So, remember a while ago when I was talking about Representative Phil Riesen’s ethics law and how it needs to pass? Well I have come across what I feel is an even better law concerning ethics and our legislature.

As proposed by Sheryl Allen (R – Bountiful, District 19), H.B. 159 not only establishes an ethics commission similar to Riesen’s, but goes one step further in defining what is actually an ethics violation.

Now of course you may think that violations are common sense things. Indeed the bill lists some very duh things such as not allowing legislators to interfere with hiring or firing of public officers, use anything other than public information to make business decisions, and ask for campaign contributions in exchange for legislation or to help a lobbyist and their employer based on such contributions. But by actually writing these things down, it does give the bill more of a fighting chance.

You see, legislators are an interesting bunch. When I started working at my new job, for example, I was told something along the lines of “You represent us now, so don’t do anything that makes us look bad.” To me, this common sense is enough to prevent me from going to the competition or running around naked in the streets with our companies logo painted in some very strategic areas. Legislators…well they don’t think this way. Unless you specifically tell them “don’t use your position to make your company more money,” or “don’t try to fire public employees just because you don’t like them,” they will go ahead and try to stick their hand in the cookie jar. By making things more specific, legislators loose the claim that the various ethics reform bills are too vague.

It should also be noted that a violation of these rules would result in a class B misdemeanor.

I would like to see if there was a way to make Allen’s bill work in tandem with Riesen’s, as the two are not that different; however, what I would really like to see is some form of ethics bill actually pass.