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Ethics commission scales back spending request By ERIK SCHELZIG, WKRN NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Tennessee Ethics Commission planned to scale back its request for three new staffers Thursday after the Senate Finance Committee raised concerns about spending at the new agency. Bruce Androphy, the commission's executive director, said an original request for $275,000 in new spending may have overshot projected needs. The Finance Committee voted to eliminate the agency's request of $175,000 to pay for a new auditor, investigator and administrative assistant. "We don't normally fund positions if they don't have anything to do," said Sen. Joe Haynes, D-Goodlettsville. Androphy noted that the agency only began operations in October and was almost immediately required to propose a spending plan for the budget year beginning in July _ well before it could get a strong sense of actual needs. The state Ethics Commission was created last year as part of a special legislative session in response to the "Tennessee Waltz" public corruption scandal. The commission has collected more than expected from the registration fees from lobbyists and their employers, but has not brought in any of the expected money from civil penalties, Androphy said. The Ethics Commission was scheduled to meet laterTuesday to formally scale back its funding request, Androphy said. Finance Chairman Randy McNally said some adjustments were to be expected. "The problem is they got started in October," said McNally, R-Oak Ridge. "They didn't have a historical basis, and it was kind of a guess." The committee voted to keep intact a $100,000 request to expand the Ethics Commission's electronic filing capabilities. Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris questioned Androphy about whether he thinks launching investigations is part of his responsibilities. Norris, of Collierville, referred to a letter Androphy had sent hospital officials after reading in anewspaper about their plans to meet with the governor about funding. "Neither myself or my staff see ourselves as prosecutors," said Androphy. "But we see ourselves as advisers. "If we are aware of a situation, why not spell out the law so there isn't a complaint filed later?" he said. Androphy told Norris that while the law allows the commission to launch their own investigations, officials are more busy trying to get the basic functions of the agency under way than to worry about expending their scope. "What the future will bring, that's up for the commissioners to decide," Androphy said. "At this point, we're still so new andlearning our jobs." ___ On the Net: Tennessee Ethics Commission: http://state.tn.us/sos/tec/ |
