Working on ethics issues…

When a questioner noted that lawmakers will be working on ethics issues next week – all legislators will go through an unprecedented half-day of ethics training - Senate President Pro-tem Brent Hill said, “We’re always working on ethics issues.”

House Speaker Scott Bedke said a draft revised ethics rule is circulating in the House and likely will be addressed early in the session. “It would include a formal standing ethics committee,” he said, along with provisions regarding “how they would carry out their responsibilities.”

Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, said Idaho is one of the few states without an independent ethics committee to oversee lawmakers’ conduct, and it should establish one.