Democrats Chime In For Ethics Reform
by Jan Moller - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Engaging in a bit of one-upmanship as the political spotlight shifts to ethics, the House Democratic Caucus on Wednesday called for beefed-up financial disclosure requirements for elected officials, among a host of proposed changes designed to make state government more transparent and accountable.

Democratic leaders said their proposals, presented at an afternoon news conference, were not an attempt to steal the spotlight from Republican Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal as he kicks off his new administration with a special session aimed at rewriting Louisiana's ethics code. Instead, they described them as an attempt to capitalize on the political momentum the issue has gained since Jindal made ethics a centerpiece of his agenda.

Vowing to make Louisiana's ethics laws the "gold standard" nationally, Jindal has promised to call the Legislature into special session shortly after Mardi Gras to debate changes to the ethics code. While Jindal has spoken in broad strokes about the areas of the ethics code he wants to address, the details won't be unveiled until after a transition task force, which has been studying the issue, presents its recommendations.

The task force report is due to be made public Monday.

Barry Erwin, president of the nonpartisan Council for a Better Louisiana, said the Democrats and Republicans jockeying to claim credit for ethics reform represent a "sea change" in a state where prior attempts to change the laws have often met with cynicism or stonewalling.

"Nobody wants to be left out of the ethics discussion, and that's what you saw today," Erwin said.