New York: (IANS) Bobby Jindal,
just six weeks into his job as Louisiana governor, fulfilled his
campaign pledge to push through ethics bills to bring more transparency
to the legislative system of the state.
Aiming to attract more investment to the state and shake off its shady
image, Jindal, the first US governor of Indian origin whose name did
rounds as Republican candidate for vice president, secured agreement
from the grudging lawmakers on the bills Tuesday.
The package of bills will make state politicians' finances more
transparent, cut down on their perks and create an overall ethical image
for the state.
Though faced with opposition from lawmakers of a state that takes pride
in its brazen style, Jindal made it clear that there was little scope
for outside investment in the state until it painted a more ethical
picture for itself and came into the national mainstream on ethical
standards.
"I've talked to CEOs in New York, even the president of the United
States. And when you ask them for more investment, their first reaction
always is 'Well, who do you need to know? Who do I have to hire? Is this
money going to end up in somebody's pocket?'" the Republican governor
was quoted as saying in The New York Times.
Henceforth, Louisiana legislators would be required to disclose all
sources of income over $10,000. They will no longer be eligible for
contracts for state-financed or disaster-related work. There will also
be a limit on freebies they can receive from lobbyists.
The new income disclosure requirements for legislators are comparable to
those of Washington state, ranked first in the country by the Centre for
Public Integrity.
Jindal was, however, unable to persuade lawmakers to pass another bill
that would have ended retirement benefits for public officials convicted
of crimes related to their state work.
Despite that, Jindal said lawmakers approved the core points of his
ethics law change proposals, and he characterised the special session on
the bills as a win for his ethics agenda.
While Jindal's bold moves may be unpopular with a section of
legislators, business pressure and public opinion helped him along.
"Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused people to rethink how they wanted
their social institutions to be designed, how they wanted services to be
delivered, what kind of state they wanted to call home," The NYT quoted
him as saying.
Challenges ahead for Jindal are many: a poorly educated work force, bad
roads and infrastructure, a persistent stream of residents leaving the
state, and little business investment.
"My biggest concern is, we'll run out of time," Jindal told the
newspaper. "There are so many things we need to do in our state. It's
like being in this endless buffet and having this incredible appetite,
but knowing there's no way you're going to be able to eat everything you
want to eat, or taste everything that's out there."
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