FRANKFORT- Kentucky has some of the strictest ethics laws in the nation.
The Legislative Ethics Commission says there are only a handful or so of other states who hold legislators to the high standard.
Last week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a lower court’s decision that Kentucky’s 2014 “no cup of coffee” ban in Kentucky was unconstitutional. The law bans lobbyists from and their employers from contributing or giving gifts to legislators.
The Legislative Ethics Commission says while the law was making the way through the court process it never lapsed. The commission was pleased with the ruling of the appeals court, in part due to Kentucky’s past.
“Kentucky learned by hard experience what can happen when there is not a professional relationship between lobbyists and legislators, and employers of lobbyists and legislators. We had a scandal some years back in Kentucky known as Boptrot and that’s what gave rise to our legislative ethics laws and since the legislative ethics laws have been passed we haven’t had any problems like that in Kentucky,” Judge Tony Wilhoit, Chairman of Legislative Ethics Commission said. “Had the ruling of the federal district court stood it would have in effect done away with our legislative ethics laws, and we would be back to the bad old days.”
The ruling also means Kentucky can continue to lead the nation in strong ethics laws.
“About six or seven other states have a no cup of coffee provision,” said Laura Hendrix, General Counsel, Legislative Ethics Commission. “I’ve seen studies that have said Kentucky’s is one of the strictest and one of the most effective in ensuring that, as Chairman Wilhoit said, the relationship between the lobbyists and their employers who want to come and present their ideas to the General Assembly that that relationship is a professional one, that there is no quid pro quo, there’s no giving of gifts or other incentives for people to pass the provisions they want.”
The commission says this ruling should put Kentucky’s residents mind at ease that their lawmakers are working for them–not special interests.
“I think it should give them a lot more trust that they’re making those decisions based on good information,” said Hendrix.
“I think one of the things that shows the importance of this case is that the attorney general personally handled this case and he made the argument for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and that;s something fairly rare,” said Wilhoit. “But he saw immediately the devastating effect on ethics in Kentucky by the lower courts opinion.”
Kentucky is the only state who has a completely independent Legislative Ethics Commission, meaning no current lawmakers serve on the commission.