Top leaders in the Georgia Legislature have signed off on a broad ethics reform package, set to be introduced this week, that would prohibit public officials from abusing their power and tighten reporting requirements for lobbyists.
But the changes will fall short of earlier proposals that would have required legislators to report gifts, trips and meals from lobbyists and would have capped lobbyist spending on them. Such rules are common in other states.
The changes come months after House Speaker Glenn Richardson, once one of the most powerful politicians in the state, resigned in disgrace after his ex-wife accused him of having an affair with a lobbyist and of threatening to use state agencies to force her to reconcile.
It is unclear whether the changes will come in new legislation or will be added to bills already passed by the Senate. Punishments for violations have not been determined. The package will include other changes as well, but details were still being worked out late last week.
Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs), chair of the state House ethics committee, has been coordinating the proposals and plans to present them to the General Assembly as soon as Monday.
“We do need to make some changes because obviously we had some difficulties,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Marshall Guest, spokesman for Speaker David Ralston (R- Blue Ridge), said Ralston has been shaping many of the changes, which will include increased fines for lobbyists and legislators caught violating rules.
Asked why the changes have emerged so late in the legislative session, Guest said, “It’s more important to get it right than to get it quick.”
Wilkinson is drawing up the tighter ethics rules in consultation with Ralston and Senate Ethics Chair Dan Moody (R-Johns Creek). Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has been consulted as well. Wilkinson was talking with leaders throughout Friday and into the weekend.
Wilkinson said one focus will be on increased reporting requirements for lobbyists. When the Legislature is in session, he said, lobbyists would have a much shorter time to report gifts. Currently, they have 30 days to report to the State Ethics Commission. The specifics are still being negotiated.
When the Legislature is not in session, lobbyists will have to report gifts, trips and meals for legislators every 30 days, not every three months, as is now required.
“That to me is key,” he said. “Immediate reporting and transparency.”
Wilkinson said legislative leaders are not considering requiring lawmakers to report gifts or trips and will not impose limits on how much lobbyists can spend on legislators. They also don’t plan to address the issue of political campaign fund transfers.
Common Cause, a nonpartisan group that promotes accountability in government, wants to ban politicians from moving campaign funds to other political accounts, arguing such transfers allow powerful politicians to accumulate and dispense largesse.
Wilkinson said the decision to leave campaign finance rules intact stemmed in part from the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that corporations have First Amendment rights and cannot be restricted in how much they spend on advertising in campaigns. Though the ruling does not have direct bearing on Georgia ethics laws, Wilkinson said he thought those changes might invite legal challenges.
Bill Bozarth, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, is waiting to see the legislation, but said he will be disappointed if it doesn’t go as far as earlier proposals. “Limits on lobbyist gifts and campaign transfers will show the people of Georgia that our legislative leaders are serious about changing the climate that led to the Richardson scandal. If they ask us to settle for less, then they will have signaled that little has changed.”
The changes will be submitted just days before a key deadline. A bill generally must pass one chamber by the 30th day of the session in order to become law. Day 30 is scheduled to fall on Thursday.
Moody, in the Senate, declined to discuss details, but said he and Wilkinson have been working on the reforms for months. He said he was confident that “we’ll end up with a solid piece of legislation that can be supported by both chambers.”
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s staff has not been involved in the talks.
“This is a problem that started in the Legislature,” said Perdue spokesman Chris Schrimpf. “The governor is happy to let them solve it.”
While the Legislature is set to push ethics changes, several Georgia lobbyists have started talking about creating an association that would require annual training in ethics for members. Several surrounding states have similar groups.
Rudy Underwood, who lobbies for the Georgia Chemistry Council and Georgia Plastic Council, said he and other lobbyists have talked about setting up an association and requiring annual courses on ethics law. He said many lobbyists believe recent scandals have tarnished the profession’s image.
“We are professionals and we do have some ethical guidance,” he said.
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