Legislative Pushback On Ethics Is A Bad Look; Endangers Legislators Themselves

The continued denial that ethics are an issue will end up backfiring in the faces of Republican legislators who refuse to admit there are problems.

Will legislators ever realize they have an image problem when it comes to ethics?

House Bill 1046 has been proposed by the Ethics Commission itself.

It gives the ethics commission the authority to help public officials, candidates, and lobbyists be and stay ethical by adding the following language to the state law that governs their operation:

A public official, candidate for elected office, or lobbyist only may request an advisory opinion related to hypothetical facts or prospective conduct of the public official, candidate for elected office, or lobbyist making the request. Another individual, board, entity, or organization may request an advisory opinion on behalf of a public official, candidate for elected office, or lobbyist with corroborating evidence demonstrating the request is authorized and made on behalf of the public official, candidate for elected office, or lobbyist.

Basic common sense would think that legislators would want this help to stay out of trouble. Apparently not,