Georgia legislators want to replace the DeKalb County Board of Ethics with members of their choosing, according to a bill that passed the state House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The measure, Senate Bill 273, attempts to resolve a legal challenge that threatens the board's existence. A judge is considering whether board members were allowed to be appointed by private groups instead of elected officials.
The House voted 160-1 to approve the bill, breaking a deadlock over the issue.
Critics of the measure say it re-introduces politics into the process, which is what voters wanted to avoid when 92 percent of them approved making it independent in November 2015.
The bill approved by the House on Tuesday gives the county’s 23 elected representatives and senators full control over appointments to the board. The new Board of Ethics would take office Feb. 1, 2018.
The board’s seven members are currently appointed by judges and outside groups like the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and local colleges.
Before last year, the board was selected by DeKalb’s commissioners and CEO, whose behavior is policed by the board.
Voters will again decide on changes to the Ethics Board in a November referendum if SB273 wins final approval from the Senate by Thursday, the last day of this year’s legislative session.
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