The Senate has approved a new version of a bill to overhaul ethics. The Senate version of House Bill 3945 requires public officials to report sources of private income, but not the amounts paid. The bill creates educational ethics seminars for public officials and requires anonymous political groups to register and report if more than half of their activity goes toward influencing elections.

The bill as passed would make no changes to who would enforce the new ethics laws or to the practice of lawmakers policing themselves. An earlier version of the bill extended state lobbying regulations to the local level, but the Senate has removed this provision.

The bill now moves back to the House for approval. If the House does not approve the Senate version as is, the bill will go to conference committee.