House Speaker Bill Howell and Senate leader Tommy Norment have an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch that is, to a degree, an admission of failure. On ethics reform, the General Assembly did precious little last year and, the leaders promise us, they will do much more in the next session in an attempt to win back the public’s trust:
Where questions arise, we will provide answers. Where mistakes are identified, we will provide fixes. Where loopholes exist, we will close them. Simply put, where action is needed, we will act.
This means looking at gifts, travel and other favors, and making clear determinations on what is acceptable and unacceptable. It means rigorously scrutinizing our transparency, disclosure and reporting requirements, and making clear determinations on the public’s right to know. It means implementing a system of accountability that ensures compliance and deals appropriately with violations.
It is also imperative that our actions do not discourage public service or simply drive bad behavior into dark corners. Like all legislation, there is a balance to be found in the specific proposals that will eventually emerge. But, that balance must tilt decisively toward the people of Virginia and ensuring their trust.
Yes, yes, we all know you’re serious. For now. But I am forced to recall how, when the McDonnell scandal was in full swing and weighing heavily on then-GOP gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli, his call for a special session on ethics reform was studiously ignored. Instead, the matter was left to a claque of top men who would propose reforms in the 2014 session.
Those reforms, such as they were, did nothing but ensure the continued good health of Richmond’s pay-to-play political culture.
That the General Assembly’s leaders have decided this all needs “looking at” is, perhaps, to their credit. But only just. A more accurate way to describe it is “scared straight.”
But the shock of the McDonnell verdict will wear off, which makes this declaration all the more suspect:
Over the next four months, as we prepare for the 2015 General Assembly session, we will re-examine every aspect of our ethics, transparency and disclosure laws. We will build on the steps taken during this year’s session and seek to enact reforms that are stronger and more stringent.
This is what the public was promised last year.
We can be generous, and hope that the former governor’s conviction will push this year’s deliberations in a more productive direction. Or we can be cynical and think that nothing will happen at all.
The reality is probably somewhere in between. We have a short session coming, and right after that, the 2015 election season gets underway. With all 140 members on the ballot, and some of the electeds already facing primary challengers, the possibility exists for something more than window dressing reforms. But it is only a possibility. Time will dim the legislators’ fear as well as the public’s appetite for reform. Some, no doubt, are counting on that. We must work to ensure the issue remains a the top of their minds in the months ahead.
In the meantime…
