New Ethics Rules Tripping Up Some Campaigns, Legislators
New ethics rules have Oklahoma legislators repaying campaigns for football tickets, other expenditures
by Nolan Clay
Some state legislators misused their campaign donations this year to make purchases forbidden by tougher new ethics rule, records show.
Among the banned items are University of Oklahoma football tickets.
Also banned are Oklahoma State University tickets, home mortgage payments, vacation costs, concert tickets, country club dues and even gas bought for the campaign trail.
Compliance officers at the Oklahoma Ethics Commission are systematically reviewing every campaign report this year. They are contacting candidates when a problem is found so it can be corrected. Violations are being treated as unintentional, a result of not realizing the rules changed.