression error: Unexpected < operator.%)
Total Republican state legislators  | 3,994 (Expression error: Unexpected < operator.%)
There are 99 Total State Legislative Chambers
Total Democratic Party-controlled chambers  | 41
Total Republican Party-controlled chambers  | 57
Total tied or nonpartisan chambers  | 1
2014 Session Information
Total Special Elections  | 25
Total Special Sessions  | 3

##### California[edit]

The California State Legislature is meeting in a special session concurrent with its regular session to discuss a proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to change the state's rainy day fund. Brown's proposal would require the state to save some of the revenue from capital gains taxes. He hopes to have his proposal approved by the legislature and on the 2014 ballot. California's rainy day fund has existed since 2004 but has been empty for a majority of that time.[14]

##### Virginia[edit]

The Virginia State Legislature is meeting in special session to try and pass an estimated $96 billion budget for the next two years. The session is not expected to end quickly, as Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the Republican-led House disagree over whether the state should accept further Medicaid funding from the federal government. This special session is required as the legislature failed to pass a budget during the yearly regular session. Should no agreement be reached by July 1, Virginia's government could shut down.[15]

#### In recess[edit]

As of today, April 28, there are six state legislatures currently in recess:[16]

* Delaware: April 29
* Illinois: April 29
* Rhode Island: April 29
* Wisconsin: April 29
* Kansas: April 30
* Maine: May 1

# 2014 Legislative Elections[edit]

See also: State legislative elections, 2014

A total of 87 of the 99 chambers will hold state legislative elections on November 4, 2014.

The 87 chambers with elections in 2014 are in 46 states. They are:

* Alabama (Senate and House)
* Alaska (Senate and House)
* Arizona (Senate and House)
* Arkansas (Senate and House)
* California (Senate and Assembly)
* Colorado (Senate and House)
* Connecticut (Senate and House)
* Delaware (Senate and House)
* Florida (Senate and House)
* Georgia (Senate and House)
* Hawaii (Senate and House)
* Idaho (Senate and House)
* Illinois (Senate and House)
* Indiana (Senate and House)
* Iowa (Senate and House)
* Kansas (House Only)
* Kentucky (Senate and House)
* Maine (Senate and House)
* Maryland (Senate and House)
* Massachusetts (Senate and House)
* Michigan (Senate and House)
* Minnesota (House Only)
* Missouri (Senate and House)
* Montana (Senate and House)
* Nebraska (Unicameral Legislature)
* Nevada (Senate and Assembly)
* New Hampshire (Senate and House)
* New Mexico (House Only)
* New York (Senate and Assembly)
* North Carolina (Senate and House)
* North Dakota (Senate and House)
* Ohio (Senate and House)
* Oklahoma (Senate and House)
* Oregon (Senate and House)
* Pennsylvania (Senate and House)
* Rhode Island (Senate and House)
* South Carolina (House Only)
* South Dakota (Senate and House)
* Tennessee (Senate and House)
* Texas (Senate and House)
* Utah (Senate and House)
* Vermont (Senate and House)
* Washington (Senate and House)
* West Virginia (Senate and House)
* Wisconsin (Senate and Assembly)
* Wyoming (Senate and House)

The Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico and South Carolina senates also typically hold elections in odd years. However, senators are elected to 4-year terms in those states and those will not be up for election again until 2015.

1090 of the country's 1,972 state senate seats are up for re-election in November 2014, and 4,958 of the country's 5,415 state house seats are up for re-election. Altogether, 6,048 of the country's 7,387 state legislative seats are up for re-election on November 4, 2014.

### Primary Information[edit]

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2014 state legislative elections

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

Note: Ballot access is a complicated issue. The dates in the table below are primarily for candidates filing for access to the primary. For more detailed information about each state's qualification requirements -- including all relevant ballot access dates for the primary and general election -- click to our detailed pages in the state column.

