Legislative ethics probe begins on 2 lawmakers
Lawmakers hope controversies won't harm reform efforts
The issues are seen by some fellow lawmakers as an ugly tit-for-tat that could harm real efforts of legislative ethics reform in the upcoming 2009 Legislature.
Hughes has been accused in a letter by former GOP House member Susan Lawrence, and in a formal ethics complaint signed by Riesen and two other House Democrats, of offering Lawrence tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions in 2006 if she would switch her vote on the controversial private school voucher issue.
Hughes is also accused of telling lobbyists they had better contribute to a pro-voucher political issues committee he set up to fight last year's anti-voucher citizen referendum, and of trying to discourage the candidacies of two anti-voucher GOP candidates who were to challenge conservative Republican House members who voted for the main voucher bill, HB148, in the 2007 Legislature.
The Democrats' complaint also says Hughes, who if re-elected next month could be the House Rules chairman, has told lobbyists that if they continued to take part in anti-voucher activities, House Rules could kill bills they support.
Hughes denies any wrongdoing by himself or others and says the Democrats' ethics complaint is political "character assassination."
In turn, Hughes and two GOP legislators accuse Riesen, a member of House Democratic leadership, of unethically leaking a possible ethics complaint against Hughes to the media earlier this week, and doing so just five weeks before the 2008 elections. Riesen also is accused of using outside attorneys to draft ethics documents and not listing those in-kind contributions on his financial disclosure statements.
Both ethics complaints can be viewed by clicking the graphic links on this story (above right).
Harsh words are flying among legislators from various sides, with some believing any "collegial," bipartisan feelings in the 75-member House are severely damaged.
Even so, House Majority Leader Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, says that real ethical reform will come in the 2009 Legislature and was on its way before the accusations against Hughes even surfaced.
House and Senate GOP conservatives did pass a voucher bill in the 2007 Legislature. GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed it into law, but an anti-voucher movement quickly rose up. And voters repealed the voucher law by a nearly 2-to-1 vote last November.
Recent comments
So I take it that Reisen believes that those Legislators who were…
Commoner | Oct. 4, 2008 at 12:44 a.m.
They will still get paid!! Corruption breads corruption!!
Reality | Oct. 3, 2008 at 8:13 p.m.
so just one thing to say here... if you live in District 51 - it'…
anonymous | Oct. 3, 2008 at 12:00 p.m.
