Title II, Legislative Branch

spouses of legislators, and continuing employment as legislative agents of certain spouses of legislators. Nothing in this code shall preclude: (1) A legislator or candidate from soliciting contributions on behalf of charitable, civic, or educational entities provided the solicit…

Nothing in this code is intended to nor is to be construed as repealing or modifying in any way the provisions of any of the criminal or penal laws of this state but shall be held and construed as ancillary and supplemental thereto.

as ethical misconduct. If a provision of KRS 6.601 to 6.849 is designated as a misdemeanor or a felony, an alleged violation of the provision may be adjudicated by the commission as ethical misconduct.

Terms. (1) The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission is established as an independent authority and shall be an agency of the legislative department of state government. (2) The commission shall be composed of nine (9) members, not less than three (3) of whom shall be members of…

(1) The chair and the vice chair of the commission shall be elected by a majority vote of the members of the commission. The chair and the vice chair shall serve terms of one (1) year and may be reelected. The chair shall preside at meetings of the commission. The vice chair shal…

(1) The commission may employ an executive director who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. (2) The executive director shall: (a) Administer the daily business of the commission and perform the duties assigned by the commission; and (b) Employ and remove other personne…

-- Lists of legislative agents -- Trust and agency account. (1) The commission shall have jurisdiction over the administration of this code and enforcement of the civil penalties prescribed by this code. (2) The commission shall have jurisdiction over the disposition of complaint…

- Confidentiality. (1) The commission may render advisory opinions concerning matters under its jurisdiction, based upon real or hypothetical circumstances, when requested by: (a) Any person covered by this code; (b) Any person who is personally and directly involved in the matte…

of misconduct. (1) (a) The commission shall have jurisdiction to investigate and proceed as to any violation of this code upon the filing of a complaint. The complaint shall be a written statement alleging a violation against one (1) or more named persons and stating the essentia…

(1) The Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure and the Kentucky Rules of Evidence shall apply to all commission adjudicatory hearings. All testimony in a commission adjudicatory proceeding shall be under oath. All parties shall have the right to call and examine witnesses, to introduc…

(1) A legislator or former legislator convicted of a felony relating to his duties as a legislator, in any state or federal court of competent jurisdiction, shall forfeit rights and benefits earned after September 16, 1993, under the state administered retirement plan to which co…

employees -- Program of ethics education and training for legislative agents. (1) The commission shall establish and supervise a program of ethics education and training, including but not limited to: (a) Preparing and publishing an ethics education manual; (b) Designing and supe…

(1) The ethics education manual shall include, but not be limited to, ethics statutes, administrative regulations, explanations of purposes and principles underlying the laws, explanations of technical and specific legal requirements, examples of practical applications of the law…

(1) The commission shall design the general curriculum of orientation courses, which shall include but not be limited to explanations and discussions of the ethics laws, administrative regulations, relevant internal policies, specific technical and legal requirements, summaries o…

(1) The commission shall design the general curriculum of a current issues seminar, which shall include, but not be limited to, discussion of changes in the ethics laws and administrative regulations, new advisory opinions, current ethical issues confronting public servants, prac…

A legislator, by himself or through others, shall not intentionally: (1) Use or attempt to use his influence as a member of the General Assembly in any matter which involves a substantial conflict between his personal interest and his duties in the public interest. Violation of t…

A legislator shall not intentionally disclose or use confidential information acquired in the course of his official duties, if the primary purpose of the disclosure is to further his own economic interest or that of another person. Information shall be deemed confidential if it …

A legislator or candidate by himself, or through others, shall not intentionally undertake, execute, hold, or enjoy, in whole or in part, any contract, agreement, sale, or purchase of the value of one hundred dollars ($100) or more per transaction, made, entered into, awarded, or…

- Penalty. A legislator, his spouse, or any business in which he or his spouse own or control an interest of more than five percent (5%) shall not intentionally lease or sell any facility, building, or other real property to a state agency while the legislator is a member of the …

witness before state agency -- Restriction of representation of clients before state agency or in court -- Penalties. (1) A legislator, by himself or through others, shall not use or attempt to use any means to influence a state agency in direct contravention of the public intere…

-- Penalty. (1) A legislator shall not accept any compensation in consideration for an appearance, speech, or article unless the appearance, speech, or article is both related to the legislator's employment outside the General Assembly and is unrelated to his or her position as a…

performance of legislative duties -- Penalties. (1) A legislator shall not knowingly accept compensation, other than that provided by law for members of the General Assembly, for performance of his legislative duties. No person, other than state officials or employees performing …

members of a legislator's family -- Exception -- Penalty. (1) A member of a legislator's family shall not be employed or appointed to an office or position in the legislative branch of state government. (2) A legislator shall not advocate or cause the employment, appointment, pro…

against legislator being a legislative agent -- Penalty. (1) A former legislator shall not be a legislative agent, other than for a public agency, until after two (2) years have elapsed since the date the legislator left office. (2) A legislator shall not be a legislative agent. …

(1) A legislator shall not intentionally participate in the discussion of a question in committee or on the floor of the General Assembly, vote, or make a decision in his official capacity on any matter: (a) In which he, or any member of his family, or the legislator's business a…

