State senators are receiving a refresher in ethics and bills to require tougher ethics rules are advancing following a series of legal cases involving Democratic lawmakers.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg canceled committee hearings Wednesday, April 23 and ordered senators and their top aides to devote the day to ethics training.

The ethics proposals approved by a committee include a ban on fundraising during the end of legislative sessions, a reduction in the value of gifts officials may accept, and a prohibition on such items as spa treatments and golf games.

Photo of the California Senate chamber courtesy of David Monniaux on Wikimedia Commons.