2014 State Legislative Primary Information

State  | Filing Deadline  | Primary Date  | Days from Deadline to Primary

|
|
|

Alabama |  2/7/2014  |  6/3/2014  | 116
Alaska |  6/2/2014[17] |  8/19/2014  | 78
Arizona |  5/28/2014[18] |  8/26/2014  | 90
Arkansas |  3/3/2014[19][20] |  5/20/2014  | 78
California |  3/7/2014[21][22][23] |  6/3/2014  | 88
Colorado |  3/31/2014[24][25] |  6/24/2014  | 85
Connecticut |  6/10/2014[26] |  8/12/2014  | 90
Delaware |  7/8/2014  |  9/9/2014  | 63
Florida |  6/20/2014[27][28] |  8/26/2014  | 67
Georgia |  3/7/2014  |  5/20/2014  | 74
Hawaii |  6/3/2014[29] |  8/9/2014  | 67
Idaho |  3/14/2014  |  5/20/2014  | 78
Illinois |  12/2/2013  |  3/18/2014  | 106
Indiana |  2/7/2014  |  5/6/2014  | 88
Iowa |  3/14/2014  |  6/3/2014  | 81
Kansas |  6/2/2014  |  8/5/2014  | 65
Kentucky |  1/28/2014[30][31] |  5/20/2014  | 112
Maine |  3/17/2014[32] |  6/10/2014  | 85
Maryland |  2/25/2014[33] |  6/24/2014  | 119
Massachusetts |  6/3/2014[34] |  9/9/2014  | 98
Michigan |  4/22/2014  |  8/5/2014  | 105
Minnesota |  6/3/2014  |  8/12/2014  | 70
Missouri |  3/25/2014  |  8/5/2014  | 133
Montana |  3/10/2014  |  6/3/2014  | 85
Nebraska |  3/3/2014[35] |  5/13/2014  | 85
Nevada |  3/14/2014  |  6/10/2014  | 88
New Hampshire |  6/13/2014  |  9/9/2014  | 88
New Mexico |  2/4/2014  |  6/3/2014  | 119
New York |  7/10/2014  |  9/9/2014  | 61
North Carolina |  2/28/2014  |  5/6/2014  | 67
North Dakota |  4/7/2014  |  6/10/2014  | 64
Ohio |  2/5/2014  |  5/6/2014  | 90
Oklahoma |  4/11/2014  |  6/24/2014  | 74
Oregon |  3/11/2014  |  5/20/2014  | 70
Pennsylvania |  3/11/2014  |  5/20/2014  | 70
Rhode Island |  6/25/2014  |  9/9/2014  | 76
South Carolina |  3/30/2014  |  6/10/2014  | 72
South Dakota |  3/25/2014  |  6/3/2014  | 70
Tennessee |  4/3/2014  |  8/7/2014  | 126
Texas |  12/9/2013  |  3/4/2014  | 85
Utah |  3/20/2014  |  6/24/2014  | 96
Vermont |  6/12/2014  |  8/26/2014  | 75
Washington |  5/17/2014  |  8/5/2014  | 80
West Virginia |  1/25/2014  |  5/13/2014  | 108
Wisconsin |  6/2/2014  |  8/12/2014  | 71
Wyoming |  5/30/2014  |  8/19/2014  | 81

# Special Elections[edit]

See also: State legislative special elections, 2014

There is one special election scheduled this week in Massachusetts.

### Massachusetts House of Representatives Fifth Suffolk District[edit]

See also: Massachusetts state legislative special elections, 2014

Evandro C. Carvalho defeated Karen A. Charles-Peterson, Jennifer Anne Johnson, Barry Lawton and Roy Owens in the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the special election, which took place on April 29.[36]

The seat was vacant following Carlos Henriquez's (D) expulsion from the chamber on February 6.

A special election for the position of Massachusetts House of Representatives Fifth Suffolk District was called for April 29, with a primary on April 1. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 24.[37][38]

Massachusetts House of Representatives, Fifth Suffolk District Special Election Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Evandro C. Carvalho | 50.3% | 961
Karen A. Charles-Peterson  | 27.2% | 521
Barry Lawton  | 9.9% | 190
Jennifer Anne Johnson  | 7.9% | 151
Roy Owens  | 4.7% | 89
Total Votes | 1,912

April 29 Special election candidates:

Evandro C. Carvalho

#### Recent election results[edit]

##### April 24, 2014[edit]

☑ Connecticut House of Representatives District 94

See also: Connecticut state legislative special elections, 2014

Robyn Porter (D) defeated Berita Rowe-Lewis (D), Reynaud Harp (D), Charles Ashe (D), Jerome Dunbar (D) and Len Caplan (R) in the special election, which took place on April 24.[39][40][36][41]

The seat was vacant following Gary Holder-Winfield's (D) election to the Connecticut State Senate.[39]

A special election for the position of Connecticut House of Representatives District 94 was called for April 24. Candidates were supposed to be nominated by their party rather than chosen through a primary. Because the district's Democratic committee did not endorse a candidate, a number of them appeared on the special election ballot.[39]

Connecticut House of Representatives, District 94, Special Election, 2014

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Robyn Porter | 38.1% | 348
| Democratic  |  Berita Rowe-Lewis  | 26.2% | 239
| Democratic  |  Charles Ashe  | 22.1% | 202
| Democratic  |  Len Caplan  | 8.9% | 81
| Republican  |  Reynaud Harp  | 4.7% | 43
Total Votes | 913

Note: Jerome Dunbar did not appear on the list of certified results.

