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AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > March > 04 > Entry
House OKs tougher ethics rules
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The House overwhelmingly approved tougher rules for elected officials Friday, but not before Democrats complained the bill was a watered-down version that wouldn’t make the changes Republicans once promised.
The bill, approved 163-3, includes a waiting period for elected officials becoming lobbyists after leaving office, a measure thought to reduce influence-peddling by former politicians. The bill also increases maximum fines for ethics violations from $1,000 to $10,000.
But many provisions of the original proposal were stripped out. Backed by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, the original bill also would’ve capped gifts to lawmakers at $50 and would’ve given the state ethics commission broader powers to investigate conflict of interest complaints.
“This thing has gone from a choir robe down to a G-string,” said House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter. “What is covered does need to be covered. It just doesn’t cover much.”
His remark elicited whoops from lawmakers, but he was jabbed right back from the Republican Leader, Jerry Keen. Keen said Porter himself is wined and dined by lobbyists and announced a menu from a dinner Porter attended earlier in the week along with other legislators: broiled crab cake, 18-ounce New York strip, key lime pie and a $39 bottle of wine.
“You’re talking out of one side of your mouth and eating out of the other. You keep doing that, and your G-string’s not gonna fit,” Keen said.
On a more serious note, Republican leaders said the ethics bill was still substantive.
“Is it better than where we are now? Absolutely,” said Rep. Rich Golick, sponsor of the bill.
But even Republicans in the Senate say more should be done. The top-ranking Republican in that chamber, Sen. Eric Johnson of Savannah, said senators would insist on a tougher bill.
“I think the Senate will be making significant changes,” he said after the House vote.
The House also a bill Friday setting up new protections for state employees who report fraud. A more controversial bill to ban state lawmakers from lobbying for better treatment for prisoners was delayed until next week.
House leaders insisted their ethics bills were tough. They pointed out that Democrats had a long time to implement many of the provisions they now advocate, but didn’t.
“This is the toughest ethics bill in the history of Georgia,” said Rep. Joe Wilkinson, R-Atlanta. “My party brought this bill to the floor of the House in 28 days. It didn’t take us 135 years.”
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