SB3030: LEGISLATIVE ETHICS COMMISSION

Legislative Summary

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that the appointing authorities shall (rather than may) appoint both members of the General Assembly and members of the general public to the Legislative Ethics Commission. Provides open meetings requirements for the Commission. Provides that the Commission shall adopt no rule requiring the Legislative Inspector General to seek the Commission's advance approval before commencing any investigation or issuing a subpoena. Provides that any existing rule requiring the Legislative Inspector General to seek the Commission's advance approval before commencing any investigation or issuing a subpoena is void. Provides that the Legislative Inspector General may issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses for the purposes of testimony and production of documents and other items for inspection and copying and to make service of those subpoenas without the advance approval of the Legislative Ethics Commission. Provides that a complaint with the Legislative Ethics Commission must be filed within 12 months after the Legislative Inspector General's initiation of an investigation (currently, 12 months after receipt of the allegation of the violation or 18 months after the most recent act of the alleged violation or series of violations). Provides that the Legislative Ethics Commission shall make available to the public any summary report in which a subject of the report is a current or former member of the General Assembly, and the Legislative Inspector General found that reasonable cause exists to believe that a violation has occurred. Requires that publicly available summary reports be posted on the websites of the Legislative Ethics Commission and the Legislative Inspector General.