April 24 Special election candidates:
Berita Rowe-Lewis
Reynaud Harp
Charles Ashe
Robyn Porter
Jerome Dunbar
Len Caplan

#### Looking ahead[edit]

Upcoming special elections include:

* May 10: Texas State Senate District 4
* August 5: Missouri House of Representatives Districts 67, 120 and 151

## See also[edit]

* State legislative elections, 2014
* 2014 state legislative calendar
* Signature requirements and deadlines for 2014 state government elections
* State legislative special elections, 2014
* State legislative recalls

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Independent, "Georgia's new 'carry anywhere' law could mean guns in schools, bars and churches," accessed April 24, 2014
2. ↑ politics.blog.ajc.com, "Nathan Deal signs broad gun rights expansion," accessed April 24, 2014
3. ↑ cnn.com, "Georgia law allows guns in some schools, bars, churches," accessed April 24, 2014
4. ↑ www.11alive.com, "Gov. Nathan Deal signs bill expanding Georgia gun rights," accessed April 24, 2014
5. ↑ Springfield News-Leader, "Nixon impeachment effort faces skepticism," April 23, 2014
6. ↑ The Washington Post, "Missouri legislature will begin impeachment proceedings against governor," April 23, 2014
7. ↑ Kansas City Star, "Missouri lawmakers debate impeaching Gov. Jay Nixon," April 23, 2014
8. ↑ Associated Press, "Mo. House panel to consider impeaching governor," April 23, 2014
9. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Missouri Republicans Advance Effort To Impeach Governor Jay Nixon," April 23, 2014
10. ↑ The Washington Times, "Some W.Va. state Dems flip to GOP for midterms," April 19, 2014
11. ↑ Westport News, "Some W. V. state Dems flip to GOP for midterms," April 19, 2014
12. ↑ Stateside Associates, " Session Calendar 2014," accessed April 28, 2014
13. ↑ Stateside Associates, " Session Calendar 2014," accessed April 28, 2014
14. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Jerry Brown calls legislative special session to debate reserve plan," April 16, 2014
15. ↑ wjla.com, "Virginia General Assembly returns for special session," March 23, 2014
16. ↑ StateNet, " Daily Session Summary," accessed April 28, 2014
17. ↑ Alaska Statutes, "Section 15.25, Nomination of Candidates," accessed October 31, 2013
18. ↑ Secretary of State Website, "2014 Election Important Dates," accessed November 4, 2013
19. ↑ Running for Public Office, "A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2012 Edition, accessed October 21, 2013 (dead link)
20. ↑ Arkansas Code of 1987, "Title 7, Elections," accessed October 30, 2013
21. ↑ Summary of Qualifications and Requirements for the Office of State Senator, Member of the Assembly, "June 3, 2014, Primary Election," accessed October 21, 2013
22. ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8100-8107," accessed October 28, 2013
23. ↑ California Secretary of State Website, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed October 21, 2013
24. ↑ Colorado Secretary of State Website, "Major Political Parties FAQs," accessed October 31, 2013
25. ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Elections," accessed October 31, 2013
26. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State Website, "Frequently Asked Questions, Nominating Papers," accessed October 31, 2013
27. ↑ Florida Department of State Division of Elections, "2013-2014 Dates to Remember," accessed November 6, 2013
28. ↑ 2013 Florida Statutes, "Section 99.061," accessed December 2, 2014
29. ↑ Hawaii State Legislature, "HRS §12-6 Nomination papers: time for filing; fees", accessed May 22, 2013
30. ↑ 2014 Kentucky Election Calendar, accessed November 12, 2013
31. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections "Candidate Qualifications and Filing Fees" accessed November 26, 2011
32. ↑ Maine Secretary of State "State of Maine 2014 Candidate's Guide to Ballot Access," accessed February 11, 2014
33. ↑ The State Board of Elections, "Candidacy," accessed November 5, 2013
34. ↑ 2014 Massachusetts State Primary and State Election Schedule, accessed December 2, 2013
35. ↑ Official Election Calendar for the State of Nebraska, accessed November 18, 2014
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 dotnews.com "Carvalho wins Democratic primary in Fifth Suffolk race to replace Henriquez," April 1, 2014 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "result" defined multiple times with different content
37. ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State "Special Election Calendar," accessed April 3, 2014
38. ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State "Official candidate list," accessed April 3, 2014
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 yaledailynews.com, "Six scramble to replace Holder-Winfield," April 21, 2014
40. ↑ ctpostchronicle.com "Len Caplan selected as Republican candidate for special election," March 26, 2014
41. ↑ City of New Haven, "Official special election results," accessed May 7, 2014