Latest news with #SenateRules
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MN GOP files ethics complaint against DFL Senate President Bobby Joe Champion
The Brief An ethics complaint accuses the Minnesota Senate President of violating Senate rules. The Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct is asked to investigate Sen. Champion's affiliation with 21 Days of Peace and legislation he authored that directed money to the organization. Sen. Champion said he "voluntarily sought an advisory committee" for the same facts before they were brought forward by GOP lawmakers. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion (DFL- Minneapolis) is facing an ethics complaint from GOP lawmakers who accuse him of violating Senate rules by authoring legislation that directed funds to an organization he is affiliated with. GOP lawmakers announced the complaint filing on Friday morning. Sen. Champion points out that he notified the Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct on Monday of the same questions highlighted in the complaint. The Minnesota Legislature is on a scheduled recess from noon on Friday, April 11, through noon on Monday, April 21, to commemorate Easter and Passover. What they're saying The ethics complaint accuses Sen. Champion of violating Senate Rules 56.1 and 56.3 for allegedly "sponsoring legislation appropriating money to a legal client without disclosing the client relationship," adding that "Senator Champion authored legislation in 2023 and 2025 directing money to this client, including legislation that was signed into law in 2023 and sent $3 million to a client." That client, Rev. Jerry McAfee, runs the violence prevention organization 21 Days of Peace. READ MORE: New concerns over Minneapolis violence prevention funding decisions The complaint states that Sen. Champion represented Rev. McAfee, and his nonprofit, Salem Inc., in several financial disputes. The complaint then references news articles where Sen. Champion acknowledged the legal work but did not disclose it because it concluded before the start of the legislative session and no money was exchanged for the pro-bono service. The complaint points out that Sen. Champion's ability to testify before the Minnesota Senate in an "honest and unbiased or neutral manner before the Minnesota Senate" because of legal obligations owed to his client. GOP legislators conclude that "The failure to disclose his personal relationships with Rev. Jerry McAfee and Salem, Inc. violated Senate Rules by falling short of the highest ethical standards, betraying the public trust, and giving the appearance that his independence of judgment was impaired by his legal relationship with Rev. McAfee and Salem, Inc." READ MORE: Minneapolis violence prevention workers charged after one of them was shot The full ethics complaint can be viewed below: Click to open this PDF in a new window. The other side Sen. Champion shared the following written statement to FOX 9 on Friday morning in response to the GOP filing: "I am aware that the Republicans have filed an ethics complaint based upon the same facts for which I voluntarily sought an advisory committee from the Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct. "To allow this process to move forward, I've also asked to temporarily step aside from my role as chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee until this situation is resolved.I was not paid for the legal work in question, and have a practice of not charging churches that ask me for legal support or advice. "The Supreme Court encourages lawyers to provide pro bono services as a part of our practice. Our conflict of interest rules cover situations that directly and financially benefit individual legislators. "Because my work in this matter occurred in the past, and was unpaid, there was no potential conflict to disclose." READ MORE: New concerns over Minneapolis violence prevention funding decisions The Source This story used information from statements made by Sen. Champion and the ethics complaint to the subcommittee on ethical conduct.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Senate Republicans file ethics complaint against Champion
Senate president Bobby Joe Champion, right, talks after leading the session during the regular legislative session Monday, March 27, 2023. Photo by Nicole Neri for the Minnesota Reformer. Minnesota Senate Republicans filed an ethics complaint against Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, arguing that he used his elected position to steer funding for his legal client. The Reformer first reported last week that Champion, a practicing attorney, had advocated for millions in grants for a nonprofit headed up by one of his legal clients, the Rev. Jerry McAfee. Champion says his pro-bono legal work for McAfee concluded just prior to the start of the 2023 legislative session, when he successfully steered $3 million in public funds to McAfee's violence prevention group 21 Days of Peace. Earlier this month, Champion introduced another bill allocating $1 million to 21 Days of Peace. Champion did not disclose to his fellow senators that he had represented McAfee and his nonprofit Salem Inc. in four court cases involving nonpayment of mortgages on multiple Minneapolis properties. Senate Republicans in their ethics complaint argued that Champion's failure to disclose his relationship with McAfee 'violated Senate Rules by falling short of the highest ethical standards, betraying the public trust, and giving the appearance that his independence of judgement was impaired by his legal relationship with Rev. McAfee and Salem Inc.' 'This is a clear and deeply troubling case of a public official using their legislative position to potentially benefit their private legal clients,' Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine, said in a statement. 'With what we know, at a minimum this is a conflict of interest that warranted disclosure. At worst, it's an abuse of public office for personal and professional gain.' Champion earlier this week told the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee that the reporting about his connection with McAfee and the grant funding he steered to the nonprofit was a 'smear' on his name. Champion has temporarily stepped down as chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics, and he has asked the committee to issue an advisory opinion on whether his actions on behalf of McAfee's group represented a conflict of interest and should have been disclosed under Senate rules. 'There's no conflict from my vantage point,' Champion told the Senate jobs committee. McAfee isn't the only legal client to benefit from Champion's grantmaking: In 2024, he provided legal representation for a Minneapolis-based substance abuse treatment provider, Turning Point. The prior year, Champion spearheaded a successful effort to direct $1 million in public funds to the organization for improving their facility. Champion said he was not compensated for his legal representation of Turning Point, and he was involved in the case only briefly. The Star Tribune reported that Champion's executive assistant, Shemeka Bogan, previously worked for McAfee's 21 Days of Peace. Champion and Bogan both previously worked for the nonprofit Stairstep Foundation, and Champion in his Senate role has advocated for public funding for Stairstep. Champion's ethically questionable conduct underscores the perils of Minnesota's part-time Legislature when most lawmakers need to earn a living beyond their $51,750 legislative salary, and how lawmaker-directed grants create an ethics minefield. Some lawmakers are now seeking to curtail the practice of lawmakers giving public funds directly to nonprofits.
