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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Editorial: Ethics Reform Merits Notice


    On the heels of a legislative session that fell short of ethics reform, Attorney General Gary King has given lawmakers eight months to consider his proposals for rooting out public corruption.
    King wants government whistleblowers protected from retaliation and officials convicted of corruption permanently barred from public office.
    But the pivotal proposal in King's initiative gives the attorney general first shot at prosecuting corruption cases at the state and local levels. Local district attorneys currently can either choose to prosecute or opt out.
    Members of the Legislature's Interim Committee on Courts, Corrections & Justice have first read on King's proposals. The committee includes Sens. Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, and James Taylor, D-Albuquerque, and Rep. Dan Foley, R-Roswell— three leaders who opposed ethics legislation last session.
    King said he hopes the committee will consider his proposals and ask questions before the session starts in January. Piled on top of the short, 30-day session's fiscal agenda, the proposed package would be hard to digest. By unveiling it in June, King has given lawmakers a head start.
    Legislators can walk into the session "armed with knowledge," spokesman Phil Sisneros said. And maybe they can walk back out, in an election year, with a few more tools to chip away at corruption.