News
Secretary of the State urges lawmakers not to miss historic opportunity
By Secretary of the State's Office
May 13, 2008 - 1:57:23 AM

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz is joining State Senator Gayle Slossberg (D-Milford) and others in calling on leaders in the State House of Representatives and the State Senate include passing comprehensive ethics reform in any special session to deal with unfinished legislative business from the session that ended on May 7th. Bysiewicz is urging lawmakers to include in any ethics reform bill a provision to revoke the pensions of public officials who commit corruption.

“We need to make it clear to all public officials that if you abuse your office and violate the public trust, you are putting your pension and the economic well being of your family at risk,” Bysiewicz added, “It is simply unconscionable that years after a governor, a state treasurer and lawmakers from both parties were sentenced for corruption, Connecticut taxpayers will still be footing the bill for their pensions. Let’s not let another historic opportunity slip away before we right this wrong.”

Competing ethics bills passed both the House and Senate before the end of the legislative session on May 7th, but lawmakers were unable to agree on a compromise bill that was acceptable to Governor M. Jodi Rell. Under a bi-partisan plan that passed in the Senate, pensions of corrupt state and municipal officials could be revoked or reduced by judges.

“At a minimum I support the Senate compromise bill; however I also believe pensions of public officials who have committed corruption in the recent past shout not be exempt,” said Bysiewicz, “There is strong consensus in our state that it is way past time to enact real ethics reform. The legislature has a historic opportunity to once and for all send the message that we are cleaning up our act in Connecticut.”

Bysiewicz added, “We have been debating this for 5 years, and now it’s time for action. We need to restore the public’s trust in our elected officials and government by passing sweeping and comprehensive reform on all levels and in every branch of government.”

In December of 2007, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced their joint plan to overhaul Connecticut’s ethics code for elected and public officials.

Their joint proposal focuses on 5 areas of reform:

• Pension Revocation. This law would revoke pension benefits of any state elected official or top appointee convicted of a crime related to their employment. This would include embezzlement, bribery, and fraud. Such a penalty would serve as a powerful deterrent to the people in power.

• Municipal Code of Ethics. This proposal will require all municipalities to either establish a code of ethics for municipal elected officials or adopt a model code of municipal ethics promulgated by the Office of State Ethics.

• False Claims Act. Penalize contractors who defraud the state and municipalities by filing false claims and work orders. Contractors who are found guilty of defrauding the state could be fined and removed from the pool of state contractors.

• Judicial Reform. This law would prevent the judicial branch from sealing court cases involving prominent businessmen, politicians, and judges from the public.

• Permanent Legislative Committee on Ethics. In addition to the Office of State Ethics, create a permanent bipartisan committee to hold accountable fellow members of the state legislature. The committee would have the power to investigate the conduct of members of the legislature, issue subpoenas, and recommend reprimand, censure or expulsion to the legislature.

Secretary Bysiewicz has long advocated for comprehensive ethics reform. This legislative session she testified before the Government Administration and Elections Committee and the Judiciary Committee to register her continued support on these issues.

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