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Sunday, April 16, 2006

Ind. Law - More on: Lawmaker to work for firm linked to Toll Road lease

Lesley Stedman Weidenbener of the Louisville Courier Journal writes today on the lack of any restrictions on Indiana legislators retiring and taking jobs as legislative lobbists. Some quotes:

A lawmaker who announced earlier this year that he wouldn't be seeking a second term said last week he'll be taking a job with an Indianapolis law and lobbying firm instead.

And while Rep. Luke Messer, R-Shelbyville, is finishing his term in the Indiana House, his job at Ice Miller LLP has already begun. Last week, he told The Times of Northwest Indiana [see ILB entry here] that he'd stay away from state policy issues until his term ends this fall.

Such a move -- from lawmaker to lobbyist -- is legal in Indiana, which has no requirement that a former legislator wait any period of time before returning to the Statehouse to try to woo former colleagues' votes.

In fact, the practice is quite common in Indiana. * * *

Such transitions are not allowed in the executive branch, where Gov. Mitch Daniels has imposed a waiting period for some state employees who want to go to work with companies which they previously regulated or with which they had some other type of contact. But they remain commonplace at the General Assembly. * * *

In Indiana, the issue has been occasionally discussed but hasn't been considered seriously in recent years.

The issue could come up, though, next year, when House Speaker Brian Bosma has promised he'll pursue some changes in legislative ethics rules.

He hasn't been specific, so there's no way to know yet whether a waiting period might be part of his proposed changes. But it wouldn't be a surprise.

The Indianapolis Star Sunday column, Behind Closed Doors, reports:
State. Rep. Luke Messer, R-Shelbyville, is following in the footsteps of dozens of other legislators over the years.
He's becoming a lobbyist. But he's doing it even before he stops being a legislator.

Messer is finishing out his term, which ends this November. But he's just taken a new job as a partner in the public affairs division of the Indianapolis law firm Ice Miller LLP. Messer said that until he's no longer a state lawmaker, he'll focus on federal issues. "I certainly don't want to have any conflicts of interest," said Messer, who previously was executive director for the Indiana Republican Party. After the election, he'll also be lobbying on state and local issues.

While Messer had announced at the beginning of the year that he was leaving his post with the state party, he said he did not interview with Ice Miller, or any other firm, until after the session ended.

At least 20 former legislators are serving as lobbyists, including former House speakers Paul Mannweiler, R-Indianapolis, and Mike Phillips, D-Boonville. Attempts in the past to pass laws imposing a cooling-off period between when legislators leave office and when they can start lobbying have failed.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 16, 2006 08:18 AM
Posted to Indiana Government | Indiana Law