Bowser defends ethics reform proposal

The chair of the D.C. Council committee that drafted sweeping ethics reform legislation for the city’s elected officials responded Monday to comments that the draft bill didn’t go far enough to make a difference in squashing shady behavior.

“The bill responds specifically to recent ethical lapses by subjecting elected officials to strict penalties — criminal and civil — to enhanced disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, and to limits on the use of constituent services funds,” Ward 4 Councilwoman Muriel Bowser said in a statement. “And it sets up a new enforcement framework, the Board of Ethics, to sheriff any future misdeeds. It’s a serious effort to restore the public’s trust in its representatives.”