Better Government Association

Public should back work of LA Ethics 1

Published July 5, 2007

We share the disappointment of members of LA Ethics 1 over defeat of the cornerstone bill of that organization's ethics-reform package. The intent of House Bill 730 was to require legislators to disclose more of their personal finances. The Center for Public Integrity ranks Louisiana fifth from the bottom in terms of openness about how legislators earn their money and how their personal business may conflict with their public decisions.

The failure of the bill was disappointing but not surprising. Legislators were particularly creative in altering the bill so that failure was assured. They simply extended it so the rules would apply to virtually every state and local elected official in Louisiana, thus creating an overpowering contingent of opponents to the measure.

The expected battle over the expansion of the bill's coverage occurred and, in the final hours of the session, lawmakers simply shoved the bill aside and let it die.

We predicted earlier that the bill would be killed or, if passed, prove impossible to enforce. Often, in cases such as this, we hope our forecasts are inaccurate. Predicting outcomes in regard to ethics reform in Louisiana is not rocket science, however. Reforms can be expected to die or - if grudgingly approved - be crippled by an overpowering load of loopholes.

At least two factors offer reason for optimism, however, that ethics reform eventually can be achieved. One of them is the fact that LA Ethics 1, a coalition of 50 business and public-interest groups, has the determination to continue the fight and the clout to make good things happen.

The other is the coming change in the Legislature. Because of term limits, there will be an unprecedented number of new faces. The new delegates hopefully will not have the negative attitude toward ethics reform that has been obvious in the actions of so many long-time incumbents.

The attitude of Louisiana citizens is also an important factor. An LA Ethics 1 survey found that 96 percent of respondents believe it is important to improve the state's national standing with regard to governmental ethics laws.

It is ironic that Louisiana was once on the leading edge of governmental ethics. Former Gov. John McKeithen made creation of the state Governmental Code of Ethics a priority. The bill, passed with his strong backing in 1964, was among the first of its kind in the nation and, for a time, was considered one of the nation's strongest. We have fallen far since then - to 46th in the nation, according to the Better Government Association.

LA Ethics 1 has lost the first round, but the fight is not over. When it resumes, we all need to stand with the organization, letting lawmakers know Louisiana citizens have lived too long with a "banana republic" reputation that is embarrassing and creates a barrier to economic growth and progress.