Ethics First Week: Thumbs Up, But With Concerns
by Alison Bath - Shreveport Times (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE — Northwest Louisiana legislators say they are pleased with progress made during the first week of Gov. Bobby Jindal's special ethics session.

They say the session's early days are reflective of a spirit of cooperation between Jindal and the Legislature in working to restore Louisiana's image and make the state a "gold standard" for ethics reform in the country.

"We all want transparency and we all want exposure," said Rep. Patrick C. Williams, D-Shreveport. "This week of working together has shown that. We all want to be No. 1."

Williams and other lawmakers do have concerns. Rushing through legislation, unanswered budget questions and other issues could have a negative impact on meaningful reform, they said.

"There is a core group, a big core group, that has tried not to lose sight of the goal to implement something that does actually provide good information to the citizens," said Sen. Sherri Smith Cheek, D-Keithville.

"The whole ethics bill as a whole is important," said Rep. James H. Morris, R-Oil City. "Perception is everything."