The Senate declined Friday to back an effort to move the Georgia ethics commission out from under the Secretary of State’s Office, stripping the measure from a bill on the floor.
Senate Bill 297, minus the commission measure, passed. It would make technical changes to campaign finance reporting requirements passed last year that exempt local officials from filing if they raise or spend less than $2,500 in an election.
Gov. Nathan Deal issued an executive order last year moving the ethics commission to the State Accounting Office. That move alarmed ethics watchdogs, who noted the accounting office reports directly to the governor’s office. The Secretary of State’s Office is more independent.
Watchdogs also noted the change is coming as the commission — which is supposed to keep watch over the state’s elected officials — is going through difficult times.
The commission’s former executive director, Stacey Kalberman, and her top deputy, Sherilyn Streicker, both have filed whistle-blower lawsuits against the state claiming they were forced from their jobs for pressing an investigation into Deal’s 2010 campaign. Both cases are set for trial next month, and several current and former commissioners and employees are expected to testify.
The commission in 2012 cleared Deal of major violations, and he agreed to pay about $3,000 in administrative fees. The commission’s staff attorney, however, has said she initially recommended $70,000 in fines but was overruled by the commission’s current executive director, Holly LaBerge. LaBerge was handpicked for the post by Deal’s office.
SB 297 passed on a 46-6 vote after the chamber’s Republican leaders moved to strip the commission portion from the bill. Senate President Pro Tem David Shafer, R-Duluth, said the language had been added by the Senate Ethics Committee without the knowledge of the governor’s office.
Leaders also rebuffed Democratic efforts, led by Sen. Jason Carter, D-Atlanta, to make the commission independent of the Gold Dome. Currently, commissioners are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House. Carter is challenging Deal in this year’s election for governor.
The bill, which is on a fast track for passage, now goes to the House for consideration.
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