Louisiana ethics board cancels October meetings, with too few members to reach quorum

(Wesley Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

The Louisiana Board of Ethics canceled its monthly meetings this week when not enough members could attend to reach the quorum threshold required by a new law that Gov. Jeff Landry supported.  

The current ethics board members, none of whom were appointed by Landry, had warned they would struggle to reach a quorum for several months when portions of the law took effect early in August. 

Under the law, the number of board members required to hold a meeting jumped from six to eight out of 11 members. Ten of 11, instead of eight, also need to be present for the board to move forward with investigations of a potential ethics violation. 

Just seven members could make the October meetings set for this week — enough to meet the attendance requirements under the old statute but not the new one, Ethics Administrator Kathleen Allen said in an email Thursday afternoon. 

The board hopes to reschedule the meetings for later this month, Allen said.

Landry has long had a contentious relationship with the board, which has reprimanded him a handful of times over the years for violating state campaign finance and ethics laws. 

The board oversees elected officials, political candidates and public employees for potential violations of state ethics rules. People confidentially report concerns about government officials to the board, and the board decides whether the matter merits further investigation. 

After increasing the threshold for the board quorum, Landry’s new law that mostly takes effect in January expands membership of the ethics board from 11 to 15 and gives the governor direct control over nine of its appointees. 

Currently, Landry and the board are trying to reach a deal over charges brought against him last year for failing to disclose air travel he took on a political donor’s plane. 

Landry’s attorney said last week that he expects the case to be wrapped up by the board’s final meetings this year on Dec. 5-6, its last two before Landry gains more influence over its membership.