Sharpen those number 2 pencils, Alaska lawmakers. In a move to combat the corruption scandals that launched the FBI’s probe into the state’s politics, a new state law requires legislators to undergo ethics training.
Gov. Sarah Palin signed the law earlier this week, right after former state Rep. Tom Anderson (R) was found guilty of seven counts of extortion, bribery, conspiracy and money laundering. Anderson was accused of taking bribes from the private prison industry in exchange for pushing for facilities across the state.
The legislature hopes the new law will help clean up its image.
House Bill 109 tightens up the definition of bribery, requires legislators to make financial disclosures when leaving office, puts new disclosure requirements on consulting fees and meals purchased by lobbyists for lawmakers and makes numerous other clarifications in laws applying to both the executive and legislative branches.