MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Senate this week is expected to take up legislation to create a new state ethics commission, but there’s debate over how effective it would be.
The Vermont Constitution says lawmakers have to police their own affairs, meaning an outside commission would have no authority over the Legislature.
Secretary of State Jim Condos says the bill drafted by a Senate committee is a good first step, but he says the commission would need more resources than lawmakers are envisioning.
Both Massachusetts and New York have ethics commissions, and both have seen top legislators convicted on federal corruption charges in the past few years.
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