Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 153 - Arkansas Ethics Commission › Rule 153.00.93-001 - Rules and Regulations

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
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MINUTES OF ETHICS COMMISSION MEETING March 26, 1992
The Arkansas Ethics Commission held a meeting on.- March 26,
			 1992, at 11:00 a.m. and conducted the following business:
Members present were: Mack Koonce, Mary Lynn Reese, Ronald May,
			 Kerry Pennington, and Jerome Green.
Visitors present were: Rachael O'Neal of the Democrat-Gazette and
			 Richard Behra from the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
The meeting was called to order and the Commission conducted the
			 following business:
I. A motion was
		  made by Ronald May and seconded by Kerry Pennington that the minutes of the
		  January 28, 1992, meeting be approved. It carried unanimously.
II. After a discussion of the Commission's
		  policy of enforcing errors and violations in new filings, Commissioner May
		  suggested the Commission wait until there is a "spot check" of candidate
		  filings before it decides what it should do in response to omissions and errors
		  in filing.
III. Commissioner Koonce
		  suggested! that, because of the political season being eminent, the staff focus
		  its efforts on reviewing candidate filings and getting information to potential
		  candidates.
IV. Commissioner Green
		  suggested that a press conference be held to announce the Commission's new
		  emphasis on enforcement.
Commissioner Green moved to hold a press conference. Commissioner
			 Reese seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
V. Mr.Kearney discussed the costs and
		  required state procedure for the printing process of "A Practical Guide to the
		  Arkansas Ethics and Disclosure Laws". He explained the bidding and contract
		  award process.
Commissioner May suggested that we get as many copies as a $5,000
			 budget limit would allow, rather than setting a number of 2500 copies at the
			 low bid of $4347.00. Commissioner May moved that the staff spend up to $5,000
			 to publish the guidelines and Commissioner Pennington seconded the motion. The
			 motion carried unanimously.
VI. The Commission discussed the possibility
		  of a state-wide seminar with Senator David Pryor as the featured speaker.
		  Richard Behra, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Office of Chief Council
		  Audit Section, addressed his effort in helping plan for the seminar.
		  Commissioner Koonce and Commissioner Reese suggested that the staff also
		  consider conducting regional meetings either before or after the state-wide
		  seminar.
VII. In addition to the
		  grammatical and syntax corrections suggested for the guidelines the following
		  additions will be made:
(a) Allow limited,
		  discretionary subpoena power to the director for the benefit of the accused.
		  The decision of the director to deny a subpoena to the accused would be upon
		  consultation with the chairman of the Commission.
(b) Provide that the entire investigation
		  file be open to the accused, with some discretion left with the Commission to
		  withhold certain information if the revelation of the material would jeopardize
		  the investigation or subject the source of the information to a denial of
		  fundamental rights. The decision by the director to withhold any evidence from
		  the accused would be upon consultation with the chairman.
(c) That a hearing master be used on a
		  discretionary basis in cases where the issues, volume of evidence, or number of
		  witnesses require it, and that the master would make proposed findings and
		  recommendations of disposition. The findings of fact and recommendations of the
		  master would not be official until and unless the Commission acted upon
		  them.