House backs July 1 for resignation date
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The House decided Wednesday to give people until July 1 to resign from elected jobs or state boards so they can avoid divulging their personal finances.
The House approved the change to House Bill 842, then shipped the measure to the Senate for debate on a 90-0 vote.
Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, sponsored the bill to “clean up” glitches in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s disclosure law approved during a February special session.
Under the bill, people who were elected or appointed offices as of March 3 — the date the law went on the books — would have been required to file disclosure reports next year.
Rep. Noble Ellington, D-Winnsboro, said that wasn’t fair.
“To me, March 3 is kind of a gotcha if they didn’t know at that particular time they were going to have to report,” said Ellington.
The July 1 date will give people “a little bit of time” to make a decision, Ellington said.
The vote came the day before the Louisiana Board of Ethics is scheduled to consider whether reporting is required if the board member resigns in 2008 or their term ends in 2008.
Ethics general counsel Richard Sherburne said Wednesday that a draft opinion which will go before the Ethics Board for approval concludes that reporting would be required of those in office when the law went into effect — March 3.
Gallot’s bill would also specify that candidate financial reporting would begin when they sign up to run for office and require financial disclosure by those who sit in for officials on various state boards.
The House also passed House Bill 635 by Rep. Hunter Greene, R-Baton Rouge, that would require more officials to file personal financial disclosure reports.
Included would be the inspector general, the legislative auditor, members of the Civil Service Commission, and the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District. They would have to disclose the same information as legislators, many local elected officials and candidates for those offices.
In other action, the House approved, and shipped to the Senate, House Bill 762 allowing elected officials to participate in debate but not vote on issues where they may have conflicts of interest. The official would have to make the conflict or potential conflict a part of the record of his agency prior to participation.
The House approved the change to House Bill 842, then shipped the measure to the Senate for debate on a 90-0 vote.
Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, sponsored the bill to “clean up” glitches in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s disclosure law approved during a February special session.
Under the bill, people who were elected or appointed offices as of March 3 — the date the law went on the books — would have been required to file disclosure reports next year.
Rep. Noble Ellington, D-Winnsboro, said that wasn’t fair.
“To me, March 3 is kind of a gotcha if they didn’t know at that particular time they were going to have to report,” said Ellington.
The July 1 date will give people “a little bit of time” to make a decision, Ellington said.
The vote came the day before the Louisiana Board of Ethics is scheduled to consider whether reporting is required if the board member resigns in 2008 or their term ends in 2008.
Ethics general counsel Richard Sherburne said Wednesday that a draft opinion which will go before the Ethics Board for approval concludes that reporting would be required of those in office when the law went into effect — March 3.
Gallot’s bill would also specify that candidate financial reporting would begin when they sign up to run for office and require financial disclosure by those who sit in for officials on various state boards.
The House also passed House Bill 635 by Rep. Hunter Greene, R-Baton Rouge, that would require more officials to file personal financial disclosure reports.
Included would be the inspector general, the legislative auditor, members of the Civil Service Commission, and the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District. They would have to disclose the same information as legislators, many local elected officials and candidates for those offices.
In other action, the House approved, and shipped to the Senate, House Bill 762 allowing elected officials to participate in debate but not vote on issues where they may have conflicts of interest. The official would have to make the conflict or potential conflict a part of the record of his agency prior to participation.
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