Off The Beat: When Lawmakers Won’t Take ‘No’ For An Answer
Sometimes, politicians just don’t seem to listen.
This is one of those times.
It’s almost unbelievable that the House Judiciary Committee is trying to expand the state’s gift laws, after the Senate just gutted an effort to do the same.
But it’s true. The committee has revised to allow lawmakers to accept gifts from labor unions, golf courses, businesses and others with interests before the Legislature.
This despite testimony against the idea from the state Ethics Commission and good government groups that killed a similar proposal earlier this year.
Today at 2 p.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on . A week ago, the bill banned lawmakers from accepting gifts with the exception of tickets to charitable events from charitable entities, as defined by the IRS’s classification.
The of the bill subtly removed the “(3)” from the tax code, opening the floodgates to allow a number of different organizations and entities to wine and dine lawmakers legally.
It’s this kind of move that makes you wonder what some lawmakers are thinking. No wonder people lose faith in their representatives. They can seem to be out for one thing: themselves.
Civil Beat will keep you informed as the bill unfolds.
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