February 12, 2009
LEGISLATORS RIP ETHICS BOARD FOR PROHIBITING THEM FROM VISITING STATE OFFICES
For years, Ecology members have invited local legislators to talk about upcoming issues in the Legislature.
But this year, legislators were told to stay away because the head of the state Executive Ethics Board said such visits might constitute lobbying.
So one of the shunned lawmakers, Rep. Sam Hunt of the 22nd District, sponsored a bill to make it clear that legislators "do in fact have a right and in fact a responsibility" to meet with state employees on the worksite.
House Bill 1920 would explicitly allow such legislator-employee informational and educational meetings.
"This is one of those bills that shouldn't even have to happen but has to happen," Hunt said during Thursday's hearing before the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee. Hunt chairs the committee.
Local 443 Ecology member Paul Pickett and the Federation's Dennis Eagle urged support for the bill. Also indicating support were the state troopers association and the Public School Employees.
Pickett, a shop steward at Ecology, had been arranging such informational meetings with legislators for about 10 years.
"The Ethics Board for some time has been following a line of reasoning that far exceeds what the Legislature intended with the ethics law...," Eagle said.
"The Ethics Board is undeterred in drifting far beyond what the Legislature ever intended in the law."
Melanie DeLeon, executive director of the Ethics Board, opposed HB 1920.
She said the term "informational and educational meetings" could be construed as lobbying.
That set off a testy exchange between DeLeon and the committee.
"There is no way for us to know what you mean by informational or educational matters," DeLeon said.
"We can't use common sense, then?" Hunt asked.
"I can use common sense, but I don't know if your common sense and my common sense are the same," DeLeon retorted.
"I think we can help maybe clarify definitions, but I'm not sure we can get to one that defines common sense," said Rep. Gary Alexander of the 20th District back to DeLeon.
That's it for now. Call late Friday for the next message.
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