"Interpreters' new legal requirements present another challenge in driver's license quest" is the headline to this story today by Roberta Heiman in the Evansville Courier&Press. Some quotes:
On a typical Tuesday or Friday, there might be as many as eight to 10 non-English speaking applicants, said Branch Manager MeLissa Williams, herself an American Indian of the East Branch Cherokee tribe.The story notes that immigrants seeking driver's licenses "come to this city from South America mostly, but also from Russia, China, Iran, Africa; all over the world" and continues by listing the requirements the translators will have to meet:She said it can be difficult for the immigrants to understand all the requirements in the licensing process. And if they aren't accompanied by friends or relatives fluent in English, it can be difficult finding interpreters and translators for them.
It will become even more difficult on Jan. 1, when new requirements go into effect. The new rules by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will no longer allow a friend or relative to serve as the interpreter for driver's license applicants.
Interpreters will have to be representatives of a government entity, educational institution or cultural or religious institution, bureau spokesman Dan Henkel said.
Ethics is the focus of a story by Mary Beth Schneider in the Indianapolis Star today. The headline: "Bosma wants state's ethics to be stronger: Speaker will sponsor bill with Daniels' limits on conduct by those in the executive branch." Some quotes:Have a full criminal background check by Indiana State Police. Submit an audio-cassette recording of their ability to speak both languages. Or, if they're translating documents rather than interpreting orally, submit examples of their ability to translate documents. Submit a resume, and include references from organizations that have used their services. Agree to have their transactions at the license branch recorded, upon request by the state agency. "This may seem like a lot of hoops, but we think they're necessary," Henkel said, explaining that it's an attempt to "make sure those who are helping our customers conduct their transactions are doing so accurately and ethically. The need for the policy is clear," he added.
The Indianapolis Republican said he plans to be the chief sponsor of the bill containing Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels' campaign promises to raise the ethical bar for state employees -- and find new ways to hold accountable those who don't meet that test.A thought: Better supervision might be as effective as the threat of draconian penalties in preventing the types of executive branch abuses detailed in this story, as well as those problems reported in other stories such as employees apparently entering into state contracts on their own, with no or ineffective review procedures. Posted by Marcia Oddi at December 28, 2004 10:48 AM"I think it sends a positive message about the attitude of the new leadership in the House about the need to build public confidence in state government," Bosma said.
That confidence has been shaken by scandals in several agencies in the past couple of years:
• A convicted identity thief was unwittingly hired by the state's pension fund.
• A former social services manager is awaiting trial for allegedly taking part in schemes that bilked the state of a half-million dollars.
• Four employees of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles were convicted in a scheme that officials said involved taking bribes to issue fraudulent driver's licenses and state identifications to foreign nationals.
• A security officer for the Hoosier Lottery was arrested and accused of leaking information that let two friends get a winning $1 million scratch-off ticket. * * *
But Daniels also wants to go further [than Kernan's recent efforts], banning all employees from lobbying state government for one year after they leave, prohibiting agency heads and anyone involved in purchasing from soliciting political contributions, prohibiting lobbyists from serving on state boards and commissions and increasing penalties for wrongdoers.
Penalties would include revoking pensions from public employees convicted of wrongdoing, adopting new bribery laws, automatic lifetime bans from public service for employees and vendors who cheat the state and increased criminal penalties for official misconduct.
Barclay said one essential element of Daniels' plan is creating the position of "inspector general." Daniels on Wednesday named David Thomas, the Clay County prosecutor, in that role as the state's chief government watchdog. * * *
Julia Vaughn, policy director for the citizens' lobbying group Common Cause/Indiana, said she applauds Daniels' program. "We think it's great that he's putting an emphasis on ethics," she said. "But that doesn't stop on the second floor." One floor up from the Statehouse's second floor and the governor's office is the legislature, and that, Vaughn said, is where most of the intense lobbying goes on.
"When you compare the lobbying that goes on in the legislative branch, (the executive branch) pales in comparison," she said. "There are significant changes needed."
She said this should include a cooling-off period of at least a year before a legislator can join the ranks of lobbyists, a ban or limit on gifts to legislators and more frequent reporting of lobbying activities.
The legislature has resisted such changes, with bills to slow the revolving door between the legislature and the lobby not even getting a committee hearing, much less a vote. Legislators argue that their ability to land a better paying job should not be restricted.