Colorado lawmakers benefit from getting out into the community and interacting with the businesses and organizations whose operations affect Coloradans.
So we were glad to see the state’s Independent Ethics Commission recently approve of some of the reasonable tours that lawmakers have taken on the dime of groups that employ lobbyists.
Voter-approved Amendment 41 prevents lawmakers and public officials from accepting so much as a cup of coffee from lobbyists. The clean-government provision also limits gifts to public officials from any single donor to $50 a year.
But what if a company or trade group that employs lobbyists wishes to take a legislator on a tour of a wind farm, a refinery or homeless shelter?
The ethics commission ruled recently that as long as the organization itself covers the cost of the tour, and not the lobbyist or lobbyists under the group’s employ, the lawmaker can accept any tour not valued at more than $50.
Further, if the lawmaker who attends gives a legitimate speech or plays an active role on a panel, the tour isn’t subject to the gift ban.
The guidance makes sense. Lawmakers can benefit greatly from seeing how the industries and institutions work that they often impact with laws and rules.
The ethics commission also offered guidance on when the special contractors hired by government must follow Amendment 41 gift bans.
The commission says Amendment 41 does not apply to contractors who do work for government that is so specialized that it is not duplicated by government workers. Otherwise, the contractors must follow the amendment.
The rule applies to the workers only, and not to the company that employs them.
“A nonprofit organization which has a contract with a public entity, for example, is not prohibited from soliciting donations from individuals or foundations to further its charitable work,” the ethics commission wrote.
The ruling is reasonable, and helps as more people grapple with the challenges brought on by the poorly worded Amendment 41.
Ultimately, we think these newest guidelines are in keeping with the spirit of the clean-government goal, while also giving government officials and others the necessary freedom to do their work.
