Local angle
Several state legislators from Clark County accepted free meals or other perks from lobbyists during the first four months of 2013, according to an Associated Press investigation. Here’s a look at Clark County’s lawmakers and how much benefit they received from the beginning of January through the end of April:
o Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver: $712.24
o Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas: $671.99
o Rep. Brandon Vick, R-Vancouver: $634.29
o Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver: $605.13
o Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver: $462.75
o Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver: $419.80
o Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver: $356.60
o Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center: $342.58
o Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver: $285.72
The average total among all legislators was $445.47. The median was $406.56.
OLYMPIA — A legislative ethics panel this week dismissed a complaint about some Washington state lawmakers accepting free meals from lobbyists, but it encouraged the Legislature to clarify how frequently such meals should be permitted.
The Legislative Ethics Board’s Wednesday decision, which was released publicly Friday, said that if the Legislature doesn’t address the issue in the 60-day session beginning in January, the panel will work to establish rules on an enforceable standard.
The investigation was prompted by a complaint filed after The Associated Press and a consortium of public radio stations found that the state’s 50 most active lobbyists pampered legislators with $65,000 in free meals in the first four months of this year. Washington ethics law prohibits public officials from accepting free meals on more than “infrequent occasions,” but the panel noted that the rule is not clearly defined in the Ethics in Public Service Act.