What is the effect of this law?

No legislator may be hired by any state executive or judicial agency or department.  This ban also applies to K-12 schools, two-year colleges, and four-year colleges and universities.

This bill also includes a ban on legislators or their companies receiving certain contracts that are paid for by government funds.

Legislators who are employed with any of these institutions before December 1, 2010 will have until November 5, 2014 to find other employment or resign from the Legislature.

Why is it important to ban Double-Dipping?

Double-dipping negatively affects state government in a variety of ways:

It corrodes public confidence in government because it perpetuates negative perceptions and stereotypes of elected officials.

It jeopardizes integrity, efficiency, impartiality, and accountability in state agencies.

It creates a working environment in which favorable treatment is based upon politics and not merit, and also may prevent employees from freely associating with their preferred candidate.

It presents conflicts of interest, time, and duty for legislators and the state agencies which employ legislators.

The State School Board has already banned Double Dipping in the two-year college system.

Why do we need a new law?

The School Board’s ban only applies to one agency of state government. While the two-year system was the poster-child for abuse, we don’t know where the next double-dipping scandal could take place. As long as it is legal for lawmakers to hold another state job in ANY agency, the potential for abuse is out there.