Reforming our ethic’s laws

We are taking the first step toward building a better Louisiana. I have called the State Legislature into session in order to make Louisiana’s ethics laws the gold standard, and to ensure that the rest of the world knows that corruption will no longer find a home here.

It is vitally important that we are successful in reforming our ethics laws, as it will not only clean up our state’s image in the eyes of others, but will also bring increased economic opportunities to our state.

While there are other areas that we will focus on in the coming months, nothing is more important than ethics reform. It cannot be the last thing we do. It cannot be the second or third thing we do. It must be the first thing we do.

In recent months, Louisiana State University and the Forbes Strategic Research Group have all found that the most important issue Louisiana must address to create more jobs for our people is a dramatic strengthening of our ethics laws.

That is why I am offering an aggressive ethics reform package for the Legislature to take up during this special session. The Council for a Better Louisiana called our agenda the “most comprehensive single package of reforms proposed by any governor since the creation of the ethics code itself.”

There are seven critical areas we must address under the umbrella of ethics reform. First, we must strengthen financial disclosure requirements for public officials throughout the state. The Center for Public Integrity currently rates Louisiana 44th in the nation in terms of disclosure requirements placed on state legislators, showing that there is much work to be done.

For example, in Florida, all statewide elected officials, as well as legislators, judges, sheriffs, clerks of court, and county commissioners must report their sources of income, debts owed, and other personal financial data. The public has the right to know the financial motivations of their elected and appointed officials. Public servants who have nothing to hide should be the first to embrace this transparency.

Second, we must address conflicts of interest that are currently allowed. Legislators and their spouses should not be able to enter into contracts with state government and profiting because of their position.

Businesses around the state deserve a level playing field when doing business with government, and should not have to worry about competing against secret backroom deals.

We must also ensure that legislators and their spouses are not able to enter into recovery contracts in order to show Washington and the rest of the nation that we will hold ourselves accountable to those investing in our state’s recovery.

Next, we must shine light on lobbyist activities. The public deserves to see what the special interests are doing in Baton Rouge. Louisiana currently ranks 33rd for the strength of our lobbyist disclosure laws, leaving many of their activities in the dark. These laws must be improved and strengthened in order to increase public awareness of external influences on lawmakers.

We must increase both the amount of information disclosed and the frequency, from twice a year to monthly, in which lobbyists are required to file. At least 19 states currently require disclosure forms to be filed more frequently than Louisiana. We must also strengthen penalties for those who do not follow the rules, as a strong deterrent is necessary in order to bring change. In Texas, for example, intentional violations of disclosure laws are punishable by up to one year in jail.

Fourth, we must improve both education and enforcement regarding our ethics laws. We can pass the gold standard in ethics laws, but we must make sure that elected officials are informed of the law, as well as the criminal penalties if they intentionally violate the ethics code and break the public’s trust. Both public servants and lobbyists must be required to undergo ethics training in order to ensure that they understand both the rules and the repercussions of breaking them. At least 20 states currently have some form of mandatory training in ethics laws for public servants, including Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Fifth, we must increase transparency and public access to information. We must make information more available to the public, and we must simplify and publicize budget and spending documents for the average citizen to access this information online.

Our state budget has more than tripled in the last twelve years and more than doubled in just the last six years to $30 billion. We must show fiscal responsibility and reign in out of control spending in our state’s budget. By increasing public access to this information we can take a strong step forward in this process. I have also already signed an executive order that requires each of my Cabinet secretaries to improve the transparency and accountability in their departments.

Sixth, we must continue to crackdown on fraud and abuse. The Inspector General’s office must be authorized in statute. We must also expand whistleblower protection to include threats to public servants. Currently, 22 states have this sort of protection for whistleblowers.

Finally, we must strengthen our campaign finance laws. We must pass legislation to provide more disclosure and require all candidates for office to pass an ethics certification class.

We must also require the activities and spending patterns of third party political advertisers to be transparent. The public has a right to know who is attempting to influence their vote.

Our war on corruption and incompetence will not be easy. There will be those who will try to stand in the way of a New Louisiana. I cannot fight this war without your help. Let your legislators know that you are ready for change. By strengthening our ethics laws, we can take a strong step forward to rid Louisiana of corruption and incompetence, improving every aspect of our state. It is time to move forward with building a better Louisiana, and we will not rest until that has been accomplished.