Statehouse lobbyists would get to spend twice as much on lawmakers and would have to disclose fewer expenses under proposed legislation billed as ethics reform.
The bill, which Republican sponsors say they intend to introduce next month, also includes increased transparency and accountability measures, such as requiring random audits of public officials’ financial disclosure forms and posting all such forms online.
The legislation, if enacted, would make the most significant changes to Ohio’s ethics rules in two decades.
The move comes a month after Northeast Ohio Media Group launched an ongoing series, “Follow the Money,” that examines campaign donations made by lobbyists and other special interests while legislation of interest to them is under consideration.
Under a final draft of the bill, state limits on what lobbyists can spend on meals and gifts for lawmakers would double, from $75 per year to $150 per year. Lobbyists would still be banned under state law from giving cash to legislators.
The legislation would also require lobbyists and public officials to publicly report when the lobbyist spends more than $100 per year on the official for things such as meals, gifts, entertainment, or transportation. That’s higher than in current law, which sets various limits on different people and items.
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Public officials’ debt disclosure limits would go up as well, from $1,000 in current law to $5,000 – and then only if the debt goes unpaid for at least 60 days.
State Sen. Larry Obhof, a Medina Republican co-sponsoring the new bill, said the dollar amounts listed in Ohio’s ethics law need to be raised because they haven’t been adjusted in decades.
The current disclosure thresholds are so low, Obhof said, that lobbyists seek to find ways to avoid triggering them.
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