08RS House Bill 212

House Bill 212

Actions

Last Action	to State Government (H)
Title	AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Code of Legislative Ethics.
Bill Documents	Bill
Bill Request Number	1146
Sponsor	M. Cherry
Summary of Original Version	Amend KRS 6.611 to exempt from the definition of "anything of value" promotional items of nominal value and informational items; exempt from "anything of value" the cost of attendance or participation, food, and beverages consumed at an in-state event to which an individual legislator has been invited and received prior approval from the LRC; include in the definition of "legislation" administrative regulations and any legislative proposal, even if the proposal is not introduced in the General Assembly; amend KRS 6.686 to prohibit the Commission, in the absence of a complaint, from imposing any penalties except certain specified administrative penalties; permit the Commission, if a complainant or person acting in cooperation with the complainant publicly discloses the existence of a complaint or preliminary inquiry, to dismiss the complaint without prejudice to a new complaint being refiled by the complainant or another person; amend KRS 6.711 to reduce the length of orientation courses from three hours to two hours; amend KRS 6.716 to reduce the length of the annual current issues seminar from three to two hours; remove the requirement for the orientation courses and seminar to be designed for approval by the Kentucky Bar Association for continuing legal education ethics credit; direct the Commission to administer an annual one-hour ethics seminar for designated legislative staff; amend KRS 6.747 to prohibit a legislative agent or employer from furnishing or paying for a legislator's out-of-state transportation, food, beverages, or lodging; amend KRS 6.767 to prohibit a legislator, a candidate for the General Assembly, or his campaign committee from accepting, during a regular session of the General Assembly, a campaign contribution from an employer of a legislative agent, or from a permanent committee; increase the time period during which the prohibited contribution may be returned from 14 days to 30 days; amend KRS 6.811 to prohibit a legislative agent or employer from offering or giving anything of value to a candidate for the General Assembly or to the candidate's spouse or child; prohibit an employer of a legislative agent from making a campaign contribution to a legislator, candidate, or campaign committee for a legislator or candidate during a regular session of the General Assembly; delete the provision allowing each legislative agent and his employer to spend up to $100 annually on food and beverages for each legislator and his immediate family; prohibit an employer of a legislative agent from knowingly employing, appointing, or retaining an immediate family member of a legislator as a legislative agent; amend KRS 6.821 to delete requirement for a representative of an organized association, coalition, or public interest entity to file a statement of expenditures; require an organized association, coalition, or public interest entity that is an employer to identify the source of the entity or association's funds and financial resources; require an employer or legislative agent to report on the costs of admittance or attendance, lodging, or other expenses for in-state events conducted or approved under KRS 6.611; make various changes in the information required in a legislative agent's statement of expenditures; require the employer, rather than both the employer and the legislative agent, to report the expenditures reimbursed by the employer; make various additional changes in the Code to conform.
Index Headings of Original Version	Elections and Voting - General Assembly candidates, campaign contributions from legislative agents Ethics - Legislative Code of Ethics, various changes General Assembly - Legislative Code of Ethics, various changes Legislative Research Commission - Staff, annual ethics training

01/08/08	introduced in House
01/11/08	to State Government (H)