BATON ROUGE, LA – The Louisiana Board of Ethics announced this week that it will not be aggressively pursuing the collection of over $2.7 million in unpaid ethics fines, explaining that doing so could create “a slippery slope toward actual responsibility.”
According to a statement released Thursday, board members worry that enforcing the state’s ethics laws might set expectations that future violators should also be held accountable. “We have to be careful,” said one official. “If we start collecting from people who broke ethics laws, next thing you know, people will expect results from every state agency. That’s not sustainable.”
The Legislative Auditor’s report revealed thousands of unpaid fines dating back more than a decade, many tied to current and former public officials, including the current EBR School Superintendent Lamont Cole with a $5,000 balance and Gary Chambers, with a $4,500 balance. When asked why no collections had been made, the board cited “limited staff, outdated systems, and a general aversion to confrontation.”
In response to criticism, the board announced plans to modernize its operations by developing an online “Ethics Suggestion Box,” where violators can simply apologize and move on.
Governor Jeff Landry praised the agency’s restraint, noting that “accountability can really slow down government when you let it get out of hand.”
