A sweeping ethics reform package making its way through the legislative process will benefit all candidates, not just incumbents, the bill’s author, David Dank (R-OKC) said Friday:

Most Oklahomans believe we need to erect a clear barrier between campaign fundraising and passing laws to prevent even a hint of conflict-of-interest and ‘pay for play’ suspicions. That’s why the Oklahoma Clean Campaign Act of 2008 would ban fundraising by incumbents and candidates alike during and 15 days before and after the annual legislative session.

Officials representing third-party and independent candidates have said the bill would harm their efforts, but Dank said the legislation would benefit all candidates by reducing the campaign-funding powers of incumbency. Dank continued:

House Bill 2196 is a fair and much-needed reform independents should be supporting. There is nothing to forbid a legislative candidate from launching his or her campaign a year or even two years before Election Day, which most candidates do - be they Democrats, Republicans or Independents – because they know what a formidable challenge a political campaign can be.

He noted that independent candidates also have an advantage because they do not have to finance a primary campaign and instead face the voters only at the general election, which gives those candidates more time to raise and spend campaign funds than their major-party opponents.

Although critics have called the ethics reform bill an "incumbent protection plan," Dank said the new restrictions on fundraising actually level the playing field for challengers:

The current free-for-all system is the biggest incumbent protection plan of all. For decades incumbent legislators of both parties have raised large sums during the legislative session, sometimes totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s not uncommon to see a major donor hand a $5,000 check to a legislator on Monday evening, then appear in that same legislator’s office on Tuesday morning in an effort to influence legislation. That is precisely what HB 2196 is designed to stop – the impression, right or wrong, that legislation is for sale in Oklahoma.

He said an in-session ban on fundraising actually reduces the money-raising power of incumbents:

House Bill 2196 contains vital reforms that can increase public faith in our lawmaking process and draw a clear boundary between fundraising and making law. Democrats and Republicans alike support it. Independents should, too.

Labels: Ethics Reforms, Rep. David Dank

Posted at 4/07/2008 08:37:00 AM |

Just weeks after new House Speaker Chris Benge forced House Majority Floor Leader Greg Piatt (R-Ardmore) to make an embarrassing refund of a controversial contribution from a Texas businessman, some Capitol observers are raising questions about thousands of dollars in similar contributions Benge has received.

Benge's third quarter 2007 ethics report shows he received 43 separate checks, totaling thousands of dollars, all on a single day, July 6, 2007. All of these checks were written by people employed by Career Technology Centers. Benge received an additional check that same day from the Career Tech System's Political Action Committee. Altogether, the checks total over $4,000.

The donations are drawing scrutiny because Benge as appropriations and budget chairman last year advanced a large budget increase for career techs and much of the increase was used to raise salaries within the career tech system. Now it appears that closely on the heals of that vote and the pay increases, Benge was handsomely rewarded with thousands of dollars in contributions from career tech interests. Some also find it odd that dozens of checks from all across the state were somehow received by the campaign on the very same day.

Capitol observers are now wondering whether Benge will apply the same standard to himself that he applied to Piatt. Piatt was criticized for taking a $5,000 contribution from Texas businessman Brad Phillips after having worked on an insurance bill last session which was favorable to Phillips' interests. Piatt had refused to return the contribution for weeks but was forced to make an embarrassing flip flop and admit the impropriety of the contribution by returning it shortly after Benge became Speaker. Piatt admitted that Benge asked him to give the contribution back.

Given the thousands of dollars Benge got from a group that he helped legislatively last session that are now drawing scrutiny, Capitol observers wonder if he will apply the same standard to himself that he applied to Piatt and return the contributions. Some see this as an early test of Benge's leadership - will he apply consistent standards for everyone - including himself - or keep a double standard when it comes to his own fundraising?

Received via the confidential OKPNS Tip Line:

For more information, see the Oklahoma Ethics Commission

Labels: Ethics Reforms, Rep. Chris Benge

Posted at 3/03/2008 11:55:00 AM |

By Rep. Jason Murphey

Recently, a bill I authored, HB 2444, was approved by the House Rules Subcommittee on Elections and Redistricting. HB 2444 would ask the state Ethics Commission to create and maintain a voluntary "No Gifts List." Under the bill, lobbyists would be prevented from giving gifts to lawmakers who voluntarily place themselves on the list.

