Murfreesboro’s Republican Sen. Bill Ketron wants to cut funding to the independent body that holds legislators accountable to ethics rules. Even the conservative watchdog group Tennessee Center for Policy Research (quoted below) finds Sen. Ketron’s effort misguided.
The proposal, sponsored by Murfreesboro Sen. Bill Ketron, would rework the state’s independent body that oversees lawmaker ethics three years after it was put in place. Ketron says the change would save money and make both agencies more effective.
Critics say it would do away with the only agency in the state that can ensure lawmakers carry out the ethics reforms passed in 2006 after five legislators were caught taking bribes in the FBI sting known as Tennessee Waltz.
“If the General Assembly wants to save 100, 200 grand, there’s better ways to save it,” said Clint Brewer, director of government accountability for the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an organization that tracks the state legislature. “There are a lot of other places where you can cut.”
Under Sen. Ketron’s plan, the state will eliminate three of the nine ethics commission staff positions. Sen. Ketron ought to be ashamed of himself, but we’ll settle for a simple explanation.
Why does Sen. Ketron want to cut funds and staff for the very body charged with keeping corruption out of the state legislature? Contact Sen. Ketron and report back here in comments:
Sen. Bill Ketron
13 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243-0213
Phone (615) 741-6853
Fax (615) 741-7200
sen.bill.ketron@capitol.tn.gov
Tags: Bill Ketron, Ethics
This is the real Eagle1 not the fake one I see now on the DNJ website now. I feel like this is a real unfair attack on Sen. Ketron. I don’t care if you delete my comment. Go ahead, but this is how I feel. Bill is probably one of the most ethical men up there in Nashville. And I know he believes in God, his family and protecting our way of life from the illegal immigrants. But I do wonder about this. I don’t understand it. Why would Sen. Ketron want to do this to save money? That conservative group is right. There are plenty of places to save money and it’s very confusing why he’d focus on the ethics panel. They are there to protect us from corruption by both Democrats and Republicans.
Lou Ann, please fix the RCRP website. I know you are reading this. It’s all you’ve been talking about. I want to comment on our blog. Not this one.
May I remind you that it is illegal to impersonate a Republican? Because I will if you let me.
I don’t know about that but if you want to lock up the other EagleOne go ahead. Since no one has posted a response from Ketron I will try to call his office today. I’m sure there is a reason for what Ketron is doing that the media is not sharing. It doesn’t make sense but if you are going to make a fuss over it we should know what the real reason is.