The Oklahoma Ethics Commission will hold an informal hearing on its proposed “cooling off” period amendment which would restrict elected officials and state employees from working as a lobbyist until two years after leaving the job. The special meeting will be held Friday, October 27 at OSU-OKC, 900. N. Portland in the Student Center Room 304 B at 2:00 p.m.
The Commission wants to gather public comments concerning the proposed rule before making its final decision. Supporters believe elected officials and some state employees have jobs waiting for them in the lobbying ranks and feel the cooling off period would prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest. Opponents believe valuable institutional knowledge is lost with a waiting period and could discourage participation in state government.
The full text of the proposed rule can be found here.
