Last year the Georgia State Ethics Commission was newly tasked with all sorts of responsibilities - for example, processing and posting candidates' campaign contribution reports and policing lobbyists.  With these new responsibilities came more money in the budget to make sure the agency had the capacity necessary to carry them out.

Now, however, Governor Sonny Perdue has proposed a 40% budget cut for the next fiscal year.

Lawmakers are saying they'll work hard to restore the funds:

Yesterday, Common Cause Maine's Jon Bartholomew stood with US Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME) to talk about the House Democrats new ethics rules being voted on today.  It's a good package, but it will ultimately fail without enforcement, as similar rules enacted in 1995 failed.  Today, in the WaPo, Sen. Barack Obama writes about the key to ethics reform, an independent commission to make sure Congress follows its own ethics rules. And the NY Times chimes in with its own pitch for independent oversight of congressional ethics.  Here's some excerpts:

Senator Obama in the Post:

And, the NY Times: Paramount is the need to create an independent office for ethics enforcement to end the clubbiness that more often than not covers up or excuses abuses.

After five years of fighting for legislation, the Hawaii Ethics Commission will finally be able to place fines on ethics violations.  A new state law, passed just before election season, allows the Ethics Commission to impose a $500 fine for each violation.

Under the old system, the Commission could only declare guilt or innocence, and any punitive measures would target the state body that employed the individual, not the individual him or herself.  Moreover, the Commission could not act once an implicated individual left a state position, a loophole that the new law will close.

A fine of $500 may not be hefty in itself, but numerous counts accompany most ethics violations.  For example, engaging in private business while in office often requires state resources and time, and thus carries with it the potential for multiple ethics violations.

According to Mollway, the new law is a "milestone" for ethics reform in Hawaii and indicates an increased acceptance of tighter ethics standards.  Let's hope that other states attain a similar respect for appropriate ethics reform legislation.

With elections fast approaching, allegations of illegal campaign contributions have become more heated in the states.  

Take Wisconsin, for example.  In 2005, Richard and Barbara Schiffrin donated $10,000 and $5,000 to embattled Governor Jim Doyle (D) and Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager (D), respectively, at a campaign function.  Later that day, Richard Schiffrin sought state business with the Wisconsin Investment Board at meetings established by a Lautenschlager aide and the Doyle campaign's chief fund-raiser.  

Though Schiffrin's law firm was not hired by the state, the Wisconsin Ethics Board is now reviewing whether the campaign contributions were "met with promises to help obtain state business."  Political rivals themselves, Doyle and Lautenschlager must now fend off charges of ethics violations from their Republican challengers.

Meanwhile, Missouri Democrats are outraged at Governor Matt Blunt (R) for what they see as a blatantly illegal campaign contribution.

According to a recent financial report, Blunt's campaign committee received $38,982 from the Republican National Committee in April, an amount that rises well above state contribution limits from party committees.

After admitting to ten ethics violations on Tuesday, former Rhode Island State Senator John A. Celona (D) was fined $130,000 by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, a record penalty.

The fine comes as a result of undisclosed consulting work for CVS, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, and New England Ambulance between 2000 and 2003.  Celona's contract with CVS netted him $1,000 a month in 2000 and included legislative favors beginning in 2001 as chairman of the Senate Corporations Committee.  In 2002, he received $1,200 a month from another client, New England Ambulance.  That same year, Celona began a relationship with Blue Cross as the host of a company-sponsored nutritional show on cable TV.  He was initially paid $1,000 per episode and received a total of $10,605 over the course of the year.  After his financial dealings were uncovered, Celona resigned from the RI Senate.

Celona has already pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges and will likely see prison time.  The Ethics Commission can impose a maximum fine of $25,000 per count, for a total penalty of $250,000, but decided to charge Celona approximately half that amount.  Though Celona is remorseful, an apology may not suffice:

Government officials should take notice.

On Wednesday, the North Carolina Senate voted 47-1 to overhaul the state's ethics and lobbying laws.  

The Senate bill would strengthen the State Ethics Commission, an ethics board created in 1977 that lacks "teeth," according to Senator Dan Clodfelter.  The Commission came under fire last year when it failed to investigate former state lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings, who worked for a lottery vendor during office.

The new Commission would have the authority to investigate ethics charges against all three branches of government and review comprehensive financial disclosure records for conflicts of interest.  But as was previously revealed on the blog, charges against judges and lawmakers would be heard by the preexisting Legislative Ethics Commission.  In addition to lacking independent oversight, many of the new Commission's hearings would be conducted behind closed doors.

The bill also proscribes all donations from lobbyists to political candidates and requires lobbyists to report their expenditures, which can no longer include gifts to lawmakers other than food and entertainment at public events, on a monthly basis.

Finally the North Carolina Senate is moving on ethics reform.  However, they're not exactly moving in the right direction.  

In a bill introduced yesterday, the Senate proposes to create an ethics commission to monitor the executive, judicial and legislative branches.  Great, right?  Well, not quite.  It seems the commission wouldn't have the ability to investigate lawmakers, who already - and would continue to - fall under the power of the Legislative Ethics Commission.

It's great that the NC Senate is doing something on ethics reform, but if a commission is going to actually have any teeth and be able to fully hold all public officials accountable, then it needs to go farther and have truly independent and comprehensive oversight.

This is a sad commentary on the state of Oregon's ethics commission, and also underscores the need for an independent ethics watchdog commission.

The Executive Director of the Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission, Pat Hearn, is leaving that position to take a similar one at Nevada's ethics commission:

The disproportionality is ridiculous!  Ridiculous, I tell you!  -- And that's all you're going to get out of me until you click "Read more."