Ethics Reform Uphill Battle, Backers Say
An indication of how difficult the battle for ethics reform might become came in remarks attributed to Sen. Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, Saturday in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Sanchez, who could not attend Saturday's forum, sits on a legislative committee looking at reform ideas for the 2008 session. During a committee meeting Friday, he was quoted as saying a bipartisan ethics bill would pass in 2008 but wondered if the push for tougher laws was coming from the public or from "so-called citizens groups and the media."
"Are we being ethical passing this ethics legislation if we're passing these bills we don't believe in because we're being pressured by these special interest groups?" he was quoted as saying.
Senate majority leader Sanchez.....pretty well says it all.
Ethics Reform Uphill Battle, Backers Say
Also, in the article: "Earlier this week, a Journal Poll showed 88 percent of Democrats surveyed support stricter laws, such as campaign contribution limits, additional restrictions on lobbyists and creation of an ethics commission that could investigate complaints against public officials." and this..."Two former state treasurers have been prosecuted on federal corruption charges, and a former state Senate president was indicted this year in a separate federal probe."