The new ethics code is an extension of previous code which had been passed during the summer of 2010 to institute such a standard on the county commissioners. Following a training session scheduled for spring of 2011, all county employees who receive perishable gifts will be required to place them in an area where other employees and the public will be free to enjoy them, while non-perishable gifts will have to be turned over to the administration to be put to the public use.

Further, employees will not be permitted to accept personal gifts outside the office which could be perceived as being intended to influence their decisions as an employee of Broward County.

MAINE: The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices will be closed December 23rd for a state government closure day. The Commission will also be closed the following day, December 24th, in observance of the Christmas holiday and on December 31st in observance of the New Year’s holiday.

WISCONSIN: The Government Accountability Board will be closed on December 24th, 2010 in observance of the Christmas holiday and on December 31st in observance of the New Year’s holiday.

Paul M. Nick has been designated Interim Director of the Ohio Ethics Commission beginning January 1, 2011.

The Commission will meet on January 6, 2011 to formalize the appointment. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Ohio Ethics Commission was unable to convene with a required quorum on December 20, 2011 to select an Interim Director. After consulting with the Commission Chair, Ben Rose, Executive Director David Freel designated Mr. Nick to succeed him in the interim. The Ohio Ethics Commission has begun a search for a permanent replacement for Director Freel who retires at the end of this year.

Paul Nick currently serves as the Ohio Ethics Commission’s Chief Investigative Attorney and has held the position since 2000. Mr. Nick joined the Commission in 1995 as Investigative Counsel. Prior to his experience with the Commission, Mr. Nick was an Assistant City Prosecutor with the City of Columbus.

You may read the Ohio Ethics Commission press release announcing Mr. Nick’s appointment here.

While not as strict as the bills originally proposed by the Governor, the newly passed rules represent a dramatic overhaul to Alabama ethics law. Under the new rules, PACs will be forbidden from making transfers of funds to other PACs with a few exceptions.

State lawmakers will be unable to hold a second public job, and one bill imposes a ban on “pass-through pork” whereby a legislator can appropriate funds to a specific agency or project without legislative approval. In the new year, lobbyists will be required to complete a training program, and the State Ethics Commission will have subpoena power.

Another bill signed by Governor Riley will forbid public employees from donating to political groups via payroll deduction. This law has been criticized as politically motivated by state Democrats.

The Alabama legislature concluded its special session late Thursday. The lawmakers passed versions of all seven bills proposed by Governor Bob Riley.

The new laws modify and strengthen state lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics rules. Among the highlights of the laws heading to the Governor’s desk is a requirement for those seeking a state grant or contract with the executive branch to register as lobbyists.

Under another pending bill, a lobbyist will be forbidden from giving an official a “thing of value” with certain exceptions, such as a meal costing $25 with a total limit of $125 per year. Governor Riley’s office has indicated each of the seven passed bills will be signed into law unless the staff reviewing them discovers mistakes or errors.

Photo of Alabama State Capitol by Jim Bowen on Wikipedia.

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission has selected Mr. Leslie H. Kondo to serve as the new Executive Director, effective January 11, 2011.

Kondo has served as a member of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission since 2007, and has previously served as the director of the State Office of Information Practices. Mr. Kondo holds a law degree from the University of Hawaii.

The meeting was postponed one day due to inclement weather. The open session will convene Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. The closed session will convene Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. The Government Accountability Board has scheduled its next meeting for Thursday, January 13, 2011. The meeting will be conducted by teleconference.

The public can observe the meeting at the Government Accountability Board offices, 212 East Washington Avenue, Third Floor in Madison, Wisconsin, beginning at 10:00 am.

The Government Accountability Board meeting notice and supplementary materials may be accessed here. 

Michael Cherkasky resigned as chairman of the New York Commission on Public Integrity sighting personal conflicts of interest.  Cherkasky explained in his resignation letter that the recent acquisition of Altegrity Inc., where he is chief executive officer, could create future conflicts of interest with him functioning as commission chair.

Cherkasky also identified several concerns he has for the future of the commission including the lack of resources allocated to the commission, the lack of enforcement over the legislative branch, and issues with the commission having too many members and being overly partisan. Cherkasky’s resignation is effective January 1, 2011.

Following a recent meeting, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board issued a request for comment on a rule regulating the business activities of municipal advisors with municipal entities when they have made political contributions to officials responsible for awarding that business.

You can read the press release from the MSRB here.

State Senator Loretta Weinberg has proposed legislation to end loopholes in the New Jersey pay-to-play laws and to end “wheeling”, the channeling of money through different political committees to avoid contribution limits. “This new bill will give us the iron-clad restrictions against the practice of using campaign cash to influence decision-makers that has unfortunately become business as usual in the Garden State,” said Weinberg.

Additionally, county and municipal political parties would be banned from donating to each other and limited to donating $25,000 to state parties. County parties would only be allowed to donate to local parties within their jurisdiction. Senator Weinberg would like her pay-to-play reform added as a part of Governor Christie’s municipal and county “tool kit”, but has not received any response from the Governor.

Photo of Sen. Loretta Weinberg by Bbsrock on Wikipedia.

Legends Bank is seeking to block enforcement of Missouri’s new ethics law, found in Senate Bill 844, which took effect August 28.  Legends Bank and its president filed suit Monday in Cole County Circuit Court citing language that limits the bank’s right to make political donations.  Senate Bill 844 sought to limit politicians’ ability to conceal the source of money by moving it through several political action committees.

Legends Bank claims that in determining which individuals and entities can donate to political action committees, lawmakers appear to have limited the ability of state-chartered banks to donate.   Republican Senate president pro-tem Charlie Shields, who sponsored Senate Bill 844, stated to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the goal of the bill was never to stop banks or corporations from making political donations and that the disputed language should be fairly easy to fix.

Photo of the Missouri Capitol by RebelAt of English Wikipedia.

Governor Bob Riley has called the Alabama state legislature into special session. The lawmakers are expected to convene on December 8, 2010 and take up the issue of ethics reform.

This year, the state was plagued by a scandal in which lobbyists and local businesspeople attempted to or actually did bribe legislators to vote for pro-gambling legislation. During the upcoming session, lawmakers are expected to pass reform reducing the amount a lobbyist may spend on an official without reporting it. Additional changes suggested by the Governor include a ban on PAC-to-PAC transfers of funds and requiring those who lobby the executive branch for contracts to register.

Photo of Governor Bob Riley by MSGT MARK OWEN, USAF on Wikipedia.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin is pursuing the creation of a local ethics commission to replace the city’s reliance on the state. Currently, city ethics issues are resolved by South Carolina’s ethics commission. Mayor Benjamin believes reliance on a local commission with local ordinances would better serve Columbia and its city council.

The seven member commission would be made up of four residents from each of the council’s four political districts, a certified public accountant, a local business owner and an attorney. The attorney, who would serve as chairman, must not have done business with the city.

Photo of downtown Columbia by Akhenaton06 on Wikipedia.

The Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board has hired Megan Tooker as its new executive director. Tooker was unanimously selected by the six-member board and will assume the role on January 1, 2011. Before joining the agency, she graduated from Drake law school and clerked for former state supreme court Justice Michael Streit.

The outgoing director, Charlie Smithson, is stepping down from the position to become the Iowa House’s new chief clerk. Smithson had been with the board since 1998 and was originally its legal counsel. The Ethics and Campaign Disclosure board administers and advises on state lobbying, campaign and ethics laws and, to a certain extent, local ethics rules.