Last year the Georgia State Ethics Commission was newly tasked with all sorts of responsibilities - for example, processing and posting candidates' campaign contribution reports and policing lobbyists. With these new responsibilities came more money in the budget to make sure the agency had the capacity necessary to carry them out.
Now, however, Governor Sonny Perdue has proposed a 40% budget cut for the next fiscal year.
Rick Thompson, the Ethics Commission's chief executive, said the $600,000 spending reduction next fiscal year would mean layoffs in his office if Perdue's budget plan is approved by lawmakers. It would also make it difficult to investigate allegations of political wrongdoing in a timely fashion...
...Still, lawmakers said they were surprised by the cut that comes just as the agency has begun to reduce a substantial backlog of ethics complaints that dated back several years.
"I really think we are headed on the right track with the new law, but it takes enforcement," said Senate Ethics Chairwoman Renee Unterman (R-Buford).
Lawmakers are saying they'll work hard to restore the funds:
"We don't want the people of Georgia to think our commitment to ethics was a one-time venture," [House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ben] Harbin said. "We feel like if we are going to be strong on ethics, the money has to be there for them to do their job."
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