With multiple ethical issues plaguing the Minnesota legislature, Common Cause Minnesota is calling for strong overdue ethics reforms that effectively eliminate these issues and provide greater guidance to legislators.

The latest instance, revealed by the Minnesota Reformer, highlights a likely issue with a conflict of interest involving Senate President, Sen. Bobby Champion and millions in grants allocated to a former legal client. The Senate Ethics Subcommittee has also been entangled with Senator Mitchell’s current felony charges.

In response, Common Cause Minnesota is calling for comprehensive reforms to our ethics and conflict of interest laws.   

Minnesota needs: 

• Laws strengthening disclosure requirements expanding the scope of financial and personal interest disclosures for public officials. 

• Independent oversight and enforcement – the current process typically deadlocks along party lines keeping investigations stagnant. 

• Clearer definitions and guidelines on what constitute a conflict of interest and how to self-report. 

• Public access to information on conflict-of-interest disclosures so the public can hold their electeds accountable. 

“When legislators are caught in situations that appear to show economic self-interest or placing the economic interest of friends ahead of constituents, it erodes the public’s trust in their representatives. To uphold the integrity of our democratic institutions and foster trust among Minnesotans, it is imperative that we rigorously enforce our state’s ethics and conflict of interest laws. By ensuring that our legislative body and elected officials adhere to the highest standards of transparency and accountability, we can reinforce public confidence in their commitment to serving the public good. Let us work together to strengthen these laws and their enforcement, demonstrating our unwavering dedication to ethical governance and the principles of fairness for all. Let’s put the partisanship aside and deliver strong ethnics laws that ensure all Minnesotans can trust their government and know there isn’t rampant corruption in our legislature,” said Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota.