Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle will abide by the state Senate’s historic move to set a $100 cap on lobbyists’ gifts to its members, his spokesman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.
The vow came amid several early flare-ups in the chamber the first two days of the new legislative session, highlighted by an ongoing debate over how the Senate passed its new ethics rules Monday.
Debate on the rules was limited Monday before they passed the chamber, angering a breakaway group of Senate Republicans who believe Cagle in his role as lieutenant governor should have less power over things such as committee appointments.
Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen, followed Monday’s vote by filing his own bill, Senate Bill 36, banning lobbyists’ gifts “to any public officer.”
“The most important part of this bill is that it applies to the lieutenant governor in the same way as it applies to all the members of the Senate,” Heath said.
“The apparent attempt at ethics reform in the Senate rules is a sham against the citizens of Georgia who expect true ethical leadership in the Legislature,” Heath said. “One of the very first actions in the Senate was a motion to prevent any senator from proposing any amendment to the proposed rules. The rules as adopted are full of loopholes. My bill is very simple and applies equally to all government officials.”
The Senate’s former leaders stripped Cagle of much of his power in late 2010 by taking control of the chamber’s decision-making process — including committee assignments. The move effectively relegated Cagle to a more ceremonial role in a chamber over which he traditionally presided.
The coup, which frustrated Gov. Nathan Deal and others trying to broker legislative deals, fizzled by the end of last year. The Senate’s Republican caucus backed new leadership and made peace with Cagle, a move aimed at speeding up legislation.
“As the constitutionally defined president of the Senate and a member of the legislative branch, (Cagle) looks forward to abiding by the historic ethics limitations enacted by the Senate on Day One,” Cagle spokesman Scott Paradise said. The lieutenant governor, he said, “has a clear and proven record on this issue, including having voted for an even stricter cap as far back as 2004.”
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