Businessman David Norsworthy, a partner in several nursing homes with Michael Morton, still had not filed a statement of financial interest as of Tuesday, days past the deadline given to him in a recent corrective-action letter.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed Norsworthy, 40, of Gateway on Feb. 16 to succeed Morton on the Health Services Permit Commission, according to the letter to Norsworthy from Graham Sloan, director of the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
Norsworthy did not return a phone message left Tuesday at the Little Rock office of Arkansas Superior Select Inc., a health-insurance company with which Norsworthy and Morton are affiliated. A man answering the phone there said Norsworthy had gone to lunch but that he would give him a message.
The corrective-action letter, dated May 12, advised Norsworthy that his appointment became effective when he filed his oath of office with the secretary of state's office on March 13 and that state law requires the filing of a statement of financial interest, or SFI, for the previous calendar year within 30 days after appointment. Thereafter, the law requires annual filing.
The letter cited portions of Arkansas Code Annotated 21-8-701.
"Accordingly, the deadline for you to have filed a SFI for 2014 was April 13, 2015 (since the 30 day deadline fell on a weekend)," Sloan told Norsworthy in the letter.
Norsworthy first served on the commission March 17, said Latreasa Mullins, fiscal/human-resources manager for the Arkansas Health Services Permit Agency.
In the letter, Sloan told Norsworthy he was sending it "to advise you to take corrective action by filing a SFI for calendar year 2014 within ten ... days from the date of this letter." Sloan also enclosed a statement-of-financial-interest form and instructions on completing it.
Weekends are included in the 10-day period, according to the Ethics Commission, so Norsworthy's 10-day period ended Friday.
Chris Powell, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said Tuesday that he could find no such form for Norsworthy. Nor does one appear on the secretary of state's website.
Norsworthy is far from the only person who hasn't filed a statement on time.
In an email, Teresa Jones, fiscal officer for the Ethics Commission, said, "With regard to statements of financial interest, it appears that 80 corrective action letters have been sent during calendar year 2015 to nonfilers and late filers."
It's unclear what, if anything, will happen if Norsworthy does not file his statement.
Sloan's letter advised Norsworthy "that failure to comply with the disclosure requirements set forth in [Arkansas Code Annotated 21-8-701] may lead to the imposition of sanctions under [Arkansas Annotated Code 7-6-219(b)(4)."
Among the latter statute's provisions are a fine of not less than $50 or more than $2,000 for "negligent or intentional" violations and an order that the person file or amend a statutorily required disclosure form.
Norsworthy and Morton are partners in 11 nursing homes in Arkansas and are directors of Superior Select, an insurance company serving only Medicare Advantage patients. They also are members of the insurance firm's holding company, records show.
The Arkansas Health Care Association recommended Norsworthy for the commission.
The FBI has been investigating contributions Morton made to several political action committees that later donated money to former Circuit Judge Michael Maggio's since-halted campaign for the Arkansas Court of Appeals. Maggio has pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge and awaits sentencing. Morton has not been charged with a crime.
State Desk on 05/27/2015