Live Q&A with Mark Grueskin on Amendment 41

The overwhelming passage of Amendment 41 – Standards of Conduct in Government by 63 percent of Colorado voters last November is drawing sharp opinions on its implementation and consequences.

Mark Grueskin, chair of Isaacson Rosenbaum’s Public Law and Policy Practice Group and expert in regulatory law, will be on hand for the next 30 minutes. Please limit your questions to the issue of Amendment 41. From the Analysis of the 2006 Ballot Proposals [PDF] by the Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly:

Amendment 41 proposes adding a new Article XXIX to the Colorado Constitution that:

prohibits elected state officials and certain elected local officials, appointed state and local officials, and government employees from accepting any amount of money or more than $50 in gifts in any calendar year from anyone except a relative or a personal friend on a special occasion;

prohibits immediate family members of elected state officials and certain elected local officials, appointed state and local officials, and government employees from accepting more than $50 worth of gifts or other things of value in any calendar year that directly or indirectly benefit the public official or
government employee;

bans lobbyists from giving gifts or meals to any elected state official and certain elected local officials, appointed state and local officials, and government employees or to the immediate family members of these public officials and employees;

prohibits statewide elected officeholders and state legislators from lobbying certain elected state officials for pay for two years after leaving office; and

creates a five-member appointed ethics commission, with individual members having subpoena power, to investigate and hear state and local complaints, assess penalties, and advise government officials and employees when asked regarding the scope of the law.

Additional reading on Amendment 41 can be found here.

Disclaimer: The firm of Issacson Rosenbaum P.C. has provided legal services to the Center for Independent Media.