The Rhode Island Ethics Commission voted to consider a new rule proposed by Common Cause Rhode Island that would include all lobbyists, including those for nonprofits, within the gift limits. This decision came after a controversy involving Governor McKee and the awarding of a contract to the ILO Group. McKee rejected accusations of steering the contract to ILO and accused the investigation of being politically motivated.
Common Cause praised the Ethics Commission’s decision but also called for additional measures to strengthen ethics laws in Rhode Island. They believe that gifts from lobbyists, even those not financially benefiting, should be considered a conflict of interest. The organization also filed a complaint with the Secretary of State’s office, claiming that a close associate of McKee failed to register as a lobbyist.
The investigation into the ILO controversy revealed that a nonprofit group associated with McKee had paid a public relations firm to provide services to the Governor. While the Attorney General found no financial nexus between McKee and ILO, Common Cause argued that the Governor was still receiving free consulting services that should be disclosed under the ethics code.
Common Cause is advocating for the Ethics Commission to address these loopholes in the ethics code and ensure transparency in government procurement processes. They also requested the commission to examine the section of the ethics code that applies to procurement and potentially add a question to the financial disclosure form regarding gifts given to public officials.
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