When I asked for your vote to be your State Representative, I did so because I wanted to spend time in the Legislature working for the people, not taking lobbyists gifts and certainly not going through the hassle of returning unsolicted items.

Refusing gifts has proven harder than I expected, as lobbyists kept delivering unrequested items to my office. This became a logistical challenge, since some were left with office staff or even sent in the mail. Other lawmakers have told me of similar frustrations, as they did not want to receive gifts either, and yet items are left at their offices. Read more...

Labels: Ethics Reforms, OK Legislator's Blog, Rep. Jason Murphey

Posted at 2/25/2008 12:13:00 PM |

OKLAHOMA CITY (Monday, Sept. 24, 2007) House Speaker Lance Cargill issued a statement Monday following an announcement by state Rep. David Dank on ethics legislation: "I commend Representative Dank for coming forward with this proposal for ethics reform. For far too long in our state’s history,there have been too many problems with ethics in state government, from the Supreme Court to the Legislature to the governor's office. That’s why I was proud to author last year’s House Bill 2101, which has been described by many, including officials at the state Ethics Commission, as the most sweeping and comprehensive legislative ethics reform in years. House Bill 2102, among other things, banned contributions at the Capitol and honoraria payments to legislators. Obviously, anything we do must be constitutional, but we certainly support tough rules. I look forward to reviewing the details of Representative Dank's proposal."

Labels: Ethics Reforms, Rep. David Dank, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 9/24/2007 04:45:00 PM |

Labels: Ethics Reforms, OK Legislator's Blog, Rep. Jason Murphey, Rep. Joe Dorman

Posted at 5/31/2007 12:04:00 PM |

This letter was recently sent to the editor of Newsok.com I was disappointed by the design of Oklahoma's commemorative quarter that features the state bird and wildflower. My submission was much more appropriate. It contained the images of Gene Stipe, David Walters and Judge Donald D. Thompson with the caption: "Celebrating 100 Years of Corruption in All Three Branches of State Government. Instead of one lousy bird on the back of the coin, we could have had three jailbirds.

Labels: Ethics Reforms, Gene Stipe

Posted at 5/15/2007 12:37:00 PM |

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who led the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation into the Jack Abramoff scandal, has sworn off taking tribal money in his presidential campaign but continues to accept donations from lobbyists whose firms represent tribal clients. McCain spokesman Danny Diaz said the senator believes that tribes can spend their money in other ways. He added that McCain implemented the ban on tribal money when he became chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in the midst of the Abramoff scandal, before the panel began probing the tens of millions of dollars the tribes paid the former lobbyist. Diaz, however, would not explain why McCain would not extend that policy to lobbyists representing tribes. Other members, such as Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee and is the only registered member of an Indian tribe in Congress, say they believe that tribes should not be punished for the Abramoff scandal and should be free to be as active in the political process as possible — including in the political fundraising arena. Cole said he respects McCain’s decision not to accept money from tribes, stressing that any member is free to establish his or her own policy about fundraising. But Cole argues that the Abramoff scandal is a lobbying scandal, not an Indian scandal. “I don’t know one tribe that was found to have done anything wrong — in fact, they were the victims,” Cole said last month in an interview. “But what Abramoff and others were doing was clearly criminal. Tribes have the right to participate in the system because if they are not looking out for their interests, nobody else will.” Read more...

Labels: Cong. Tom Cole, Decision '08, Ethics Reforms

Posted at 5/08/2007 02:01:00 PM |

Oklahoma lawmakers are wrestling with an ethics rule change that could alter business as usual at the Capitol. The leaders of both the House and Senate and Gov. Brad Henry have not committed to the change so it’s unclear whether the measure will move forward this session. We think they should commit to the change. The proposed change, promoted by Ethics Commission member Ken Elliott, prohibits political action committees from contributing to each other. Currently, one PAC can give another one up to $5,000 per election cycle. Donors to one PAC may not always align with the purposes and politics of the PAC that ends up with their money. Transparency is also a problem as the public may not know the ultimate source of the funds. Read more...

