Go, Bobby, Go! Chapter 1: Ethics Reform
By Vladimir Posted in Ethics Reform | Louisiana | State Politics — Comments (22) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Promoted by Neil. Go, Bobby, Go!
Bobby Jindal has made comprehensive ethics reform Agenda Item #1 of his administration. A Special Legislative Session convenes today that will consider only ethics reform issues. Judging from their agenda, it, uh, looks like they have their work cut out for them.
The one item here that has received some pushback in the press is including the judiciary in the scope of the reforms. The judiciary has its own ethics structure, and the concerns raised are on a constitutional separation of powers basis.
Entire agenda below the fold...
* HB1 — Requires certain public servants and candidates for certain offices to disclose certain financial information.
* HB2 — Requires certain public servants and candidates for certain offices to disclose certain financial information.
* HB3 — Requires judges and candidates for judge to disclose certain financial information.
* HB39 — Requires the chief law enforcement officer of a municipality to annually disclose certain financial information related to certain gaming interests.
* HB52 — Requires the Board of Ethics and the ethics administrator to file annual financial disclosure statements.
* HB55 — Requires financial disclosure by certain public servants and candidates.
* HB8 — Provides relative to the protection of public employees from threats of reprisal for reporting acts of alleged impropriety.
* HB56 — Creates and provides for an independent office of state inspector general within the office of the governor.
* HB27 — Limits the public records exemption for the office of the governor to the executive office of the governor.
* HB6 — Provides relative to ethics education and training.
* HB22 — Provides relative to the prohibition on employment by a governmental entity of family members of certain officials of the governmental entity .
* HB23 — Allows participation in the Wills for Heroes program by certain public employees.
* HB29 — Provides relative to the qualifications for service on the Board of Ethics.
* HB30 — Prohibits a statewide elected official or legislator from using any thing of economic value belonging to the state or any political subdivision for certain personal use under certain circumstances.
* HB33 — Provides relative to persons designated to provide information relative to ethics and conflicts of interest to public servants in certain state agencies.
* HB59 — Requires financial disclosure for all members of state boards and commissions.
* HB64 — Requires certain elected officials to disclose certain information.
* HB71 — Provides for financial disclosure for certain public servants.
* HB76 — Provides relative to financial disclosure for certain elected officials and members of the Board of Ethics.[snip]
* HB19 — (Constitutional Amendment) Provides for forfeiture of retirement benefits by elected officials who are convicted of felony acts associated with their positions.
* HB35 — (Constitutional Amendment) Provides relative to forfeiture of retirement benefits from any public retirement or pension system, plan, or fund upon conviction of a felony.
* HB46 — (Constitutional Amendment) Provides for forfeiture of retirement benefits by public officials and employees who are convicted of felony acts associated with their positions.
* HB48 — (Constitutional Amendment) Provides for forfeiture of retirement benefits by public officials and employees who are convicted of felony acts associated with their positions.
[snip]
* SB1 — Provides restrictions and disclosure requirements for contracts involving certain public servants and certain affiliated persons and entities.
* SB2 — Prohibits certain public servants from receiving any thing of economic value for assistance to a person in a transaction for the purpose of lobbying and for such assistance for a certain period of time post public service.
* SB3 — Repeals the gift exception for elected officials for cultural and sporting events.
* SB4 — Constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote of the elected members of the legislature to enact exceptions to the Code of Governmental Ethics.
* SB5 — Eliminates provision authorizing certain elected officials to vote upon matters which would otherwise present a conflict of interest.
* SB44 — Prohibits certain public servants and former public servants from representing persons for compensation before certain governmental entities or its officials or agencies.
[emphasis added]
The one having to do with sports tickets.
Having an inside edge for LSU, Saints and Sugar Bowl tickets (plus a BCS championship once every 4 years) is the main inducement for many of them to run for office in the first place!
LA without a legislature? Perish the thought!
There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life. - Frank Zappa
Legislators will be prohibited from accepting free tickets from lobbyists to sporting events.
LSU, which has lobbyists at the Capitol when the Legislature is in session (and which receives $100s of millions in appropriations each year and competes for state funding with roads, debt, more than $10 BILLION in unfunded accrued liability of the state employee retirement systems, indigent health care, and more) grants all 144 legislators the right to purchase 4 (I think, but it might be 2) season tickets between the 30 and 40 yard lines about half way up on the home team side, complete with preferred parking pass.
They each also had access to 2 tickets to the BCS Championship Game from LSU, as well as 4 from the Super Bowl committee.
BTW, when Bobby Jindal talks about conflicts of interest, he doesn't mention this one.
There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life. - Frank Zappa
ethics reform, when pols are involved.
Before you ask, yes I am.
Right now, the legislators (in particular) are playing tackle football on an unmarked field. It's basically a free-for-all.
Ethics reform is the process by which the sidelines are marked so that there can be some kind of clarity as to when something is clearly out of bounds.
Is this a panacea? No. But it's an important first step.
There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life. - Frank Zappa
Much like Reagan did. He has told the legislature that you either vote for the reforms, or the citizenry will vote you out next time.
http://www.blueprintlouisiana.org/
These folks have already signed on much of the legislature, and are determined to hold the feet of any recalcitrant legislators to the fire.
There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life. - Frank Zappa
On Friday, Rush Limbaugh called Jindal "the next Ronald Reagan". In the 7 or 8 years years I've been listening to Rush, I've never heard him say that about anybody. He said he interviewed Jidal for his magazine and will post the interview on his website. Fellow Institute students, we have our reading assignment.
Could there be a silver lining on this GOP cloud after all?
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
If McCain wins - and that's a big if - I can see the party primary a sitting president in 2012 if a real conservative runs.
Sorry, I'm not up on my history, has this ever happened before?
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
Reagan didn't win, but came close. Ford, the sitting president, ran and lost against Carter. I was referring to when the sitting president lost his party's primary.
I'm not up on my presidential history well enough to know if that's happened.
didn't run again because he was going to lose the primary to Bobby Kennedy.*
*This was before my time, so it may be off a bit.
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before Bobby Kennedy got into the race. McCarthy got 35% of the vote to Johnson's 65% and LBJ announced he would not seek reelection. As I recall, LBJ was a write in on the NH ballot.
So, he really didn't "get beat" in the primary, just scared off by the antiwar movement, not necessarily Kennedy.
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The more I hear about Bobby Jindal, the more I like him!
Boy, for a President like this man.
Mike Thompson
and I can tell you Jindal's interview was powerful. He is a man of clear vision and is not afraid of ruffling feathers. Go Bobby go!
America stands for bold colors!
Tim Schieferecke
Can you imagine the screams in Washington if SB44 was to be made a federal law?
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