Q&A: State lawmaker disclosures point to potential conflicts
The Center for Public Integrity and The Associated Press analyzed financial disclosure reports from 6,933 state legislators around the country and found that three out of four lawmakers had income from other employment.
While outside jobs give lawmakers expertise in certain policy areas, it also provides an opening for potential conflicts of interest. Lawmakers’ businesses and the industries they work in can be directly affected by the actions of the legislatures. The reporting unearthed numerous examples of state lawmakers who have introduced and supported legislation that directly or indirectly helps their own businesses, their employers or their personal finances.
Even then, their actions do not necessarily represent a conflict of interest as defined by state legislatures. Legislatures set their own rules about what constitutes a conflict and at what point lawmakers should recuse themselves from a vote.
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