SC Lawmakers Pass Independent Ethics Probes

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – The Legislature has approved a bill requiring complaints against legislators to be independently investigated, sending Gov. Nikki Haley the second ethics bill she wanted.
The Senate voted 42-0 late Wednesday on the compromise, minutes after the House voted 99-0.
The compromise has been four years in the making.
Currently, House and Senate ethics committees oversee the campaign filings and handle complaints against their colleagues. Critics, including Haley, equate the arrangement to “the fox guarding the henhouse” since the State Ethics Commission oversees all other public officials.
The legislation would revamp the State Ethics Commission and expand its duties to legislators. However, House and Senate ethics panels would still get the final say over their members.
The Legislature also sent Haley a bill requiring officeholders to disclose their private income sources.