Gov. Blunt signed a bill repealing Missouri’s contribution limits to state candidates, according to this report.
Officeholder’s Rent Issues
The Times has a piece on the rental arrangements of a federal officeholder and House gift rules.
Some Congressional ethics experts, while saying it appears legitimate for Mr. Rangel to have one rent-stabilized apartment, question whether his acceptance of the additional units may violate the House of Representatives’ ban on members’ accepting gifts of more than $100. They suggest that the difference between what Mr. Rangel pays for the second, third and fourth apartments and what a new market-rate tenant would pay — some $30,000 annually — could be considered a gift because it is given at the discretion of the landlord and it is not generally available to the public.
Orange County Gets Limits
Orange County, Florida passed the “the strongest ethics ordinance in the state of Florida.”
Orange County commissioners unanimously approved ethics and campaign-finance reforms late Tuesday — a package that some residents and government watchdog groups complained didn’t go far enough.