The Legislature is still working on how to implement the new ethics portion of the state Constitution.
Voters approved the amendment last November. And each of the chambers introduced its own bill to implement the amendment.
A Senate committee is looking at the House’s version.
"I'm hoping that we will, in essence, fill in the blanks, where the measure directed us to set, for example, penalties," said the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, Sen. David Hogue (R-Minot).
Hogue said he would also like to see one effective date for the measure.
"It has different effective dates for different sections," Hogue said. "I don't think that's very good policy."
Hogue said lawmakers should just pick a date and implement it.
"I'm thinking Jan. 1, 2021," Hogue said. "It would say, 'These are the new rules from this point forward.'"
Hogue said he would not be opposed to an interim study of the measure – not necessarily to recommend changes, but to explain to everyone the rules.
