Voting & Democracy News

Letters delivered this week to House leadership and members of the Special Task Force on Ethics Enforcement from a half dozen states urge Congress to “adopt the time-tested best practices” of independent ethics commissions, office and boards currently operating in twenty-three states.
 
The directors or chairs of ethics commissions in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, and West Virginia signed letters in the last month outlining key features of the commissions’ structures. The letters all noted that commission members may not hold public office, must abide by clear conflict of interest rules, cannot be removed for any reason other than cause, and have the power to handle complaints without partisan interference. As detailed in recent U.S.PIRG report, "Honest Enforcement," these models are similar to those in the other twenty three states.
 
U.S. PIRG delivered the letters to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader John Boehner, Task Force Chair Michael Capuano and Ranking Task Force Member Lamar Smith.
 
The letters offer testimony that independent ethics commissions in the states work well and are supported by the public and the elected officials they oversee. Lewis G. Brewer, Director of the West Virginia Ethics Commission, noted in his letter that the state legislature strengthened the commission as recently as 2005 which “demonstrates strong public and bipartisan political support for an entity that acts fairly, evenly and without partisan influence.”
 
The letters come as the Speaker-appointed Task Force is in the process of deciding on recommendations to make to the full House. The task force missed the original May 1st deadline for recommendations but is expected to issue a report by mid-May.
 
The ethics enforcement process in Congress has been widely criticized for inaction in the past year during the scandal involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff that landed two congressmen, several top aides and lobbyists in jail.  The House leadership promised early on to make the 110th Congress honest and open.  
 
U.S. PIRG, along with a coalition of government reform groups, has repeatedly stated that enforcement is the key to reform.  “The rules are only as strong as the ability to enforce them,” noted Kalman. “The current system is broken.  The public has asked for meaningful change and the state experiences detailed in these letters demonstrate there is a workable answer.”


MORE INFORMATION
Gary Kalman, U.S. PIRG Democracy Advocate, (202) 546-9707 or gkalman@pirg.org