Legislators say move on to other issues

• By MARK BALLARD AND MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Feb 27, 2008 - Page: 1A

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Baton Rouge area lawmakers said after the special session ended Tuesday that they are finished with ethics and ready to move on to other issues.

“We’re pretty much done with ethics. What we have now is a good framework,” said Rep. Michael Jackson, D-Baton Rouge, who sponsored a disclosure bill that the 2007 Legislature shot down.

“We’re trying to change the look and face and appeal of our state,” Jackson said. “I think we made great strides toward that end.”

Jackson said some ethics issues remain to be addressed, such as campaign finance. But the state’s 144 legislators should now focus on how to handle the $1.1 billion surplus and how to improve the quality of life for the people of Louisiana, he said.

Local lawmakers did not agree on how necessary ethics changes are. But they all agreed the revisions to the state’s ethics laws were nothing short of historic.

They also agreed that the time had come to focus on issues like the high cost of living in Baton Rouge — expensive schools, automobile insurance and health care — lack of adequate roads and improvements in the work force.

Nearly all of Jindal’s hallmark proposals were passed by the Legislature with overwhelming majorities.

The proposals include requiring thousands of state and local elected and appointed officials to detail how they make their money, limiting what freebies lawmakers can receive from lobbyists and stopping lawmakers from doing contract work with state agencies.

“I thought it was a good start for a new Legislature under a new governor,” said Senate President Pro-tem Sharon Broome, D-Baton Rouge, who acknowledged that adjustments are necessary in future sessions.

“At least we have the foundation laid,” Broome said. “This ethics session served as a good foundation as a springboard for some of the other important issues we have to deal with, like economic development, education and health care.”

Rep. Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge, agreed, saying, “Right now we need to focus on the issues like education, infrastructure and the other things important to the state.”

“We have to be more on line with other states that do it right,” said Rep. Hunter Greene, R-Baton Rouge, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax legislation.

Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, said the changes to the ethics laws means more work for individual officials but the end result means voters would trust their elected officials more.