Landry misses obvious link between lax ethics laws and low Louisiana standards

Yahoo

27-05-2025

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (John Ballance/The Advocate, Pool)
It's in our nature as Louisiana residents to be easy-going, whether you're a native Cajun like me or someone who's been drawn to relocate here because of our lifestyle. That's why we're always ready for a good time, we prioritize family, friends and fun, and try not to fret about the things we can't control.
But it's also a coping mechanism – and probably not a healthy one. How else can you explain our contentment with constantly being on the lower end for quality-of-life ratings for health care, education and poverty?
This might be what Gov. Jeff Landry was talking about – although in a rather awkward way – in his disappointed reaction to the resounding failure of all four amendments he supported in the March 29 election.
'We realize how hard positive change can be to implement in a state that is conditioned for failure,' Landry said on election night.
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What the governor doesn't realize is the part he plays in 'conditioning' residents to accept low standards, and why the substantial changes he wants to make to state ethics laws only reinforces the negative perception of Louisiana, both from within and outside the state.
Keep in mind that ethics laws in Louisiana are weak as they currently exist, with minimal consequences for offenders. While some provisions can and should be updated to keep up with the times, the governor has instead set on a path to undermine what little credibility the system has.
Landry's ethics law retooling has rightfully caught the attention of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, the state's pre-eminent good government organization. The nonpartisan group's leadership made clear where they stand on the legislative package in a recent commentary.
'That's the wrong message to send in a state riddled with Louisiana's long and sordid political history, particularly when polls show public trust in government is at historic lows,' PAR President Steven Procopio and Research Director Melinda Deslatte wrote.
The updates Landry supports include House Bill 674, a complex proposal with dozens of changes in how ethics investigations are conducted. They would give elected officials and government employees questionable leverage to discourage state ethics investigations.
Authored by Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, the measure would require the ethics administration to turn over witness statements and other documents obtained early in the investigative process to the subject, even if the ethics board decides not to pursue charges.
Beaullieu has said lawmakers from both parties have complained about the ethics board, arguing it needs to be more transparent. That was evident last year when one of his Democratic colleagues in the Louisiana House, Rep. Steven Jackson of Shreveport, gained decisive approval for two ethics law changes. One reduced how often elected officials have to file their personal financial disclosure forms with the state, and the second dramatically cut the fines lobbyists have to pay if they file paperwork late.
Jackson's actions followed years of angry exchanges between himself and ethics administration staff over more than $10,000 in fines he was assessed for failure to file campaign finance and personal disclosure reports.
Do you see a pattern here? Instead of public officials choosing to change the behavior that put them in the crosshairs of ethics investigators, they've pushed to change the laws meant to discourage such conduct.
The trend is poised to continue this year. State Ethics Administrator David Bordelon described the new investigative process under Beaullieu's measure as 'skewed' in favor of a public servant accused of wrongdoing. 'It presents some sort of questionable standards,' he told ethics board members at a meeting last month.
The origin story of Beaullieu's legislation speeds past 'questionable' and steers directly toward dubious.
It was written with the help of Stephen Gelé, an attorney who has represented the governor in front of the ethics board. When he was attorney general, Landry failed to disclose he took free flights on a donor's private plane for a conference in Hawaii in 2021. Though House Bill 674 wouldn't affect the outcome of charges that have been pending against Landry for two years and counting, it would hinder comparable investigations in the future.
More proposed ethics law changes, all with Landry's blessing, would further discourage accountability for elected officials and government workers.
House Bill 160 from Rep. Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, would end the public's ability to confidentially or anonymously report illegal activity. The ethics board has warned lawmakers it would have a 'chilling effect' on people coming forward to report wrongdoing by public employees and leaders.
Another Beaullieu proposal, House Bill 674, would end a prohibition in state law on government employees and elected officials from receiving gifts under most circumstances. Between 'seasonal or holiday food' and regular gifts, the largesse could reach up to $400 in value annually.
When you think of the potential to grease the skids of bureaucracy with a $100 gift card here or $100 worth of festive fare there, you should get an idea of why Beaullieu's bill might be cause for concern. If not, you don't have to look very far back to find out why – at both the state and local level.
There's been minimal resistance to Landry's offensive against state ethics law, which started last year when he got lawmakers to approve giving him more direct control of the ethics board's makeup. And while this year's legislation appears to pack a significant punch, it might just be the first in a years-long assault on the minimal virtues left in Louisiana government.
Don't say you weren't warned.
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