Alabama Governor Riley praises house committee’s passage of anti-corruption bill

MONTGOMERY – Governor Bob Riley today voiced his appreciation to members of the House Judiciary Committee for voting to give his Anti-Corruption bill a favorable report and asked House Speaker Seth Hammett and the House leadership to allow the bill to be debated on the House floor.

“I want to thank the members of the committee for finally giving true anti-corruption legislation a chance to be heard,” said Governor Riley. “I especially want to thank the sponsor of this bill, Rep. Mac Gipson and the bipartisan group of co-sponsors for their hard work on this legislation, as well as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Marcel Black for giving the bill a fair hearing.”

The bill, House Bill 594, now goes to the full House of Representatives, where, depending on the discretion of House Speaker Seth Hammett and the House leadership, it can be scheduled for debate by the full House. Governor Riley urged the Speaker and House leadership to allow the bill to come up for debate.

“Getting this bill out of committee is a big step toward enacting much-needed ethics reform, but there are many more to go,” he said. “I truly believe this bill will pass if it is allowed to come up for a vote. We have asked Speaker Hammett and the rest of the leadership to at least give our Anti-Corruption bill a chance to be debated.

“They have an opportunity to show this state and this nation that corruption no longer has a home in Alabama and I sincerely hope they will take it.”

While testifying to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday about the bill, Alabama Ethics Commission Executive Director Jim Sumner said, “The Governor’s bill is the gold standard. It’s everything we could possibly want.”

Governor Riley also thanked the hundreds of concerned citizens who contacted members of the committee asking them to support ethics reform. The Governor’s Office utilized social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and the state’s new media website—http://www.media.alabama.gov—to update constituents about the bill’s status and to ask them to call or email their legislators to urge support for the bill.

“I appreciate all those who made phone calls and wrote emails to express their support of ethics reform,” said Governor Riley. “Now we have to keep it up. A small group of determined people really can make a difference. If you truly want to restore the people’s trust in government in this state, pick up the phone or send that email and tell your Representative or Senator to pass our Anti-Corruption bill.”

Details of the Governor’s Anti-Corruption proposal:

Government must be transparent and open. The Governor’s bill requires full disclosure of what lobbyists spend on public servants and members of their households. All gifts, meals, travel expenses - anything of value - must be publicly disclosed on the Internet. The Governor’s bill also requires disclosure of any financial transactions between lobbyists and public servants or members of their households, and all contracts public servants or household members have with entities that receive public funds.
Public officials are public servants. All references to public officials and public employees in our ethics law will be replaced with the term “public servants.” This is to remind all that public service comes with a duty not to serve our own interests but the public’s.
In addition to disclosing all gifts, we must limit gifts. Under the Governor’s bill, public servants may not solicit or accept gifts over $50 from lobbyists, state contractors and others trying to influence government action.
Subpoena power for the Alabama Ethics Commission. Alabama needs an Ethics Commission that is empowered to enforce the law.