We need ethics reform in Georgia!

Welcome to the Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform website. The members of the Alliance for Ethics Reform are independent groups and individuals with other policy interests in addition to comprehensive ethics reform. However, we are united in our support of ethics reform.

Senator Josh McKoon is working on a comprehensive bill to cover the majority of our ethics proposal, but in the meantime he has introduced two resolutions to call for constitutional amendments. SR 6 would create statewide grand juries. SR 7 would provide guaranteed funding for the State Ethics Commission.

House Speaker David Ralson has also introduced two ethics bills in the House. HB 142 enacts a “gift ban” on individual members of the legislature, but loopholes in the ban would still make it possible for the Speaker to take another $17,000 lobbyist-funded trip to Europe. It also adds a provision that requires all individuals who meet with legislators more than 5 times a year to pay to register as lobbyists, which essentially puts a tax on citizens exercising their first amendment.  HB 143 would allow candidates who raise less than $5,000 to file at the local level, which relieves pressure from the State Ethics Commission, but keeps the records from being readily available to the public online.