ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 127
BY REPRESENTATIVE STUART BISHOP
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Supreme Court to allow the public to review personal
financial disclosure reports of judges filed with the office of the judicial
administrator by making the reports available for viewing on the internet.
WHEREAS, in 2008, the Louisiana Legislature enacted personal financial disclosure
requirements for each person holding statewide elected office, the secretary of each state
agency, the Public Service Commission Executive Secretary, the State Civil Service
Director, the Superintendent of Education, the Commissioner of Higher Education, president
of each public postsecondary education system, the Commissioner of Administration, senior
staff of the Office of the Governor, members of the Louisiana Legislature, members of the
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Superintendent of the Recovery School
District, members of the Ethics Adjudicatory Board, members of the Board of Ethics, the
administrator of the Ethics Administration, the executive director of the Louisiana Housing
Corporation, members of the Board of Pardons, local elected officials representing a voting
district with a population above or below 5,000, members of the State Civil Service
Commission, members of the Board of Commissioners of the Louisiana Stadium and
Exposition District, each member of the governing authority or management board of a
charter school, and each member or designees of members of a board or commission that has
the authority to expend, disburse, or invest ten thousand dollars or more of funds in a fiscal
year; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature has statutorily mandated that personal
financial disclosure reports filed by these officials be made available on a website by the
Board of Ethics "to enhance the public's ability to gather information easily regarding the
conduct of elected officials, public employees, and other persons regulated by the board";
and
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WHEREAS, the Louisiana Ethics Administration complies with state law and
maintains a website with thousands of personal financial disclosure statements available for
public viewing, including a searchable database; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana has been nationally recognized for the adoption of personal
financial disclosure laws for legislators, receiving the number one ranking in the country
with an "A" grade by the Center for Public Integrity for legislative financial disclosure
requirements; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana State Senate passed Senate Resolution No. 6 in the First
Extraordinary Session in 2008, urging and requesting the Louisiana Supreme Court to adopt
the same financial disclosure standards for judges that are applicable to other elected
officials in the Code of Governmental Ethics; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court subsequently adopted Rule XXXIX to
require all elected judges, except justices of the peace, to annually file a financial statement
with the office of the judicial administrator of the Louisiana Supreme Court that is
substantially similar to the requirements in statute for legislative personal financial
disclosure statements; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court maintains a website that includes Rule
XXXIX, the blank financial statement form required by Rule XXXIX, and a list of persons
who have failed to file, failed to timely file, failed to provide omitted information, or failed
to provide accurate information as required by Rule XXXIX; and
WHEREAS, Rule XXXIX specifies that the financial statements required by the
Louisiana Supreme Court are a matter of public record and are subject to public inspection
and copying; and
WHEREAS, members of the public are unable to view the financial statements of
elected judges across Louisiana, without making a formal records request to the Louisiana
Supreme Court in New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of financial disclosure of elected officials is to promote
public access and oversight, discourage potential conflicts of interest, and enhance public
confidence in the integrity of state government, including the judiciary; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court maintains the authority to redact any
sensitive information necessary for the safety of judges prior to publication; and
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WHEREAS, it would greatly benefit the public interest and the integrity of the
judiciary for the Louisiana Supreme Court to enhance the public's ability to gather
information easily regarding the conduct of the judiciary.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Supreme Court to allow
the public to review disclosure reports filed with the office of the judicial administrator by
making the reports available for viewing on the internet.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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