SALEM, Ore. (AP) - In the wake of an ethics scandal that ended former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s political career, Oregon lawmakers have proposed a wide variety of measures to prevent abuses in the future, uncover them or punish offenders.
Their ideas range from strengthening public records laws to allowing the Legislature to impeach the governor.
In her inaugural address last week, Gov. Kate Brown said she would seek changes to ethics and public records laws. Brown hasn’t unveiled her plans in detail, but during a news conference she described a few changes she would like to see.
Brown wants more money for the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and says it should have more independence from the governor. All seven commissioners are currently appointed by the governor, some based on the recommendations of legislative leaders. She said the governor’s family and staff should be prohibited from earning outside money for work related to state government. And she called for the more timely release of public records.
“We should not leave here without getting this done,” Brown, a Democrat, said moments after she became governor.
Kitzhaber resigned earlier this month after media reports over four months raised questions about his fiancee’s work for organizations with an interest in Oregon public policy. He has denied wrongdoing. For months, his office was slow to release public records related to Hayes and her work in the Kitzhaber administration.
Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, said a measure to strengthen the public records law would be among a litany of ethics bills she plans to introduce. She wants to speed up responses and limit the fees that government agencies can charge.
“The notion that agencies are stonewalling with time and with fees is really problematic,” Parrish said.
Parrish also proposes giving the attorney general more power to investigate the governor with the permission of a super majority of state lawmakers. Current law limits the attorney general’s investigative authority. Before he resigned, Kitzhaber and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum disagreed over she had the authority to conduct a criminal investigation. Rosenblum says one is underway.
A third bill from Parrish would limit the work of a governor’s spouse to primarily ceremonial duties if the spouse has outside income. If the spouse wants to take an active policy role, he or she would be prohibited from earning money until 180 days after finishing the official duties.
Oregon is the only state that has no mechanism for the Legislature to impeach the governor, according to the National Association of Governors. Rep. Jodi Hack, a freshman Republican from Salem, wants to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment giving impeachment authority to lawmakers.
“It’s transparency, it’s oversight and accountability,” Hack said. “That’s something we need.”
House Speaker Tina Kotek, a Portland Democrat, was noncommittal about the ethics proposals, saying she doesn’t want to rush into them.
“The investigations are going to take months to complete,” Kotek said. “We don’t know what the actual problem was, so we want to make sure whatever solution we come up with is well thought out.”
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