Governor Submits Ethics Bill
to State Legislators
Focuses on Restoring Trust
in Government
January 25, 2007
Thursday
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced today the introduction
of her ethics bill into the State House and Senate Chambers.
"This bill cleans up our
executive house and provides greater transparency," said
Governor Palin. "We need to assure Alaskans that we are
working for them and ensure that they have no doubt as to the
intent of our decisions. As we work closely with the legislators
on ethics reform, I look to swift passage so that we may also
tackle PERS / TRS and the gasline bill this session."
Governor Palin's ethics bill
addresses six major areas:
- Greater access to campaign
and financial disclosure reports through mandatory electronic
filings
- Requires candidates, groups,
legislators, and public officials to file disclosure forms electronically
with APOC
- More detail in financial disclosures
- If lawmakers and other public
officials receive more than $1,000 for work, they must specify
how much they received, how many hours they worked to earn it,
and describe, in detail, the nature of their work
- Full and prompt disclosure
of interests after leaving public office
- Requires lawmakers and other
public officials who leave office to report financial and business
interests within 90 days upon leaving office
- Further defines conflict of
interest
- Helps clear up ambiguities
about when public officials have a conflict of interest, including
standards for the executive branch which define when the value
of their stock or business interest is significant
- Bans gifts from lobbyists
to all public officials, including staff
- Prohibits executive branch
officials from accepting gifts from a lobbyist, unless the lobbyist
is an immediate family member
- Tightens certain employment
restrictions after leaving public office
- Tightens existing employment
restrictions that apply for two years after leaving the executive
branch by eliminating exception for work on legislation and regulations
- Extends current one-year ban
on lobbying to apply to more positions in the executive branch
"Alaskans have to trust
that each of us is working in the state's best interest and not
for the advancement of our own," added Governor Palin. "We
need to make sure, for example, that key staff who participate
in things such as confidential gasline negotiations on behalf
of the state, be prohibited from leaving their positions here
to begin working immediately on the opposite side of the table."
Under the bill, all provisions would be effective immediately,
with the exception of electronic filing, which would take effect
July 1, 2007.
Source of News:
Office of the Governor
www.gov.state.ak.us
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