So the Legislature is moving some of Governor PBJ's "gold" standard ethics bills through the House and the Senate. Predictably, some serious questions are being raised by the legislators themselves, but there is one glaring question yet to be raised by the legislators about one of the bills.
Our friends over at CenLamar tout Democratic Senator Ben Nevers' SB 24, which states (emphasis added):
A. The legislature hereby finds and declares that training, education, enforcement, and public perception of ethical standards for public servants in Louisiana are jeopardized and undermined when a public servant is allowed to request or receive certain preferential treatment by virtue of their office or position. The emoluments of public office or position should not include favoritism in the ability to attend certain public events, to the detriment or exclusion of other citizens of this state.
B. No public servant shall request or receive preference by reason of his office or position, in the obtaining or purchase of tickets for athletic, sporting and cultural events.
C. The provisions of this Section shall supersede and control to the extent of conflict with any other provision of law.
So let's go over what we know ... there is a bill that reaches that "gold" standard that Jindal is clamoring for, and yet the Senate is pushing SB 3 (offered by Senator Joel Chaisson, Governor PBJ's pick for Senate Majority Leader), which is a competing bill that will NOT stop the practice of special access to things like the National Championship game?
Could it be that our Senators like getting the privileges they receive from being an elected official? Could it be that Governor PBJ is all talk about strengthening our State's ethics laws? Isn't that in contradiction to what we've been hearing all our elected officials say about strengthening our ethics laws?
