Ethics Reform Bills Gain New Momentum in the State Legislature: A Democratic View

– As Republican State House members met to begin the process of selecting a new Speaker, one veteran Democrat is introducing a package of ethics reform bills. Some have been proposed in the past by Republicans, including Governor Sonny Perdue.

At different times in her career, Decatur Representative Mary Margaret Oliver chaired the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

The bills she's co-sponsoring with Minority leader and gubernatorial candidate Dubose Porter would impose stricter limits on campaign contributions, curb gifts from lobbyists, and attempt to define abuse of power.

Oliver told WABE's Denis O'Hayer that the recent resignation of Republican House Speaker Glenn Richardson, amid allegations he had an affair with a lobbyist, has forced both parties to try to pass ethics reform this time.