Ethics 8-16-07

Legislators have continued their efforts to improve ethical standards in government. Under Senate Bill 1218 ratified by the General Assembly, candidates who have been convicted of a felony would have to disclose that information when running for office. Another bill, Senate Bill 659, (I co-sponsored the House companion House Bill 1737) forfeits the pensions of elected officials who are convicted of a violation involving public corruption or election law. We also made changes to the State Government Ethics Act, House Bill 1110 and House Bill 1111, to make government proceedings more transparent to the public. The Governor signed both Thursday morning.