Posted: | March 20, 2019 02:50 PM |
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From: | Representative Tina M. Davis and Rep. Thomas P. Murt |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Enacting a Commonsense Gift Ban |
In our state, it is legal for special interest groups to bribe elected officials with gifts that often include expensive dinners, tickets to sporting events, and hotel stays. This practice is pervasive: It happens with elected officials from the state level down to the local level. Ultimately, this fosters public distrust and facilitates a culture of corruption. We are combatting this issue by proposing a commonsense limitation on the gifts that public officials can accept. Our bill would prohibit public officials and public employees from accepting transportation, lodging, hospitality, cash, or anything of economic value as a gift from individuals seeking to influence public policy while providing for certain exceptions including gifts from relatives. Further, the bill makes financial disclosure reporting requirements more stringent to facilitate increased transparency. Join us in supporting this vital piece of legislation and held to mitigate government corruption in our state. |
Introduced as HB1291