BATON ROUGE, La. (KPLC) – In January, the governor will have more control over the state ethics board, expanding it with new appointees.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers want to block the current board from appointing a new ethics chief to replace the one who leaves at the end of the year.

Two lawmakers are suing the board to prevent members from hiring a new ethics director to replace Kathleen Allen, who will leave at the end of the year. And members of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee attacked the board at a meeting this week for already advertising the civil service position and only advertising it for 10 days.

“All the actions we have seen appear to be aimed at thwarting the new board’s efforts to hire an executive. If a director is hired before Jan. 1, does the board have the opportunity to hire him on a contingent, temporary basis rather than on a permanent basis,” asked Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia.

They also accuse the board of improperly entering a closed-door executive session at a request to postpone the interview or hire an executive. And a member of parliament asked the attorney general’s office to investigate.

“Who will be responsible for removing board members if they are found to have done something illegal in relation to their duties?” Beaullieu asked. he asked.

“They are subject to the Government Code of Ethics, just like you,” Allen responded.

Allen told the legislative committee that the board was complying with the Open Meetings law.

“Going into executive session, they are very aware. They vote by voice. The executive secretary has documentation on that,” Allen said.

The Ethics Program enforces campaign finance laws and prevents conflicts of interest in government.

The governor still has charges pending before the ethics committee.

Monday’s hearing was postponed to prevent the hiring of a new ethics director. Depending on the new date of the court hearing, postponing the hiring may become a moot point.

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