Still, the rules are written so a legislator can fail to disclose these sorts of business interests with virtually no risk. Legislators in Ohio, Florida and Texas have faced jail sentences for failing to disclose business dealings. But the State Ethics Commission usually waits for a complaint before it investigates. The House and Senate ethics committees don't launch inquiries without a formal complaint from a legislator or staff member. That's all I can say right now.
Somebody has to initiate a complaint.
Spotlight will let you know if anyone does - and what, if anything, is done about it. The State Ethics Commission has informed both the Republican and Democratic parties that those contributions are not authorized under the law. Rome resident George Anderson has filed ethics complaints against several Republican legislators over the contributions to PACs. The Ethics Commission's executive secretary, C. Theodore Lee, said he doesn't know how the complaints will be handled. The ethics board meets April 14.