For Immediate Release:
February 4, 2020
Contact:
Matthew Nocella, 202.724.8105 - mnocella@dccouncil.us
Councilmember Grosso aims to prevent future ethics scandals with bill to close BEGA loopholes
Washington, D.C. – Today, Councilmember David Grosso introduced legislation that will strengthen laws requiring a high level of ethical conduct from elected officials and government employees and ensure greater compliance with the District’s ethics laws.
“The Council’s experience over the last several months was not one I would wish on any legislative body. A member exploited his position and relationships for his own personal gain and would’ve nearly gotten away with it had it not been for persistent media reports and mounting public pressure for action,” said Grosso. “It is now time to take some of the lessons learned from that painful process to tighten up our ethics laws where appropriate and mitigate the risk of corrupt activity by members in the future.”
Based on the O’Melveny and Meyers Report and the work of the Ad Hoc Committee in the matter of then-Councilmember Jack Evans, the BEGA Loophole Closure Amendment Act of 2020 seeks to clarify ambiguities and close gaps in the Government Ethics Act of 2011.
It requires the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability to conduct its mandatory training on the Code of Conduct every year and to analyze public officials’ financial disclosures for accuracy and completeness, and to provide feedback. The bill also clarifies that clients of an employee’s affiliated organization be listed in financial disclosure forms.
The bill also expands on current law prohibiting an employee from using their official position or title in a manner that could benefit their personal financial interests, or the financial interests of a person closely affiliated with the employee. Under the bill, that definition would include an employee’s family member, and an employee’s affiliated organization–which is an organization in which the employee serves as an officer, director, or employee, an organization in which the employee has a financial interest, or a prospective employer.
Finally, the BEGA Loophole Closure Amendment Act expands the public official employment prohibition on lobbying to encompass advising or consulting for an entity with business before the District government, or for an advisor or consultant for such entities.
“My hope is that this is just the beginning of the conversation about how to move on in the wake of the recent scandal this body has endured,” said Grosso. “Working together, I’m sure the Council can identify other areas of our ethics laws that we can include in this bill throughout the legislative process.”
Councilmembers Anita Bonds, Elissa Silverman, Charles Allen, and Mary Cheh joined Grosso as co-introducers of the bill.
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