NEW ETHICS LEGISLATION PROPOSED
I contacted Anchorage Democrat Rep. Berta Gardner in October 2006 and asked her to work with with me on putting together a bipartisan ethics bill. She had a similar, but less inclusive, bill last session that didn't make it through the legislature before we adjourned. Special honors go to my Chief of Staff Nancy Manly and my compatriot session staffer Mike Sica for their suggestions, as well as for Rep. Gardner's staff.
The followng is the Press Release issued today announcing the pre-filing of the new ethics bill by a bipartisan group of representatives:
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PRESS RELEASE, Jan 2, 2007: Ethics has no party label. In that spirit, a group of eight legislators, Republican and Democratic, have crafted an ethics reform bill to draw a bright line between private business dealings and the responsibilities of elected officials.
The comprehensive bill filed by Representatives Bob Lynn (R-Anchorage), Berta Gardner (D-Anchorage), Carl Gatto (R-Mat-Su), Les Gara (D-Anchorage), Paul Seaton (R-Homer), Lindsey Holmes (D-Anchorage), Gabrielle LeDoux (R-Kodiak) and Bob Buch (D-Anchorage) has three main objectives:
• To ban legislators from accepting outside payment for work associated with legislative, political or administrative actions while they are in office and for one year thereafter.
• To require greater detail in legislators’ financial disclosures by including a description of services performed and approximate number of hours spent for contract work.
• To clarify existing statutes to match a recent ruling by the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics requiring legislators and legislative employees leaving service to also file a disclosure.
Rep. Bob Lynn said, “No legislation will make an unethical legislator ethical. That said, the Legislature needs to come up with better ethics laws that will assist anyone who is “ethically challenged.”
Rep. Berta Gardner added, “This bill bans outside payment to legislators for work that should be a part of their legislative duties, and it requires the more robust disclosures that the public needs to make informed judgment about possible conflicts of interest.”
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ADDED COMMENT: The next and most important step is to get the bill through the House and Senate committee process, with at 21 votes in the House and at least 11 votes in the Senate. If you think this bill is important, please contact your local legislator!
The followng is the Press Release issued today announcing the pre-filing of the new ethics bill by a bipartisan group of representatives:
-------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE, Jan 2, 2007: Ethics has no party label. In that spirit, a group of eight legislators, Republican and Democratic, have crafted an ethics reform bill to draw a bright line between private business dealings and the responsibilities of elected officials.
The comprehensive bill filed by Representatives Bob Lynn (R-Anchorage), Berta Gardner (D-Anchorage), Carl Gatto (R-Mat-Su), Les Gara (D-Anchorage), Paul Seaton (R-Homer), Lindsey Holmes (D-Anchorage), Gabrielle LeDoux (R-Kodiak) and Bob Buch (D-Anchorage) has three main objectives:
• To ban legislators from accepting outside payment for work associated with legislative, political or administrative actions while they are in office and for one year thereafter.
• To require greater detail in legislators’ financial disclosures by including a description of services performed and approximate number of hours spent for contract work.
• To clarify existing statutes to match a recent ruling by the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics requiring legislators and legislative employees leaving service to also file a disclosure.
Rep. Bob Lynn said, “No legislation will make an unethical legislator ethical. That said, the Legislature needs to come up with better ethics laws that will assist anyone who is “ethically challenged.”
Rep. Berta Gardner added, “This bill bans outside payment to legislators for work that should be a part of their legislative duties, and it requires the more robust disclosures that the public needs to make informed judgment about possible conflicts of interest.”
-----------------------
ADDED COMMENT: The next and most important step is to get the bill through the House and Senate committee process, with at 21 votes in the House and at least 11 votes in the Senate. If you think this bill is important, please contact your local legislator!
posted by Blogs by Rep Bob Lynn | 6:56 PM
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