Image: TN Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds and Governor Bill Lee Image Credit: TN Dept of Education
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A Tennessee State Representative is making good on a promise he made last year to introduce legislation to strengthen the state’s ethics laws.
Representative Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville-District 59) has filed House Bill 0082 (HB0082) that would amend Tennessee’s existing Ethics Act to specify that an “impermissible indirect gift” given to candidates for public office and also certain officials and their family members includes those provided by “an entity that is related to, and its business or political activities are intertwined with, an employer of a lobbyist.”
The legislation also seeks to require both the governor and officers of the governor’s cabinet to disclose certain expenses related to travel.
Last year, Hemmer filed complaints against state Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds and Governor Bill Lee with the Board of Ethics and Campaign Finance who found that both Reynolds and Lee were in violation of the law.
An education group gave Reynolds more than $2,000 to send her to two out-of-state conferences. Reynolds had previously worked for ExcelinEd, which is a pro charter and pro voucher organization.
After Reynolds paid back the money, the Tennessee Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint against her in a closed meeting last September in a 4-0 vote.
Because of Reynold’s repayment of the expenses, they found “insufficient probable cause” to proceed and also opted not to refer the matter to the Attorney General’s Office for further investigation. The commission also recommended that all members of the governor’s cabinet attend the same ethics training as the General Assembly.
Lee ran afoul of the Ethics Commission after receiving payment for a trip to the Alliance Defending Freedom Summit last June where he attended as the keynote speaker. The commission ordered Lee to repay the $1,900 in expenses.
While the commission said that the 2006 law included the word “indirect” to avoid last year’s scenarios that gave the appearance of undue influence on state officials, they also said that the Tennessee General Assembly could choose to narrow the reach of the gift prohibition, although they cautioned against it.
Hemmer stated in December that he would look for ways to “strengthen our ethics laws in the next legislative session.”
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
