A potential ethics violation involving a legislator is at the heart of a dispute over which state agency has the right to run ethics investigations.
The identity of the legislator whose case led to the controversy has not been made public.
The legislature's ethics committee met this morning to discuss a bill that would prohibit the state auditor from investigating violations of the ethics law.
The law governs conflicts of interest and other issues for lawmakers, elected officials, appointed board members, university employees and thousands of public servants. It was written in response to a series of scandals primarily involving legislators.
The State Ethics Commission was created to enforce and interpret the law. The commission includes four Democrats and four Republicans and has expertise in the ethics law, says Perry Newson, the commission's executive director.
But state Auditor Les Merritt, who is elected statewide, said he should have the right to investigate potential conflicts of interest.
Taking his office out of the picture, he said, would mean fewer investigators to watch public officials and less transparency for the public. Because lawmakers treat themselves differently under the ethics law, allegations against lawmakers could remain secret, Merritt argued.
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