The Ethics in Public Service Act (Ethics Act) prohibits state officers and state employees from using their public employment for personal gain or private advantage, or to provide special privileges or exemptions for anyone else unless required to perform duties within the scope of their employment.
The Ethics Act also places limitations on the solicitation and receipt of gifts. A "gift" is anything of economic value for which no consideration is given. A "gift" does not include items as specified under statute, such as:
State officers and state employees may not receive or solicit anything of economic value as a gift, gratuity, or favor from any person if it could reasonably be expected that the gift, gratuity, or favor would influence the vote, action, or judgment of the officer or employee, or be considered a reward for action or inaction. As a general rule, state officers and state employees are also prohibited from accepting gifts with an aggregate value in excess of $50 from a single source in a calendar year or a single gift from multiple sources with a value in excess of $50. A "single gift" includes any event, item, or group of items used in conjunction with each other or any trip.
Exemptions to the general rule are provided in statute and are items presumed to not influence the recipient. Examples include the following:
It is not a violation of the Ethics Act for legislators who serve as elected leaders of a regional or national legislative association and designated legislative employees to solicit gifts, grants, or donations to the legislative association for an official conference held outside of the state. A "regional or national legislative association" is any organization which: