Here’s a shocker, under the current ethics law, it is not a crime to fail to report a bribe. No wonder Connecticut has earned its moniker “Corrupticut.” Naturally this was one of the issues that came out of the DeLuca “pay a visit to my granddaughter’s husband” scandal. But the State Republicans are desperately attempting to tie the ethics reform to the actions of a Dmeocrat, Thomas Gaffey, because he’s dating a pseduo lobbyist.

The five points:

Revoke pensions of corrupt officials.

Require ethics training for legislators and municipal elected officials.

Examine Extending restrictions to State Officials who lobby legislators.

Create a permanent bi-partisan process for investigating alleged misconduct by legislators.

Enact a code of conduct and a criminal penalty for elected officials who fail to report a bribe.

While the subject of pensions for officials who are ousted never goes anywhere, the concept of forming a permanent committee is a good one. I hope its not comprised of legislators though. From the Courant:

The Democrats said that the legislature needs to create a bipartisan committee that would oversee their peers regarding possibly unethical and illegal conduct, including criminal convictions, abuse of office and conflicts of interest.

The committee would be evenly divided among Republicans and Democrats, even though Democrats now hold more than two-thirds of all seats in the legislature.

Concerns about ethics have been heightened at the Capitol since the felony conviction of Democratic Sen. Ernest Newton of Bridgeport for accepting a bribe and the misdemeanor conviction of Republican Sen. Louis DeLuca of Woodbury for conspiring with a trash hauler to threaten his grandson-in-law. Democrats last week rejected calls for an investigation into Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, for his relationship with a high-ranking official at the Connecticut State University system as they were both working to gain $1 billion in bond funds for the university over 10 years.

Some of the proposals in the five-point plan, such as revoking the pension of a corrupt public official, have failed in the past and are being offered again as part of an overall package. But Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, one of the primary authors of the plan, said that it was not prompted by the recent revelations of the relationship between Gaffey, 48, and 44-year-old Jill Ferraiolo, the assistant vice chancellor at CSU.

“This has nothing to do with Sen. Tom Gaffey,” Meyer told reporters. “If the media and the people of Connecticut think that what we are doing up here at this podium with these proposals relates to Sen. Gaffey, you are wrong.”

But Republicans scoffed at the notion, saying it was obvious that the new call for ethics reform was connected to Gaffey.

“Let’s face it. The timing is very curious,” said House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk. “We’re not stupid. C’mon.”

Cafero said that the Democrats want “to try to get out in front of the issue.”

The Democrats responded, however, that they had been working on most of the proposals for years, including the pension revocation plan that dates to 2003 when then-Gov. John G. Rowland’s deputy chief of staff, Lawrence Alibozek, pleaded guilty in a corruption scandal that eventually led to Rowland’s resignation and prison sentences for former co-chief of staff Peter Ellef and contractor William Tomasso.

The Democrats have controlled both chambers of the legislature since then, but Republicans say that the Democrats have balked at revoking pensions because it could extend to state employees. In addition, Republicans say, Democrats were concerned that a pension revocation could have extended to former Democratic state Rep. Jefferson Davis of Pomfret, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to risk of injury to a minor after admitting to committing a sex act with his former foster son. An arrest-warrant affidavit said that the boy had told investigators that he was assaulted 50 to 100 times by Davis.

Prompted by Gaffey’s case, the Democrats are considering whether to treat legislative liaisons — like Ferraiolo — the same as registered lobbyists who are hired under contracts by various special interests. Registered lobbyists are prohibited from making campaign contributions to legislators, and gifts and meals are also heavily restricted.

The Democrats will examine whether to expand the lobbyist restrictions to commissioners, deputy commissioners, and heads of state agencies, as well as the liaisons.

Under the law, gifts and meals are regulated, but relationships are not. As such, Gaffey could have had a relationship with Ferraiolo if she was a registered lobbyist, and it would not have violated the law, officials said.

“Sen. Gaffey had no conflict. He violated no law,” Williams said. “It was not a conflict. In hindsight, we wish he had disclosed his relationship. He wishes that he had as well.”

source: The Courant, Ethics Proposals: Democrats Offer Five-Point Reform Plan, By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, December 12, 2007