LITTLE ROCK — Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Keet proposed a package of six “ethics reform” changes Thursday.
“Confidence must be restored,” Keet of Little Rock said during a news conference at the state Capitol. “Many Arkansans are concerned about how their hard-earned dollars are being spent.”
Those proposals are:
A two-year ban on lobbying for legislators after they leave office. In 2009 legislators rejected a similar proposal.
Ending the current “per diem” system that pays legislators living 50 miles away from the state Capitol $149 a day for legislative meetings, regardless of how they spend the money. Instead, Keet wants the state to reimburse legislators only for actual, documented meal and lodging expenses.
Reimbursing legislators for trips for conferences at the “lowest cost” option. Currently, legislators may drive to a conference and collect mileage for the trip when an airplane ticket would cost the state less.
Requiring constitutional officers to turn in receipts for reimbursement. Land Commissioner Mark Wilcox has been reimbursed for meals during trips despite rarely producing receipts.
Stopping former legislators who later take higher-paying state jobs from collecting what Keet described as unfairly high retirements. He said retirement calculations shouldn’t be based on the former legislators’ salaries at the higherpaying jobs but should also take into account their lower salaries as legislators.
Stopping county officials from being allowed to collect retirement unless they vacate their offices. An Arkansas Public Employee Retirement System regulation passed in August 2009 required county officials to vacate their offices before collecting retirement. Informed about that during his news conference, Keet said no such change had been made.
Keet is challenging Democratic incumbent Gov. Mike Beebe in the Nov. 2 general election. There’s also a writein candidate, Billy Roper of Russellville.
Beebe spokesman Zac Wright declined to say whether Beebe supported Keet’s proposals.
“Some of those issues have already been addressed and done in the Legislature,” Wright said. “[Legislators] would welcome Mr. Keet’s opinion.”
Wright pointed out that Keet’s proposals say that some legislators get a two-for-one credit for retirement benefits that count their years in the Legislature twice. That system was ended in 1991 for legislators who took office after July of that year.
Keet served in the House from 1989-90 and the Senate from 1993-96. He said he never filed bills that would have had the effect of the proposals he announced Thursday. He said that in the Legislature he focused on other things, such as crime and literacy.
Arkansas, Pages 17 on 06/26/2010