Call us: 225.926.8414
The special legislative session that adjourned on Tuesday yielded an impressive set of reforms to the state’s ethics, campaign finance and other laws. Several long-resisted changes were enacted to disclose public officials’ personal financial dealings, forbid state officials from personally profiting through state contracts, eliminate many of the freebies officials have traditionally enjoyed, require more […]
The administration proposal to insert administrative law judges (ALJs) into the process of ruling on ethics violations would dilute the existing power of the Board of Ethics. While most of the ethics reform package is in line with previous PAR recommendations, this one raises some troubling questions that require additional research. There should be no […]
The state is poised for a big win for ethics reform. A bill to require legislators, statewide elected officials and local elected officials to report their income by source and range has nearly passed out of the Legislature. Successful passage of HB 730 would push Louisiana to become one of the top states in terms […]
“Governmental Ethics Laws in Louisiana: Public Trust or Private Gain?,” September 1995 (a collaborative report by the Bureau of Governmental Research and PAR) “White Paper on Governmental Ethics and Constitutional Revision,” September 2003
The legislature should close the loophole that gives elected officials access to a perk that is prohibited for other public servants. SB 382 would eliminate a controversial exception in the ethics code that allows elected officials, including legislators, to receive free tickets to cultural and sporting events. The bill passed the Senate overwhelmingly by a […]
Tough ethics laws that keep public officials out of the recovery contracting business will help decrease the appearance of impropriety and help make the case for more federal recovery aid. A House committee got off to a good start last week by unanimously approving HB 1236, which would prohibit elected and appointed state officials, their […]
A bill aiming to repeal a major ethics reform that restricts campaign contributions during legislative sessions is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday. The law being targeted prohibits campaign contributions to legislators and the governor during regular legislative sessions. The ban, recommended by PAR in 1995, was a key part of the Governor’s 2004 ethics […]
The state needs to enact tough ethics reform to help assure the nation that billions can be spent restoring Louisiana without fear of graft or corruption. PAR has long recommended that public officials and their family members should be prohibited from receiving public contracts, whether competitively bid or not. Current law provides some limits, but […]