« Ind. Gov't. - "Troubled by Toll Road investments" | Main | Ind. Decisions - Even more on: Another New twist on Terre Haute mayorial race dispute »

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Legislative Benefits - "Miller to seek lobbying curbs again"

The Indianapolis Star's "Behind Closed Doors" column today includes this item, headed "Miller to seek lobbying curbs again":

Sen. Patricia L. Miller, R-Indianapolis, once again will push for a cooling-off period for former lawmakers who want to lobby the General Assembly.

Last week, Miller filed a bill that would require retiring lawmakers to wait one year before lobbying.

Miller points to Gov. Mitch Daniels' rules that prohibit former executive branch employees from lobbying state agencies for at least one year after leaving the state.

Last session, Miller's bill failed to reach the Senate floor. She's hoping for a better result this time.

"Lobbyists are an important part of the legislative process because they are informed on particular and important issues," she said in a news release. "But having legislators sit out a year before taking on a lobbyist job is better public policy and can establish a better, more trusting relationship with Hoosiers."

The statement "Last session, Miller's bill failed to reach the Senate floor" doesn't begin to describe the brohaha that ensued when Senator Miller's bill, SB 165, was "heard" in Senate Committee in January of 2008.

"'Legislator to Lobbyist' slowdown bill gets cold shoulder" is the heading to this ILB entry from Jan. 17th. Several papers editorialize in favor of the bill in this ILB entry from Jan. 20th.

What came next, however, was this Jan. 27th entry, quoting a front-page Star story headed "Insulted, senators kill legislator-to-lobbyist bill": What followed was another round of editorials, quoted in this Jan. 29th ILB entry.

Unfortunately, in the end, as reported above, "Miller's bill failed to reach the Senate floor" in 2008.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 23, 2008 11:09 AM
Posted to Legislative Benefits