Bill Tracker: SB 129 Finally Recognizing That Gifts Have Value

In an effort to clean up the state house, SB 129 seems on its way to becoming law. SB 129 has a long list of companions: HB 72, HB 255, SB 558 are essentially all the same bill.

The bill states that for a gift or a cash equivalent such as a negotiable instrument or gift certificate that is reported, the individual filing the statement must include in the description of the gift a statement of the value of the gift. The bill analysis says that the intent of the bill “is to increase public confidence and foster greater ethical responsibility on behalf of lawmakers and lobbyists in providing full disclosure of monetary gifts made by lobbyists and firms.”

The bill carries a certain amount of obviousness to it that makes me wonder why it took until 2007 to pass.

What changed that made this bill necessary now? Haven’t we always known that getting free stuff from lobbyists could influence votes, especially when the free stuff was free from public scrutiny as to its real value?