There are two components of the education program under the State Government Ethics Act: ethics and lobbying. For the convenience of those who must attend these programs, they will be offered at the same time. Legislators, legislative employees, and Public Servants can fulfill their education requirements at any comprehensive program. Certification forms will be provided at each program. Ethics Education While ethics education has been available and encouraged for many years, it is now mandatory for most people. All "public servants" and their immediate staffs, legislators, and legislative employees must participate in an ethics presentation approved by the Commission within specified timeframes. This requirement does not apply to "judicial officers" (Justices, judges, district attorneys, and clerks of court). "Immediate staff" means those individuals who report directly to a public servant. Lobbying Education Lobbying education is also a component of the overall education initiative and mandate. The Ethics Commission is required to implement "a lobbying education and awareness program designed to instill in all designated individuals, lobbyists, and lobbyist principals a keen and continuing awareness" of the duties of all these persons vis-à-vis the Ethics Act. The law also requires that the Commission heighten the sensitivity of designated individuals to "situations that might result in real or potential violations of this chapter or related laws." Such training is therefore required for public servants, legislators, and legislative employees and is to be made available to lobbyists and lobbyist principals. Education Deadlines Legislators and legislative employees must participate in (i) an ethics presentation within three (3) months of their election, reelection, appointment, or employment and (ii) a lobbying presentation within six (6) months of their election, appointment, or hiring. These programs will be developed and presented jointly with the Legislative Ethics Committee and its staff. Again, in order to avoid a duplication of effort, these presentations will be given together. Normally, Public Servants and their "immediate staff" members must participate in an ethics presentation within six (6) months of their election, reelection, appointment, or employment. Initially, however, those Public Servants holding positions on January 1, 2007, have until January 1, 2008, to satisfy their ethics education requirement. Public Servants must also attend a lobbying presentation within six (6) months of their election, appointment, or hiring. There is no mention of "immediate staff" members attending lobbying presentations, but they should be encouraged to do so. As a practical matter, because the ethics and lobbying presentations will be combined, Public Servants will need to participate in both ethics and lobbying presentations by June 30, 2007.
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