The Republicans totally blocked Senate Bill 1, the Mother of all
ethics
proposals, but then passed three minor ethics bills that
would allow them
to pound their chests as ethics leaders. SB1
would have established an
ethics committee totally independent
of the legislature it was supposed to
oversee, but the
Republicans like things just as they are. With little oversight.
This is not a difficult issue. There are basically two ways of instituting ethics reform:
Number one is what we have today in Wisconsin. Crimes of political bribery and extortion must meet a very high threshold before the district or state attorneys step in to investigate. The State Election Board and State Ethics Board have proven worthless in this area because its very funding is controlled by the legislative body it oversees. If politicians can keep it below that threshold they can get away with robbing us blind.
Number two is the best and what Senate Bill 1 is all about. An independent board NOT reporting to the state legislature or governor would oversee complaints and prosecute where appropriate. It would not have to be full-timers who have to fill their time by finding fault; it could be part-time retired attorneys and judges acting on complaints. Had SB1 been enacted five years ago, we would not have sent six state politicians to jail, because they would have known the boundaries and ramifications of their actions.
They like things just as they are, thank you. They point to the six state legislators and say "See, our system is working!" But those knowledgeable about the political process say it is only the tip of the iceberg and more investigations are on the way.
Our state leaders don't want to answer to anyone, except, perhaps, their campaign contributors. Certainly not the public.
They complain that the bill goes too far. It requires that politicians disclose their personal finances like congressmen do. They would prefer being able to pass laws that may benefit their hidden investments in road construction or real estate development without the nosey public or press finding out.
And they complain that they don't want to just jump in and pass a bill with too little time to think about it. Haste makes waste, don't you know. Forget that the bill has been in progress for the complete session, and actually started the legislative process two years ago.
What is it that state Republicans don't understand about honest government?
Apparently a lot. The GOP assembly overwhelmingly voted against bringing the Senate ethics bill (SB1) to the floor, which is the same thing as voting against reform altogether. You'd think that with six Republican and Democrat legislators in various stages of being charged, tried, convicted or in jail or federal prison, the “party of values" would jump at the chance to clean up Wisconsin politics. But they didn’t. Shame on the Republicans.
Thanks anyway to Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison), who forced the assembly representatives to put their names on the line by either supporting or opposing bringing SB1 to the floor. That let us know where they stand, and it isn’t a pretty sight. Most Republicans, including my Representative, Sue Jeskewitz, did not look good as they blocked a formal vote on the issue. To see how your representative voted go to http://tinyurl.com/f86fu. A No vote was to block it; a Yes vote would have put ethics above politics.
Note that during this same week, the majority and in some cases all, legislators voted yes on three no-brainer minor ethics bills -- and some even sent out newsletters proclaiming how great the act was. See Jeskewitz and Kaufert. But it was pure cover, for what really mattered was SB1, the Mother of all ethics reform which would have established an ethics commission independent of the state legislature it would be overseeing. Those voting against SB1 like things just as they are, requiring virtually zero accountability on the part of politicians.
In one of the bills the Senate and Assembly approved to shorten the legislative session -- to July 12, from December. The end of the session is significant because state law bars lawmakers from accepting donations during the session. Lawmakers also cannot ask lobbyists to bundle donations from their clients during that period. Now they can do both beginning July 13, before the November election.
The following statement on ethics is released by the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG: http://tinyurl.com/oktzj