Ethics panel considers lawsuit

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The state Ethics Commission is still considering suing the Legislature over inadequate funding.

Commission Chairman Don Bingham says a lawsuit is being discussed despite a move that freed up an additional $50,000 for the ethics panel.

Gov. Brad Henry last week vetoed a requirement for the commission to spend this money on campaign reporting software that commissioners said they didn't need or want.

The commission wants at least one more investigator, but lawmakers didn't authorize a new position.

For the 2009 fiscal year which begins July 1, the Ethics Commission will get about $667,000, a 30 percent increase. The commission requested about $906,000.

Bingham said the commission's budget does not provide enough money to fulfill the requirements established in a constitutional amendment in 1990 that created the present-day agency.