Committee turns over final ethics recommendations

The panel’s report came on the same day another elected official was charged in the ongoing Tennessee Waltz bribery scandal and the House Ethics Committee said it will investigate a Memphis Democrat over allegations that she broke rules by taking $200 from an undercover FBI agent posing as an executive.

Such allegations have raised the public’s interest in government activity, which is the main reason Bredesen formed the Citizen Advisory Group on Ethics in Government.

One recommendation from the panel was the creation of an independent state ethics commission that would be charged with establishing the ethical standards for service in state government.

But the strongest recommendations were levied against lobbyists. Among the suggestions, the panel said lobbyists should disclose payments received for lobbying activities, ban contingency fees for lobbyists, and provide a “cooling off period” of at least a year before any leading officials who leave public office can lobby state government.

“I’m confident that, using these recommendations as a guide, we will develop and implement meaningful changes in the operation of state government and, in the process, begin restoring the public’s confidence in its elected officials,” Bredesen said.

New House Minority Leader Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, did not attend the committee’s meeting with the governor, but he issued a statement saying he’s “pleased the group has chosen to address a wide array of ethics proposals and I am eager to see the governor adopt many of these.”

“These were each brought before the House last session by Republicans, but Democrats unfortunately defeated each during committee hearings,” Dunn said. “It is my hope that the governor will bring his party alongside these sound proposals.”

Earlier in the day, the House Ethics Committee announced it would be investigating House Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry.

She has not been charged in the Tennessee Waltz scandal that has landed five current and former lawmakers in federal court. The other official charged in the case Thursday was Hamilton County Commissioner William Cotton who surrendered to agents at his home.

DeBerry has said that she did nothing illegal, wrong or immoral. She did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Thursday.

The House Ethics Committee said it is interested in allegations that a federal agent courted her during a trip to a Tunica casino and gave her $200 and wished her a “happy birthday.” The man was an undercover agent posing as an executive of E-Cycle Management Inc., a company concocted by the FBI as part of its sting.

The House Ethics Committee has the authority to recommend a wide range of punishments if it finds wrongdoing, up to expulsion from the House. The full House would have to vote on any recommendation.

Before deciding to pursue an investigation, though, Republicans and Democrats played a careful match of gamesmanship in setting the scope of their inquiry.

Dunn said the Democrats were trying to restrict the scope of the investigation by not agreeing to ask for FBI investigation records on the Tunica trip.

“I was very frustrated,” he said. “I thought I was asking something that made perfect sense.”

Dunn said Democrats “seemed to already have their mind made up as though they already kind of knew what they wanted to come out of the meeting and they steered everything toward that outcome.”

A state law prohibits legislators from taking gifts from lobbyists or companies that employ lobbyists, but the FBI front company, called E-Cycle, never registered anyone as a lobbyist. A legal memo prepared by a legislative lawyer said DeBerry did not violate the law.

List of ethics recommendations given to Bredesen
By The Associated Press
(AP) — Highlights of recommendations by the Governor’s Citizen Advisory Group on Ethics. The report says new laws are needed to:

—Set up a bipartisan ethics commission with strong powers and the ability to launch investigations or random audits as it sees fit.

—Ban cash campaign contributions to candidates.

—Post candidate campaign finance reports instantly on the Internet and require more frequent reporting.

—Tighten caps on campaign contributions from individuals, political action committees and party organizations.

—Require reports on travel expenditures by legislators and executive branch officials.

—Post all legislative votes in a timely manner on the Internet.

—Rein in “shadow” groups that spend money to sway elections and issues while avoiding campaign finance laws.

—Require lobbyists to file a report naming all family members who work in state government.

—Require lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid and how those funds are spent on a monthly or more frequent basis.

—Require companies that hire lobbyists to disclose how much they spend lobbying.

—Ban lobbyists and others from buying state officials gifts or meals.

—Ban public officials from taking lobbying jobs immediately after leaving government.

—Ban so-called “contingency fees.”

—Establish tougher conflict of interest language and disclosures.