Labels: Ethics Reforms, OK Legislature

Posted at 4/11/2007 12:35:00 PM |

Speaker Cargill & House Democrat Leader Morgan join senate leaders to craft bi-partisan agreement As a House committee on Monday advanced an ethics reform proposal, House and Senate leaders signed on a co-authors to House Bill 2110 in an effort to craft a final bipartisan plan. House Speaker Lance Cargill (R-Harrah) and House Democrat Leader Danny Morgan (D-Prague) said the bill is a work in progress that will change as bipartisan discussions continue.

"I'm absolutely committed to ensuring that Oklahomans have an honest and open government, and I believe we can achieve that goal within a positive bipartisan framework," said Cargill (R-Harrah). "Over the next few weeks, we'll be working with leaders from both parties in the House and Senate to craft a strong ethics reform package that will make the State Capitol more open and accessible than ever before."

Speaker Cargill and House Democrat Leader Morgan said they were joining with the Legislature's other top leaders -- including Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan (D-Stillwater) and Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee (R-Oklahoma City) -- to develop a bipartisan ethics reform agreement. HB 2110 passed the House Rules Committee on Monday. The measure contains a number of provisions aimed at strengthening current state ethics law.

"The prospects for a strong bipartisan agreement on ethics reform thissession are excellent," said Leader Morgan. "I am encouraged by the bipartisan spirit on this issue. The leadership of the Legislature must work together to ensure that our government is accountable to the people of Oklahoma. This is an important first step in the process to move forward to make government more user-friendly to citizens."

Labels: Ethics Reforms, OK Legislature, Rep. Danny Morgan, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 3/06/2007 10:50:00 AM |

Legislation preventing elected officials from using appearances in public service announcements (PSAs) as free campaign TV time passed a committee vote Monday. House Bill 1451, by Rep. Rob Johnson, would ban elected officials from appearing in PSAs during election years in which they are up for re-election. The measure passed a vote of the House Rules Committee Monday and now moves to the House floor.

"This practice essentially allows incumbents to have free campaign commercials," said Johnson (R-Kingfisher). "Basically, if an elected official has a buddy who's putting together a PSA, the official can appear in it, reaching hundreds, if not thousands of people at no charge to his or her campaign. It borders on being unethical, and certainly gives incumbents an unfair advantage. Rarely can a challenger afford such an opportunity. "Public service announcements certainly serve a valuable purpose, and this bill is in no way an attack against them," Johnson added. "We just want to remove this unfair advantage for sitting elected officials."

If passed by the Legislature and signed into law, HB 1451 would be in effect for the 2008 elections, in which at least all 101 of Oklahoma's House seats and 24 of the state's Senate seats will be up for grabs.

Labels: Decision '08, Ethics Reforms, OK House, Rep Rob Johnson

Posted at 2/27/2007 08:34:00 AM |

Paper still has head in the sand when it comes to real scandals We almost made it through the week without the need for issuing a "Hypocrisy Watch." Mick Hinton of the Tulsa World, has written the talking points memo for Oklahoma Democrats' today, under the guise of "objective journalism." The piece reports that Speaker Cargill is "summon[ing] key lobbyists" to "special meetings" outside the capitol for fundraising activities. Now usually when one thinks of a summons, you think of a court of a law and a judge mandating you appear. Was this a deliberate choice of words Mick? We've copied every quote from a lobbyist in the piece. You'll notice a familiar, recurring theme in every comment. Remember, this is every lobbyists quoted in the piece, so we're not purposely omitting positive quotes:

"Lobbyist Bobby Stem confirmed that he met with the speaker on Tuesday at an office outside the Capitol." "It was the friendliest fundraising meeting I've ever had, and you can quote me on that," said Stem, a prominent lobbyist during Democratic administrations." (What would you expect from a Democratic lobbyist?) "Stem said there was no strong-arming for contributions, although he said it was "very pro-active" with money raising emphasized in several ways." "One lobbyist said he felt uncomfortable going to the "un-neutral" site, while another said it was "cheesy." Both spoke on the condition that they not be identified." "After leaving the office, lobbyist Jim Walker acknowledged that he had just talked with the speaker, but said "it is no different than what used to occur at the Capitol, from time to time."

