No Surprises In Bipartisan Ethics Bill (updated)

In a straightforward two-page bill, Speaker of the House Robert Moore, Senate President Paul Bookout, and a bipartisan group of 17 co-sponsors filed a bill aiming to improve ethics in the Arkansas General Assembly.

SB 194 and HB 1284 would make more uniform reimbursement rates for out-of-state travel and place new restrictions on future state lawmakers’ ability to lobby.  The two bills are "mirror" bills, meaning that reflect the same language. Moore and Bookout plan to run the bills simultaneously in their respective chambers.

The ethics legislation would reimburse travel expenses for members at "the lesser rate of reasonable airfare or the established rate of private car mileage based on map mileage when driven." It would also require members to document in writing what the reimbursement rate would be.

A second provision of the measure would restrict the eligibility of former legislators to register as lobbyists.  A one-year "cooling off" period would be required if the bills pass. SB 194 and HB 1284 state that the waiting period "applies to all persons elected to the General Assembly on or after the effective date of this act."

In addition to Bookout and Moore, 9 Democrats and 8 Republicans co-sponsored the bills, which you can read here.

The bills have been assigned respectively to the Senate State Agencies Committee and the House Rules Committee.