Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry looks likely to gain more control over the state ethics board. (John Ballance/The Advocate, Pool)
Louisiana lawmakers have overwhelmingly voted to give Gov. Jeff Landry control over the Louisiana Board of Ethics, just a few months after its members charged him with breaking a state ethics law.
The governor is in an ongoing dispute with the ethics board over what consequences he should face for failing to disclose flights to Hawaii he took on a political donor’s private plane while attorney general. A status conference on the case is scheduled for July.
But Landry may gain the ability to appoint most ethics board members just a month later, on Aug. 1, under legislation that looks likely to pass. The lawmakers could be one vote away from approving Senate Bill 497, which removes a buffer meant to insulate the ethics board from political pressure.
The Senate voted 27-10 for an earlier version of the legislation in April. The House voted 70-25 a reworked version of the bill Tuesday.
While the two versions of the bill differ, they both remove constraints on Landry’s ability to select ethics board members of his choice.
Transparency advocates have called the proposal a step backward for Louisiana, a state with a long-standing reputation for political corruption.
The bill must return to the Senate for at least one more vote before going to Landry’s desk.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more information.
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