"But others said they felt compelled to comply with the speaker's wishes. They said that has been the case in the past, but the methods were different this time around."

Hey Mick, how about investigating the attorney general and the poultygate scandal going on "five minutes from the Capitol?" What about the Chairman of your newspaper contributing money to the AG while his paper is endorsing him. We'll re-use the analogy we made earlier this week regarding your paper's lazy reporting. This piece was akin to a reporter covering the Superbowl and only writing about Prince's new shoes! What about the fact that it was held in plain view away from the Capitol? What about the angle that it illustrates the reforms Cargill is looking to initiate?

Labels: Ethics Reforms, hypocrisy watch, Press Bias, Spkr. Cargill, Tulsa World

Posted at 2/23/2007 04:41:00 PM |

Speaker Cargill authors eight-point plan in HB 2110 (Audio) House lawmakers Wednesday advanced a comprehensive ethics reform measure containing strong provisions cracking down on questionable campaign fundraising tactics such as "bundling" and "splitting." "Oklahomans deserve an honest and open government," said Speaker Lance Cargill (R-Harrah), author of House Bill 2110. "The reforms we're offering are fundamental changes that will benefit citizens, instead of more posturing by power players to protect incumbents. This is about making the Capitol more open and more accessible to the public than ever before." HB 2110 passed the House Elections and Redistricting Subcommittee today with unanimous bipartisan support. Cargill said HB 2110 contains an eight-point plan to strengthen the public's trust in state government: 1. Ban Political Contributions at the Capitol: "There are plenty of places to hold political fundraisers," said Cargill. "Our state Capitol isn't one of them. There was a time when lobbyists were known to disperse checks to lawmakers shortly before a critical vote. We can erase this image with this simple reform." 2. Require monthly reports of contributions: Cargill said HB 2110 will provide more frequent reports for citizens' review, so that the public won't have to wait for months for information. Cargill said that if the purpose of campaign finance reporting is to reveal who, and to what degree, someone is interested in the outcome of a race, then that information needs to be made available on a more frequent basis. 3. Require disclosure for lobbyist "bundling": Lobbyists often collect several checks from different sources and deliver these bundled checks to a candidate. These coordinated efforts can involve significant amounts of money, and the public has a right to know about them. 4. Ban Honoraria: Currently, state officials can receive an honorarium for a public appearance if it is performed in their official capacity. Cargill said state officials shouldn't receive compensation outside their salary for duties related to their office. 5. Prohibit professionals from soliciting political contributions from their clients: Cargill said it is unfair for those with professional clientele to solicit contributions from those to whom they owe a duty of trust. Cargill said that attorneys, for example, shouldn't be allowed to shake down clients for contributions, many of whom may be subject to the mercy of their legal representative. 6. Require filing of contributor forms for out-of-state donors: Out-of-state political organizations routinely funnel money into Oklahoma races, and often those who are donating don't even know where the money is really going. Cargill said it is important to know the identity of donors who wish to affect politics in a state that is not their own. HB 2110 will require the filing of a contributor card -- with an express statement of intent to donate in Oklahoma -- to ensure the legitimacy of out-of-state donations. 7. End donation "splitting": Cargill said that some campaign organizations attribute partial pieces of the same contribution to different races in an attempt to get around the individual reporting requirements or contribution limits. 8. Require annual ethics training: Cargill said that HB 2110 would require each chamber of the Legislature to conduct annual ethics training for all members, employees, and lobbyists. "Through better education and preparation, we can prevent missteps and provide clear guidance for all involved with the process," he said.

Labels: Ethics Reforms, OK House, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 2/21/2007 12:33:00 PM |