Community Corner
No Free UGA Football for Lawmakers - Good or Bad?
Some legislators acknowledge the freebies can look bad, but they say the state's new ethics law will make it harder to mingle with constituents.
Georgia legislators who want to sit in the president's suite above the hedges at Sanford Stadium next year will have to pay their own way, thanks to ethics legislation signed by Gov. Nathan Deal last week.
The law forbids elected officials from receiving gifts or event tickets exceeding $75. University System of Georgia lobbyists gave state and local lawmakers more than $14,000 in football tickets in 2012, the Athens Banner-Herald reports.
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The paper quotes state Sen. Bill Cowsert, whose district includes Athens, saying the football games have been a good way for him to mingle with his constitutents.
“I think it’s really going to change things," Cowsert is quoted saying of the new ethics law. "I think it’s going to make it tougher for the university to develop good relationships with the legislative body, especially with some of us being newer to the Legislature."
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What do you think? Will taking legislators' football tickets reduce conflicts of interest? Or will it make it harder for elected officials to do their jobs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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