Anti-tax group joins call for tougher ethics laws

The Tennessee Tax Revolt has asked its 5,000 members to write the governor and key lawmakers, increasing pressure to make substantial changes to ethics laws in the wake of the FBI’s “Tennessee Waltz” corruption sting that netted four current lawmakers and one former state senator.

“I hope the Waltz is going to be a great impetus to move forward with this,” Tennessee Tax Revolt spokesman Ben Cunningham said Wednesday. “Sometimes it takes these kinds of events to move forward.”

Gov. Phil Bredesen has promised a thorough review of proposed ethics laws this summer and said he may call a special session this fall to address the issue. A separate legislative panel also will be looking at ideas next month, and powerful House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh said this week he may support the special session.

Tennessee Tax Revolt, which created a name for itself in the bitter dispute over a state income tax a few years ago, lobbied this past legislative session for some ethics law changes that didn’t pass muster. Cunningham said the group could back Bredesen in a special session.

The Legislature did pass one big change aimed at former state Sen. John Ford — one of those indicted in the corruption sting — by making it illegal for lawmakers to consult for companies doing business with the state.

More needs to be done beyond the seemingly popular notion of shedding light on the flow of lobbying money into the state Capitol, said Cunningham.

“Open government is really the foundation of an ethical government, because it’s all about accountability,” he said. “The closer citizens and the press can watch government … the easier it is for citizens to hold the General Assembly accountable.”

The group is asking for changes in four key areas:

— Seeking recorded floor and committee votes available on the Internet so citizens can look them up;

— Making live and archived video of all House and Senate sessions available on Internet. The House has already been providing some of this;

— Requiring the Legislature to follow same open meetings and open records laws that already apply to other government agencies;

— Forcing more disclosure on lobbying money and banning lobbying fees based on successfully getting legislation passed.

Dick Williams, a spokesman for watchdog group Common Cause of Tennessee, said he too is pressing for similar changes. He said he’s asked to be part of the governor’s deliberations this summer.

“I don’t know if we can jump from where we are to the best in the nation … but I am hopeful, whether there is a special session or not, that we can do something,” Williams said.