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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: February 17, 2010
Sen. Andrew Rice
Bills Deterring Conflict of Interest Votes in Legislature
Clear Committee
The Senate Rules Committee unanimously approved two
measures Wednesday to help discourage members of the Legislature
from voting on bills that could personally or financially benefit
them. Sen. Andrew
Rice, author of SJR 53 and SB 1671, says his bills are an effort
to keep members honest while at the same time helping increase public
trust in the legislative process.
“Unfortunately, public trust in our government is very low.
With these bills, I’m trying to refine our laws to show the
public that members will be held accountable for their actions should
they choose to vote on measures that are clearly a conflict of interest
for them,” said Rice, D-Oklahoma City. “By creating
a penalty for this type of violation, I believe we can avoid members
acting in their own interest when voting on legislation and restore
the public’s faith that we are working only in their best
interest.”
SJR 53 would amend the state constitution to create more specific
guidelines for legislators to determine whether or not a personal
or private interest is in fact a legal conflict of interest. A legislator
would have to consider whether the interest impedes his or her independence
of judgment; the effect of the member’s participation on public
confidence in the integrity of the Legislature; and the effect of
the lack of representation of the member’s constituents if
he or she refrains from voting on the legislation.
If the public approved the constitutional amendment found in SJR
53, SB 1671 would create a penalty for those legislators found not
disclosing a conflict of interest on a measure and voting on the
bill, which personally or privately benefitted them. Currently,
there is no punishment for legislators who vote on legislation that
benefits them. Under SB 1671, violators would be guilty of a felony
punishable by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary up to ten years,
by a fine no greater than $50,000 or three times the amount of the
gain the legislator garnered from the approved legislation, by both
fine and imprisonment. SB
1671 also would allow the Legislature to determine rules of its
proceedings to provide sanctions against members found in violation
of this law.
For more information contact:
Sen. Rice: 405-521-5610
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