Oklahoma commission mulls rule change for lobbyists

Oklahoma commission mulls rule change for lobbyists
(Information from: The Journal Record, http://www.journalrecord.com)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma Ethics Commission is considering a rule change that would ban all state employees and officials from lobbying for two years after their tenure ends.
The Journal Record reports the proposed rule change would create what Oklahoma officials are calling a cooling-off period. The proposal was poorly received at a commission meeting Thursday.
Several critics say there isn’t a way to fully guard against unintended consequences under the proposed change. A group of lobbyists, lawyers and lawmakers asked the commission to abandon it.
Officials said they didn’t have any intention of acting on it that day.
More than 30 states nationwide have a cooling-off period. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, eight of those states have implemented two-year periods.