Ashley Kemp will soon take over as the new executive director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Executive Director Lee Slater is retiring June 30. Kemp has been deputy director for three years and was recommended by Slater to be his successor.

Because the commission worked with and had been impressed by Kemp, there was no formal candidate search. A 2004 law school graduate, she previously served as general counsel to the House of Representatives, deputy general counsel to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and assistant general counsel to the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission recently passed a series of rule changes pertaining to political contribution limits. Under the new rules, the dollar restrictions on contributions to state candidates would change from family limits to individual limits.

Each person would be allowed to give up to $2,600 to a candidate per election. The old rules prohibit families from donating more than $5,000 to a candidate in a political campaign.

Lee Slater, executive director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, believes the family contribution limit to be unconstitutional as it discriminates against a married person. The new rules, also changing individual contribution limits to political parties and PACs, will go into effect unless they are rejected, in whole, by the Legislature.

PACs and candidates behind in filing their scheduled reports with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission may be facing thousands of dollars in fines, according to NewsOK.com.

Executive Director Lee Slater will be focusing efforts this summer on clearing up the backlog of PACs and candidates not keeping up with reporting requirements. More than two dozen PACs have not filed their latest quarterly reports due April 30.

The commission can charge each committee or candidate $100 per day for each day it is late filing, with a total maximum penalty of $1,000. NewsOK.com reports the commission will be hiring a hearing officer before it starts to mail out its penalty assessments, anticipating candidates’ guaranteed right to protest.

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission has hired Lee Slater as its new executive director.

According to The Oklahoman, Mr. Slater will begin working part time with the commission on February 1 and become the full time executive director on July 1, 2013.

The position recently became vacant when Marilyn Hughes retired as executive director after 25 years with the agency.