The ethics of Louisiana legislators....bah...."dirty LA politics again"

[AnnInLa]

from Sunday's Lafayette newspaper
http://www.acadiananow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050206/opinion01


Ethics board head blasts tampering with ethics code



Gray Sexton, longtime executive director of the Louisiana Board of Ethics, has finally expressed his frustration with the decline in the effectiveness of that body. Sexton told the Press Club of Baton Rouge recently that the root of the problem is a legislature that constantly weakens ethics regulations through self-serving amendments.Citizens need to pay heed to the criticism and become involved in a movement to break legislators of the habit of changing the rules to serve their own interests.

Ethics has proved to be a key issue in industrial inducement. Companies have told Gov. Kathleen Blanco that, because of Louisiana's shabby political history, they don't even consider the state when looking to relocate or expand.








In last year's legislative session, progress was made in strengthening ethics laws for state officials. The legislature, however, was not as eager for change as the governor. It managed to block introduction of a bill that would have required personal financial disclosure by legislators identical to that required of governors and candidates for governor. No one - including Blanco's legislative leaders - would agree to sponsor the bill.




One of the major thrusts of the board was to secure passage of a ban on wining and dining of legislators and other public officials by people seeking to influence them. That failed, as did the board's effort to end the practice of public officials accepting free tickets to cultural and sporting events. There is a limit mandating that people interested in influencing officials can spend only $100 per occasion. Now there is a strong move to increase the amount. (It doesn't allow legislators to sit in choice seats - free - at athletic events.)

Among the new ones added when the ethics board failed in its attempt to eliminate exceptions is one that allows elected officials of towns of up to 5,000 population to do business with their towns. Another lets some elected officials work for holders of gambling licenses.