Bill lays out new ethics guidelines for upcoming legislative session

The ethics bill would have put a $100 cap on gifts that lobbyists can give to legislators.

Currently, Georgia has no caps on gifts from lobbyists.  Last year’s tab came to $1.8 million dollars; most of it is spent on food, trips and event tickets for legislators.  Every state surrounding Georgia has some sort of cap or ban on gifts.

Ethics watch dog groups, like Common Cause’s William Perry, say despite the bill not making it to law, lobbyists are on their heels—for now.