BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The state ethics board has refused to broaden an exception from the $50 cap on lobbyists’ wining and dining of lawmakers and other public officials.
Currently, lobbyists can spend up to $50 per meal for a lawmaker or other official. However, there is no cap on a meal when it is “in conjunction with” a conference, like a regional event on a specific subject.
Several retirement systems asked the Board of Ethics on Wednesday to interpret that exception to include lobbyist-paid visits to nearby restaurants during the conference that may not be on the official agenda. They say that was legislators’ intent when they enacted the new cap last year.
The ethics board voted 9-1 against the idea. Board members said lawmakers need to change the law if they want the exception to include offsite wining and dining.
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