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Nigerian Senate list five reasons dem suspend Natasha Akpoti for six months
Di Nigerian Senate don give di reasons why dem suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months. According to di Senate, di suspension no get anytin to do wit sexual harassment allegation as some media don report. For statement wey Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele release on Saturday 8 March, di upper chamber say na becos of misconduct and indiscipline dem suspend Madam Akpoti-Uduaghan. Di Senate tok say di decision come from di Committee of di Whole Senate afta di Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges find say she violate Senate Rules. Here na di five reasons wey di Senate give: Senator Opeyemi kon warn say di media no suppose dey spread false information say dem suspend her because of sexual harassment allegations. Di Senate insist say di suspension na strictly disciplinary action based on misconduct.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to establish 'fetal personhood' filed in Florida Legislature
A bill filed in the Senate last week could potentially establish "fetal personhood." It's the same bill one anti-abortion advocate in the Florida Senate tried to pass last year, but it was blocked and died in Senate Rules after concerns it would interfere with legal access to abortion and in-vitro fertilization. "Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child" (SB 1284) would give parents the ability to sue for damages for the wrongful death of an unborn child, defines 'unborn child' as 'a member of the species Homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb.' "Fetal personhood" refers to the belief that a fetus should be recognized as a legal and moral person with rights, often including the right to life, from the moment of conception. The bill would let a parent of an unborn child recover damages for 'pain and suffering' from a person who is responsible for the unborn child's death. Currently, Florida law only states 'minor child.' It's the exact same version of the bill Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, filed last year. As previously reported, Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women and Equality Florida at the time all spoke against the bill and warned of a chilling effect on doctors and abortion providers who would be afraid of being sued for providing health care. Last year, Grall said the bill created 'parity,' as the definition for 'unborn child' is also used in Florida law for criminal penalties, and that doctors who provided abortions could not be sued if this bill became law. Grall also sponsored what is now the state's six-week abortion ban. While abortion advocates tried to pass a ballot measure last fall to enshrine abortion up to viability in the Florida Constitution, it failed with 57% of the vote. In Florida, a constitutional amendment needs 60% of the vote to pass. From last year: 'Temporary loss': Abortion amendment backers vow to fight on as DeSantis declares victory Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida lawmakers may take up 'fetal personhood' bill this session
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elon Musk, others say Sen. Whitehouse funneled money to benefit his wife. What we found.
