Ethics Bill Is Challenge To Jindal- Vetoed Items Appear In New Form
by Bill Barrow - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Lawmakers have set up a showdown with Gov. Bobby Jindal over changes to the state ethics law, as both chambers voted Monday to resurrect two ideas that the governor had vetoed just hours before.

Their method: adding them to a bill Jindal wants. Should Jindal choose to retain his position on the previous measures -- both dealing with exceptions to gift bans for public officials and employees -- he would have to veto Senate Bill 769 by Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan. That would mean abandoning what the administration has cast as several improvements and necessary tweaks to the ethics law package Jindal pushed in a February special session.

Late Sunday, the next-to-last day of the session, Jindal released his vetoes of House Bill 278 by Rep. Karen Gaudet St. Germain, D-Pierre Part, and House Bill 947 by Rep. Nita Hutter, R-Chalmette, each carving out exceptions to the gift ban lawmakers adopted in February.

St. Germain would have allowed lawmakers free admission to certain philanthropic events sponsored by government agencies. Hutter would have allowed lawmakers to accept "reasonable" transportation, lodging and admission to educational or professional development conferences.

Jindal explained his respective vetoes with the same one-sentence explanation: "I do not see the need to create this exception."