BOSTON - House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. announced the creation of a three-member ethics study group. Jones asked representatives Vinny deMacedo (Plymouth), Elizabeth Poirier (North Attleboro) and Richard Ross (Wrentham) to examine the current ethics rules and procedures of the House and make recommendations for improvement.

“The current situation is unacceptable,” Jones said. “In light of recent events, it is time to sit down and take a hard look at the rules within the House pertaining to ethics. The three-member group is going to look at our rules, how other legislative bodies function, and develop a set of rules and proposals for consideration at the start of the new legislative session in January.”

The announcement comes just days after Gov. Deval Patrick established an Ethics Task Force in light of various scandals facing Beacon Hill lawmakers. Patrick’s task force is focused on statutory changes to the state ethics and lobbying laws.

“The betrayal of the public trust, coupled with recurring appearances of impropriety, are a black cloud over Beacon Hill,” Jones said. “I’m hoping by implementing some new rules in the House, we can start to dispel these clouds and take a small step in restoring public confidence in the legislature.”

The study group will begin meeting next week and will report its findings to the minority leader prior to rules debate during the next session.

By Staff reports
Fri Nov 14, 2008, 10:45 AM EST
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