Legislative sex harassment case spurs call for change in Kentucky's ethics law
FRANKFORT -- When former state Rep. John Arnold was found guilty of three ethics violations in a sexual harassment case in May 2014, he argued that the Legislative Ethics Commission had no authority to discipline him because he already had left the lawmaking body.
The ethics panel now wants the state legislature to clarify that it has the authority to rule on a complaint even if the lawmaker in question has resigned.
The Legislative Ethics Commission has several other recommendations for the legislature to consider in the 2018 General Assembly, which begins in January. They include not allowing the spouse of a legislator to be a lobbyist and requiring ethics training for legislative staff.
The recommendation focusing on the Arnold case “would clear up when the ethics commission can handle complaints against a legislator,” John Schaaf, its executive director, said Thursday.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article171808927.html