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Article: Flexing the ethics muscle: restoring public confidence in government after a scandal is a legislature's prime goal.(STRONG ETHICS, STRONG DEMOCRACY)
- Article from:
- State Legislatures
- Article date:
- July 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 National Conference of State Legislatures. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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They have names like Shrimpscam, Azcam, Bop Trot, Operation Lost Trust, Tennessee Waltz. They are investigations into political corruption and ethics violations that snare legislators and damage legislatures. In 2005, scandals in at least six states involved lawmakers. The fallout can be devastating to public perception and confidence and sullies the reputation of the institution and those who serve in it. That's when ethics reform takes center stage.
In the year since four Tennessee lawmakers and others were arrested m a bribery sting and charged with extortion, their former colleagues in the General Assembly have been busy enacting new ethics laws.
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