Posted on 04/04/2017 7:20:44 AM PDT by davikkm
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine’s full Legislature will consider making it a misdemeanor crime for lobbyists to lie or conceal a “material fact” while testifying to lawmakers. The Portland Press Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2nT72rM ) the State and Local Government Committee voted in favor of a revised version of the bill on Monday. The bill no longer includes members of the public, state workers and lawmakers.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Perhaps, the state will offer lobbyists a mass swearing in ceremony at the beginning of each session.
That gathering at the start of the session could be followed by confession of sins at the end of the session.
But, all of that begs the question about the intelligence of the legislators and their apparent unwillingness or inability to ask a probing question.
"material fact" in this context is such a vague and subjective standard that the law would seem ripe for selective, political prosecutions.
LOL!
Gee, and aren’t the lawmakers going to make it a crime for a lawmaker to lie to a lobbyist?
Politicians, they’re a special breed...
Misdemeanor?
I’m OK with that provided the penalty is a lifetime ban on working as a lobbyist or holding any public office, whether elected or appointed.
duh?
...or working for any company or non-profit taking any government funding.
I guess that that may be a good thing.
But why not start by making it a misdemeanor for a “lawmaker”
to lie to the constituents?
What this means is that a lobbyist will be held accountable for bringing up leftish talking points. An NRA lobbyist doesn’t mention CDC “studies” on how guns don’t protect you...citation.
An energy industry lobbyist doesn’t buy into global warming....citation.
This is aimed squarely at us.
“Perhaps, the state will offer lobbyists a mass swearing in ceremony at the beginning of each session.”
I wouldn’t go that far but I would force lobbyists to go through compliance training with punishments of up to a million dollars and loss of lobbying privileges.
I would prefer a law that made it illegal for the said same lawmakers to lie to their constituents.
“Make it unlawful for lobbyists to lie to lawmakers!”
Well! Ain’t that a prize of a statement. Make it unlawful for lobbyists (LIARS) to lie to lawmakers (LIARS).
Up is down, east is west and night is day. Yippppppeeeee!
Only lawmakers should be entitled to lie.
How about making a felony for politicians to lie?
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