PROVIDENCE – Political critics of Rhode Island's outspoken U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse are once again raising conflict-of-interest issues over his wife's work as a marine scientist and policy counsel, an arena that benefits from federal funds. The bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a similar complaint, filed against Whitehouse by a conservative activist group called "Judicial Watch" last year. The heart of that complaint: "Not only has Senator Whitehouse not abstained from voting on environmental legislation that directly benefits his wife's clients (and thus, his wife), but he has repeatedly sponsored legislation" that authorizes "federal environmental programs that fund activities undertaken by his wife's clients." After having "carefully evaluated the allegations," the Ethics Committee "concluded that Senator Whitehouse's actions did not violate federal law, Senate Rules, and other standards of conduct," according to the Aug. 16, 2024 dismissal letter. "Accordingly, the Committee intends no further action with respect to this matter." Earlier this week, a group calling itself The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust aka "FACT" called for a new ethics investigation into Whitehouse's votes for legislation that enabled the non-profit Ocean Conservancy to apply for and win federal grants used, in part, to hire Sandra Whitehouse's firm – Ocean Wonks LLC – as a consultant. The complaint got a write-up in the National Review under the headline – "Watchdog Flags Sheldon Whitehouse for Potential Ethics Violation in Backing Bill That Enriched Wife's Employer." Elon Musk also weighed in. "It's always the spouse …" Musk wrote over this factually incorrect posting by anonymous "Libs of TikTok" that said: "BOMBSHELL: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) backed legislation that funneled millions to his wife's environmental nonprofit, Ocean Conservancy." Where the post erred: Sandra Whitehouse is president of a company that does work for Ocean Conservancy. For context: Whitehouse, five days earlier, issued one of his many statements critical of President Donald Trump's moves, this one headlined: "Whitehouse questions Musk hiring in new letter to Trump White House." His office issued this statement on his behalf: 'This is a repeat dark money performance, and the previous attempt by a dark money group to plant these same smears was roundly dismissed by Senate Ethics." "The billionaires and Supreme Court capture operatives behind FACT would like to try to stop [Whitehouse] from shining a light on what they've done to deprive regular people of a fair shake before the court," the statement continues. "But false accusations from far-right special interests and billionaires like Elon Musk – who is trying to silence critics of his raid on federal agencies – will not impede the senator's pursuit of an accountable, ethical government that responds to Americans' needs.' Sandra Whitehouse's work in the ocean arena has been disclosed many times over the years, most recently in the senator's financial disclosure filing, which identified the sources of his wife's self-employment income in 2023 as Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. and Running Tides Technologies, Inc., in Portland, Maine. She is the president of Ocean Wonks, which was paid $280,000 by Ocean Conservancy as a subcontractor, and more specifically as policy counsel, in 2023, according to a public tax filing that shows Ocean Conservancy getting an overall $2,145,539 in government grants that year. Broadly speaking, Ocean Conservancy's mission is to protect the ocean from threats and advocate for healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems. Earlier this month, it posted a piece on its website on the way President Donald Trump's recent executive actions "jeopardize a healthy ocean and the health of the people and wildlife that rely on it." In its complaint, FACT alleged that Sandra Whitehouse's company has worked for Ocean Conservancy since 2017 – and that she has done work for the organization since 2008. During that 17-year period, the complaint alleges that Ocean Conservancy has been awarded 19 government grants worth approximately $14.2 million, including $5.2 million in the autumn of 2024 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for marine debris cleanup. The allegation: "This grant was funded by the Biden Administration's 'Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,' a bill Sheldon Whitehouse supported and voted for." (Ocean Conservancy received an additional $1.7 million from the Environmental Protection Agency's annual appropriations bill to assist with marine debris cleanup.) FACT calls it "egregious" that Whitehouse, a senator from the Ocean State, longtime member of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee and co-founder of the Senate's 'Oceans Caucus" – voted and advocated for bills that coincided with those backed by Ocean Conservancy. "Ocean Conservancy also advocated and secured billions in funding for coastal restoration projects in the Inflation Reduction Act. Senator Whitehouse not only voted for that legislation, but touted $3 billion in grant funding for ports and coastal restoration among the Whitehouse-backed measures in the bill,' the complaint reads. Sandra Whitehouse has never been a direct employee of Ocean Conservancy, according to Jeff Watters, vice president of external affairs for the organization. But Sandra Whitehouse, who holds a Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island, has worked as an ocean policy consultant to the organization since 2008. In the years that she's done work for Ocean Conservancy, the organization has received a total of $14.2 million in federal funding. The money includes the two grants that are the subject of the current ethics complaint: a $5.2 million grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both were awarded in 2024 to fund marine debris cleanup work. 'Dr. Sandra Whitehouse has not received compensation from these federal grants allocated to Ocean Conservancy, and her work for Ocean Conservancy does not include any work on either of the projects funded by those two grants,' Watters said. He said that the organization was selected for funding because the organization has more than 40 years of experience cleaning up trash from beaches, waterways and oceans. 'Ocean Conservancy is a global leader in marine debris cleanup,' Watters said. 'The grants Ocean Conservancy received from NOAA came from laws passed with broad bipartisan support that then went through a competitive, independent selection process which designated Ocean Conservancy to be one among hundreds of grantees to receive funding," Watters said. "Ocean Conservancy's selection was based on our decades of expertise in addressing marine debris and protecting the ocean.' This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Elon Musk, other raise conflict-of-interest complaints against Sheldon Whitehouse
