Kraus: Ethics at the Capitol

Ethical standards of conduct are one of the most important underpinnings of a representative government.  They are essential in conducting the people's business and ensuring that it is the people who benefit from our decisions in the Capitol - and not entrenched interests with lots of money to spend.  I have filed legislation, HB 2039, that thoroughly addresses the much-publicized ethical issues that have tarnished the integrity of the legislative process at the state Capitol.  This problem must be fixed.

The ethics of a legislator acting as a paid political consultant for another legislator or a statewide elected official has sparked conversation both in the Capitol and in the media.  It is particularly dicey when the consultant is also a legislator who holds a position in the House, such as Speaker, who has a great deal of power over how bills are handled.  It creates the appearance, if not the fact, of a legislator feeling forced to use another legislator's consulting firm in order for bills to be moved successfully through the legislative process.  Therefore, HB2039 prohibits a legislator and other family members from receiving compensation during the legislator's term of office for acting as a paid political consultant.

In the past, campaign contribution limits have been removed by the legislature.  The thinking at the time was that these limits actually created a shell game of laundering large contributions through various committees.  Transfers kept the public from following the activity and who paid for whom.  I believe that this problem also must be addressed to maintain above-board politics in the State Capitol.  Therefore, my legislation prohibits a Continuing Committee from donating to another Continuing Committee or a Continuing Committee from donating to a Candidate Committee.

For those not familiar with the terminology, a Candidate Committee is formed by a candidate to receive contributions or make expenditures in behalf of the individual's candidacy.  A Continuing Committee, as its name implies, continues to exist independent of a particular election and is not formed, controlled or directed by a candidate.  Its purpose is to receive contributions or make expenditures to influence the action of voters.  For example, both businesses and unions form continuing committees that accept contributions that can be used to promote a particular point of view.

My bill creates a Class D felony offense for those who transfer funds through political committees with the intent to mask the original source of money. I am also calling for more transparency in government by seeking to require all committees to file electronically and be subject to online searching. However, in order to control even the appearance of "money talks" in running campaigns and being beholden to donors who made large contributions to a campaign (and not as much to those who voted one vote at a time like you) my bill reinstates upper limits for campaign contributions.

Other provisions of my bill:

• Prohibit members of the General Assembly from acting, serving, or registering as a legislative lobbyist during their terms as well as for two years following their service,
• Prohibit legislators from accepting an offer or promise of a favor from the governor in exchange for a vote, and
• Clarify existing law so that "pay for play" prohibitions include the exchange of campaign contributions for legislative actions.

I remain hopeful that these ethics problems can be fixed in this session.  I intend to work hard to ensure that significant legislation gets passed.  It's the ethical thing to do.

Lincoln's Birthday

On Friday, Feb. 12, most state offices, including the General Assembly, will be closed in memory of Abraham Lincoln.  Born in 1809 just over two hundred years ago, this humble man is still honored by our nation.  Following a two-hour speech by an eloquent orator, Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address, only minutes in length, endures on to this day.  His simple words gave tribute to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people and conceived in liberty for all.

Titan Robotics

This weekend, I attended an open house of the Lee's Summit West Titan Robotics Club.  Each year, club members design a robot and then can enter it into a competition.  I was fascinated to learn about the robotic "Guitar Hero" that the club has constructed in the past.  Through this club, students can become excited about the possibilities for their future in engineering, science, math, and technology.  As they enter this year's competition, I'm excited for them and wish them all the best in their efforts.