CheckGate Fallout: Legislature To Get More Ethics Training

A panel of the Wyoming Legislature’s highest ranking members decided Wednesday to add ethics training to its legislator orientation course in the wake of a check-passing controversy that unfolded in the recently completed legislative session.

House Minority Floor Leader Mike Yin, D-Jackson, broached the topic Wednesday during the legislative Management Council’s meeting in Cheyenne.

He related that the state House of Representatives’ special investigative committee, which had investigated the Feb. 9 check-passing incident that became known as “CheckGate" had suggested asking the Management Council to make and consider changes in the wake of the controversy.

Those changes were: update signage at legislative chamber entrances; craft legislator training on the topic; and review rules of neighboring states’ legislatures concerning political campaign activities during the legislative session, then consider if the Wyoming Legislature needs to change its rules on those activities more than it already has.

“Just bring this up as a possibility for us to tackle at a future meeting of the Management Council,” said Yin.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, motioned the panel to have staffers add an hour of training to the Legislature’s pre-session legislator orientation.

“Would that be basically like an ethics training, Senator Nethercott?” asked Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester.

“Yes,” she answered.

Nethercott’s motion passed by a voice vote.

A Little Background

Teton County-based conservative activist Rebecca Bextel handed out $1,500 checks to at least four state House of Representatives members on the House floor Feb. 9, the first day of this year’s lawmaking session, after the chamber had adjourned for the day, according to evidence presented at the House investigative committee’s Feb. 26 meeting.

There was no law or rule against the act at the time, though Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, told the House Feb. 11 that if such a thing had happened, it would be “bribery and unethical.”

That was before Bextel had confirmed that she had in fact handed out checks.

It was also before it became public knowledge that Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, had snapped a photograph of one check-passing incident that Monday evening and sent it to some media outlets. 

In interviews Provenza has given since then, she’s said she shared the photo hoping reporters could inquire and corroborate what she believed she was seeing and ultimately tell the public about it.   

At Provenza’s request, House members who were present Feb. 12 voted unanimously to form the investigative committee to hold a public investigation into whether the check-passing involved legislative misconduct or bribery.

Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak on Feb. 14 told Cowboy State Daily, and announced publicly, that he was launching his own criminal investigation into the incident.

In the weeks after the incident, the Senate, the governor, then the House each passed rules barring campaign donation exchanges in their respective portions of the Capitol.

The Senate condemned the act.

The investigative committee didn’t find legislative misconduct or bribery, but issued its recommendations, which Yin conveyed Wednesday to the Management Council.

Kozak did not immediately return a late-day voicemail request for a status update on his investigation.

Plus This Other Stuff

After Nethercott’s suggestion for ethics training passed, Yin described the committee’s suggestion to have the Management Council review how other states handle rules governing campaign donation ethics.

While Nethercott had floated the idea of creating a task force to deal with the rules directive, House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, asked if legislative staffers could conduct that study and present it to the Management Council instead.

Biteman said perhaps the staffers could do that, and then the panel could decide if it needs a subcommittee after that.

House Appropriations Chair John Bear, R-Gillette, said, “I’ve noticed we’ve had some concerns — at least I think there are concerns about, you know, what are the rules for those people not part of the legislature: our interns, our staff, those types of things.”

“Aides, legislative aides?” asked Nethercott.

“Aides,” answered Bear, “if we could include all of those … let’s include that as well.”

“You get that, director?” asked Biteman of the Legislative Service Office Director Matt Obrecht.

The panel discussed the topic no further. Nethercott invited Rep. Clarence Styvar, R-Cheyenne, to discuss a concern he has regarding state guardianship laws.

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.