Gov. Bill Owens vetoed a bill last week that would have limited cash gifts to elected officials because, he says, he found it unnecessary. Bribery, after all, already is illegal.
That may be true, but as a student of government and power, he surely understands that unregulated cash and clean politics don’t go hand in hand. He is content to leave Colorado at the lagging end of statehouse ethics.
Colorado is one of only five states that allows its elected leaders to accept “cold, hard cash as a ‘gift’ with no strings attached,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ron Tupa said. The only other states are Indiana, Rhode Island and North and South Dakota.
It’s a small list for a reason. The system practically invites corruption. Space prevents listing the 45 states that have seen the light on this issue.
The bill’s opponents argued that new caps on campaign contributions and budget cuts have made it difficult to keep their offices open off-session.
The bill was amended to allow limited “office account” gifts from one individual to $500 in any two-year period for House members and $1,000 in any four-year period for senators. Total gifts could not exceed $10,000 for House members and $20,000 for senators in any calendar year.
We think the limits should be even lower than that – and we think lawmakers should have included the governor and his cabinet in that part of the bill. That was another reason for Owens’ veto.
“To be effective and accountable, elected officials must communicate with the public, and office accounts are a tool to accomplish this worthwhile goal,” Owens wrote to lawmakers. “It is unclear why, when public communication is so important, the legislature would carve out only for itself an ability to utilize office accounts.”
Lawmakers should come back next year with a bill that not only limits cash gifts but makes equitable rules for all elected leaders. Owens should sign it, as he should have signed this year’s version.
