Ethics-reform issues that lawmakers will likely discuss

Published: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 12:49 a.m. MST
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Some ethics reform likely to come before lawmakers next month:

• Banning gifts by lobbyists to legislators: Last year lobbyists gave lawmakers more than $280,000 in gifts, including meals and Jazz tickets.

• Personal use of campaign funds by lawmakers: One House member last year gave himself $6,000 from his campaign account, others pay for car repairs and buy new clothes.

• Limits to campaign contributions: Currently legislative, gubernatorial and other state office candidates can raise any amount of money from any source — opening up $30,000 donations in a governor's race, and some incumbent lawmakers getting 100 percent of their campaign cash from special interests who have business before the Legislature.

• Ethical wrongdoing: House and Senate members are the only ones who can bring an ethics complaint against a colleague, and that complaint is heard only by other House and Senate members.

• Redistricting: Every decade legislators redraw their own district boundaries, in effect picking their own voters.

• Conflicts of interests: Currently, legislators must vote on every bill, even if they have a clear conflict of interest.

Recent comments

To Jan: Its almost impossible to oust an incumbant with the...

George | Dec. 3, 2008 at 1:53 p.m.

Sorry George that you do not know that term limitations already...

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Sorry but the UEA is a special interest group. They act just like a...

Anonymous | Dec. 3, 2008 at 12:57 p.m.

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