Archambault: Ethics Panel Should Have Jurisdiction Over Legislature

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

GoLocalProv News Team

Steve Archambault, a Democratic candidate for Attorney General, is calling for the state Ethics Commission to have its jurisdiction over the state Legislature restored.

“We need more oversight of the General Assembly—not less. I urge the General Assembly to immediately pass this important and timely legislation,”  Archambault said. “Member(s) of the General Assembly should be subject to the same Ethics Commission oversight as the rest of our state’s public officials.”

Archambault pointed to the recent allegation the Senate rejected a supplemental tax bill for North Providence because Mayor Charles Lombardi did not re-appoint the former Senate President as municipal court judge. He said the incident demonstrated the need for the reform.

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing today on a bill that would give the Ethics Commission jurisdiction over the Rhode Island House and Senate. The hearing will begin at the conclusion of the full House session in the afternoon.

The extension of ethics oversight ultimately would require a constitutional amendment. The Ethics Commission lost jurisdiction in a spring 2009 state Supreme Court decision.

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