Questions for Ethics Commission Nominees

1. Connecticut's post-employment law prohibits public officials and state employees from applying for or accepting employment with any business that the person's agency regulates within one year after leaving the agency. Opponents argue that the law discourages the most qualified people from seeking state employment. Proponents argue that the law is necessary to prevent conflicts of interest. What are your views on increasingly more restrictive post-employment laws?

2. Ethics laws have been enacted over the years to address public perceptions of legislators' impropriety. How far should the legislature go when designing laws to address “perceived” rather than “actual” ethical problems?

3. The Ethics Commission is authorized to investigate alleged ethics code violations on its own initiative and allegations filed in complaints. How aggressively should the commission initiate investigations?

4. Under what circumstances, if any, should commission members speak publicly about the commission's investigation of code violations?

5. Under what circumstances should the Ethics Commission refer ethics violators to the chief state's attorney for possible criminal prosecution?

6. The commission investigates allegations of code violations, makes probable cause determinations, and makes final determinations regarding code violations. Do you see any problems with the commission performing all of these functions?

7. What do you consider to be the major weaknesses of the state's ethics codes and how would you address them?