After nearly one month’s work during the ethics special session in the Tennessee General Assembly, the legislature passed into law the Comprehensive Governmental Ethics Reform Act of 2006. The bill, Senate Bill 7001, was sponsored by state Sen. Mike Williams, R-Maynardville, and voted for by Knoxville state Senators Tim Burchett and Jamie Woodson, both Republicans.

Burchett said that some of the new measures in the legislation will grant greater powers to existing organizations, like the Registry of Election Finance.

“They’ve been more or less a paper tiger in the past. They could assess fines, but they had no way to collect them,” he said.

The registry was granted subpoena and audit powers with the new law.

Burchett said that some past legislators had neglected to disclose their finances.

“We’ve had some legislators who’ve never filed a financial disclosure,” he said.

Woodson said that political candidates who were fined in the past were technically required to pay the fines before they could run again for office, but the registry couldn’t enforce it.

One of the changes in the law is to existing ethics committees in the house and senate. The new Ethics Commission will now be independent, seating three Republican and three Democrat appointees.

“Individuals are appointed from both political parties, and the governor participates in the appointments as well,” Woodson said.

“They are not elected officials, they cannot be active in political campaigns nor can their family members.”

Burchett said the make-up of the new commission will cut through some of the bureaucracy in the state government.

“It won’t be elected officials, first of all, and it will limit the grandstanding. Hopefully, they will rule on the issues.”

Woodson said that ethical behavior in government is vital to the public good.

“I think that the topic of ethics in public service is a very important one,” she said. “I believe very strongly that we need stronger statutory language.”

The ethics legislation, she said, would provide greater information to the public.

“[It’s] shining a light on the financial process of state government.”

Williams, the bill’s primary sponsor, said the legislation would do more to disclose connections between legislators and lobbyists.

“[There will be] tougher restrictions and disclosure with the lobbyists which we didn’t have before,” he said. “Now, we have much better disclosure with what bills they’re sponsoring and who their employers are.”

The legislation has, essentially, “cut the wining and dining of legislators,” he said.

One example Williams cited is that of former state Sen. John Ford, D-Memphis, who allegedly spent public money on his daughter’s wedding.

The new law, however, has some provisions that Williams said he’d like to have seen changed.

“You can’t give a cash contribution of [more than] $50,” he said. “I was hoping we would do away with it totally.”

Williams said that though the bill could have been more strict on legislators and lobbyists, it was progress over existing provisions.