(1) A legislator shall not accept any appointment as an officer or employee of the Commonwealth or any state agency except as provided in subsection (3) of this section and in Section 165 of the Constitution unless he shall have first resigned his membership in the General Assemb…

legislative agents at any time and from employers of legislative agents or permanent committees during regular sessions -- Penalties -- Defenses. (1) For purposes of this section, "accept" means the date a contribution is postmarked, if mailed, or the date of the hand delivery, i…

The following individuals shall file a sworn statement of financial interests with the commission: (1) Members of the General Assembly; (2) All candidates and nominees for election to the General Assembly; and (3) Major management personnel in the legislative branch of state gove…

KRS 6.781 to 6.794 do not require the disclosure of financial information concerning the following: (1) A spouse separated from a filer; (2) A former spouse of a filer; (3) A gift or loan to or from a family member; (4) A campaign contribution permitted and reported pursuant to K…

(1) The statement of financial interests required by KRS 6.781 shall be filed on a form prescribed by the commission. The commission shall provide copies of the form without charge to any person required to file. (2) The statement shall include the following information for the p…

requirements for commission. (1) Upon receipt by the commission, a statement of financial interests shall be a public record available for copying. A statement may be reviewed and copied at the office of the commission during ordinary business hours. (2) A statement of financial …

(1) The statement of financial interests required by KRS 6.781 shall be filed with the commission for the preceding calendar year by no later than February 15 of each year, complete through December 31 of the preceding year, except that: (a) A candidate for nomination or election…

A filer submitting a statement of financial interests within ten (10) days of the statutory deadline or the deadline authorized by the commission shall be subject to no penalty.

(1) The commission shall notify by certified mail each person required to file a statement of financial interests who fails to file the statement in a timely manner, completely, or in the form required by the commission. The notice shall specify the type of failure or delinquency…

The General Assembly finds and declares the following: (1) The operation of open and responsible government requires the fullest opportunity to be afforded to the people to petition their government for the redress of grievances and to express freely their opinions on executive a…

(1) Each legislative agent and employer, within seven (7) days following engagement of a legislative agent, shall file with the commission an initial registration statement listing the following: (a) The name, business address and telephone number, and occupation of the legislati…

(1) Each employer of one (1) or more legislative agents shall pay a registration fee of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) to the commission. (2) All fees collected by the commission under the provisions of this section shall be deposited in the State Treasury in a trust and agency…

employers -- Penalties. (1) A legislative agent or employer shall not knowingly fail to register, as required under KRS 6.807. (2) A legislative agent or employer shall not knowingly fail to keep a receipt or maintain a record which KRS 6.821 requires the person to keep or mainta…

(1) With the updated registration statement required by KRS 6.807(3), each legislative agent, or representative of an organized association, coalition, or public interest entity, and each employer shall file a statement of expenditures as provided in subsections (2), (3), and (4)…

(1) Any legislative agent who has had any financial transaction with or for the benefit of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the secretary of a cabinet listed in KRS 12.250, or any member of the staff of any of the officials listed in this subsection shall describ…

of financial transactions -- Civil liability for false information. (1) An employer or legislative agent who is required to file a statement describing an expenditure or a financial transaction shall deliver a copy of the statement to the official with whom or for whose benefit t…

(1) The commission shall review each registration statement, expenditure statement, and financial transaction statement filed with the commission, to determine whether the statement includes all the information required. If the statement does not include all the required informat…

As used in KRS 6.900 to 6.935: (1) "Committee" means the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee; (2) "Investigation" means an inquiry into possible acts of impropriety in the use of public funds or performance of public duty by a person; (3) "Person" means: (a) A curr…

Meetings -- Vote required to act. (Effective until January 1, 2027) (1) There is created a Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee which shall be a permanent standing committee of the General Assembly, consisting of eight (8) members of the Senate, six (6) of whom shal…

papers and other information -- Closed meetings authorized -- Witnesses -- Subpoenas. (1) The purpose of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee shall be to serve as the main investigative committee in the General Assembly. The committee shall have the authority to…

(1) Any witness who fails to comply with a subpoena issued pursuant to KRS 6.910 may be fined by the committee an amount not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) per day, up to a maximum total fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000). The committee shall have the authority to enforc…

(1) Employees of state agencies shall provide the committee or its staff with necessary information for the performance of its duties, with any assistance needed to properly conduct the research or study, and with timely access in order to conduct the following functions, necessa…

Any public officer or official, agency, or organization of state or local government required or requested to furnish information or data to the General Assembly or a committee thereof shall do so without fees or charges of any kind for the information or data or any cost associa…

(1) The committee, while in the discharge of its official duties, shall have the following additional powers: (a) To subpoena and examine witnesses; to require the appearance of any person and the production of any paper or document; to order the appearance of any person for the …

panel -- Report to General Assembly. Beginning in 2014 the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee of the Kentucky General Assembly shall conduct an annual evaluation of the external child fatality and near fatality review panel established pursuant to KRS 620.055 to m…