Campbell vs. Jindal on Ethics
Dear Friends:
You probably noticed that Bobby Jindal made a tour of the state yesterday announcing the obvious – that he’s a candidate for Governor. Of course, he’s been running for almost five years now, spending millions he’s raised from special interests on his various campaigns.
He may not have many accomplishments in government, but you can say he’s been good at raking in the special-interest money.
Now he says that his first action as Governor will be to propose a strong ethics package for the Legislature to pass. He can join the crowd that includes me and at least two statewide groups that have made ethics reform a key priority for the state.
You also may have noticed also that he ducked questions about the ethics of his Republican colleague, Mr. Vitter.
Let me call your attention to the ethics reform statement I made earlier this month. In addition to those reform issues, I will propose to keep lobbyists off the floor of the state House and Senate, where they distract legislators from doing the people’s business while they do the bidding of special interests. Moreover, I will limit the number of bills each legislator can introduce, forcing the Legislature to deal with only the most important issues.
"Democratic gubernatorial candidate Foster Campbell said Thursday he will pressure the Louisiana Legislature to pass significant ethics reform legislation in 2008 when he is elected governor.
Campbell, a Public Service Commissioner and long-time State Senator, said he supports the movement by the LA Ethics 1 coalition and Blueprint Louisiana to require financial disclosure
by legislators and other officials.
“It’s past time for Louisiana citizens to know how their elected officials earn their living and to make sure that their decisions are based on the welfare of the state, not on their own financial situation,” Campbell said.
“We have a reputation as a state where people with power corrupt the system to pursue their own goals,” he said. “Financial disclosure is a good and necessary step in getting rid of that reputation.”
Campbell said that as governor he will propose legislation banning gifts to legislators, providing stronger protection to whistleblowers and increasing access to public records.
“Ethics reform is one of the key building blocks to making Louisiana a more attractive place for new businesses and industries,” he said.
“Stronger ethics requirements, combined with eliminating the income tax, will move Louisiana forward toward being one of the most progressive states in the South,” he said."
(To read the press release in its entirety, click here.)
Foster Campbell
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