Rules waived for three
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The ethics “clean up” legislation Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law allows three legislators and their relatives to do things that are otherwise prohibited.
The special treatment came via legislation filed to fix flaws in ethics laws approved during Jindal’s February special session on ethics.
The special provisions benefit state Sen. John Smith, D-Leesville; state Rep. Noble Ellington, D-Winnsboro; and state Rep. Rick Nowlin, R-Natchitoches.
One provision allows Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association chief Chris John to lobby the Louisiana Legislature though his father-in-law, state Sen. John Smith.
Smith is a lawmaker and a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which oversees much of the energy industry’s activities. It’s a new privilege designed specifically for John’s situation.
Another provision allows Ellington to keep his wife, Brenda, as his $54,000-a-year legislative assistant.
It’s an arrangement the Louisiana Board of Ethics and a district court said violated state conflict of interest and nepotism laws.
A third provision helps Nowlin’s engineering firm keep doing business with governmental entities. That business can continue through Jan. 7, 2012. The prior law would have prevented sustaining those relationships unless there was an ongoing contract.
Former Ethics Board member Mike Johnson said the myriad exceptions makes Louisiana’s ethics laws “like a piece of Swiss cheese.”
“You don’t have a general law people can look to and understand,” Johnson said.
Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, the sponsor of the “cleanup” law, did not return two telephone messages.
“All I can say is that it is a part of the process,” said House and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rick Gallot, D-Ruston.
Jindal did not respond to three requests for an interview.
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