Links to States' Legislative Ethics and Lobbying Laws
Back to Ethics State Statutes Links
October, 2009
This page contains links to ethics and lobbying statutes for the 50 states. In some cases, links to legislative rules or state constitutions are provided. However, this is not a complete list of all state constitutional ethics provisions and all ethics legislative rules.
Alabama
Alabama Code: Code of Ethics for Public Officials, Employees, Etc. Title 36, Chapter 25.
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Alaska
Alaska Statutes: Standards of Conduct, Title 24, Chapter 60.
For Regulation of Lobbying, Title 24, Chapter 45.
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Arizona
Arizona Revised Statutes
Title 38 - Public Officers and Employees
- For Conflict of Interest of Officers and Employees, scroll to Chapter 3, Conduct of Office; Article 8.
- For Standards of Conduct for Members of the State Legislature, scroll to Chapter 3, Conduct of Office; Article 8.1.
- For Standards for Financial Disclosure, scroll to Chapter 3.1.
Title 41 - State Government
For Registration and Regulation of Lobbyists, scroll to Chapter 7, Legislature; Article 8.1.
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Arkansas
Arkansas Code
For Ethics and Conflict of Interest laws for legislators and lobbyists, scroll to Title 21, Public Officers and Employees, Chapter 8.
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California
California Government Code
Conflict of Interest: Title 9 Chapter 7
Ethics: Title 9 Chapter 9.5
Lobbyists: Title 9 Chapter 6
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Colorado
Colorado Revised Statutes
- For Code of Ethics for Legislators: Title 24, Government-State; Administration; Article 18, Standards of Conduct; Part 1, Code of Ethics.
- For Public Official Disclosure Law and Regulation of Lobbyists: Title 24, Government-State; Administration; Article 6, Colorado Sunshine Law; Part 2, Public Official Disclosure Law; Part 3, Regulation of Lobbyists.
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Connecticut
Connecticut General Statutes
Code of Ethics. Title 1, Chapter 10 - §1-79 through 1-101.
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Delaware
Delaware Code Annotated
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Florida
Florida Statutes
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Georgia
Georgia Code
Code of Ethics for Government Service, Title 45, Public Officers and Employees, Chapter 10
- For prohibited activities, go to 45-10-3.
- For conflict of interest, go to 45-10-20 - 45-10-80.
Ethics in Government Act. Title 21, Elections; Chapter 5.
- For powers of the state ethics commission, go to 21-5-6 and 21-5-7.
- For honorarium restrictions, go to 21-5-11.
- For financial disclosure requirements, go to 21-5-50 - 21-5-53.
- For lobbyist regulation, go to 21-5-70 - 21-5-76.
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Hawaii
Hawaii Revised Statutes
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Idaho
Idaho Code
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Illinois
Illinois Compiled Statutes
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Indiana
Indiana Code
- Legislative Ethics.Title 2, General Assembly; Article 2.1, Legislative Sessions and Procedures; Chapter 3
- Bribery, Conflict of Interest, and Official Misconduct.Title 35, Criminal Law and Procedure; Article 44, Offenses Against Public Administration; Chapter 1.
- Lobbyists. Title 2, General Assembly; Article 7.
- Ethics and Conflicts of Interest. Title 4, State Offices and Administration; Article 2, State Officers Generally; Chapter 6. (In this section, the term "state officer" does not apply to legislator.)
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Iowa
Iowa Code
Conflict of Interest of Public Officers and Employees. Title II, Subtitle 2, Chapter 68B.
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Kansas
Kansas Statutes
Scroll to Statute Table of Contents and highlight Chapter 46 - Legislatures. Then click the "List Articles in Chapter" button. Highlight Article 2 - State Governmental Ethics and click the "List Statutes in Article" button. State Governmental Ethics Law: 46-215 - 46-293.
- Gift restrictions are at 46-237 and 46-237a.
- Financial disclosure requirements are at 46-239 and 46-247 - 46-252.
- Nepotism restrictions are at 46-246a.
- Lobbyist regulation is at 46-265 - 46-271.
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Kentucky
Kentucky Revised Statutes
Chapter 6. Ethics laws are from 6.601-6.850.
- For Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission, scroll to 6.651.
- For Conduct of Legislators, scroll to 6.731.
- For Financial Disclosure, scroll to 6.781.
- For Legislative Lobbying, scroll to 6.801.
Chapter 11A. For Executive Agency Lobbying, scroll to 11A.201.
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Louisiana
Louisiana Revised Statutes
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Maine
Maine Revised Statutes Annotated
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Maryland
Maryland Code
For Public Ethics, §15-101 - 15-715, go to State Government; Title 15, Public Ethics.
- Subtitle 5 is Conflict of Interest.
- Subtitle 6 is Financial Disclosure.
- Subtitle 7 is Lobbying regulations.
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Massachusetts
General Laws of Massachusetts
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Michigan
Michigan Codified Laws
Chapter 15, Public Officers and Employees:
Chapter 4, Legislature
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Minnesota
Minnesota Statutes
Legislator ethics and lobbyist regulation under Chapter 10A, Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure.
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Mississippi
Mississippi Code
- For Ethics in Government, scroll to Title 25, Public Officers and Employees, Public Records; Chapter 4, Ethics in Government.
- For the Lobbying Law Reform Act of 1994, scroll to Title 5, Legislative Department; Chapter 8.
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Missouri
Missouri Revised Statutes
Chapter 105, Public Officers and Employees - Miscellaneous Provisions
- For Ethics Laws, scroll to 105.450 - 105.496.
- Lobbyist laws start at 105.470.
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Montana
Montana Code Annotated
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Nebraska
Nebraska Revised Statutes
Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act
- Financial disclosure starts at 49-1493.
- Lobbying regulations start at 49-1480.
- Conflict of Interest starts at 49-1498.
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Nevada
Nevada Revised Statutes
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New Hampshire
New Hampshire Revised Statutes
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New Jersey
New Jersey Statutes Annotated
- Ethics Laws for legislators and lobbyists are at N.J.S.A. 52:13C.
- Conflict of interest laws are at 52:13D.
To use New Jersey's system, scroll to Title 52. Click on the cross button to the left of the title to view all the sections in the title. Click on the arrow icon in the lower right corner of the screen to view more sections. Do this until Section 52:13C is visible. This is the start of the state's legislative ethics laws. Scroll to 52:13D for Conflict of Interest law.
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New Mexico
New Mexico Statutes Unannotated
Note that the term "public official" does not apply to legislators in New Mexico.
- Governmental Conduct, Chapter 10; Article 16.
- Financial Disclosures, Chapter 10; Article 16A.
- Governmental Ethics Oversight Committee, Chapter 2; Article 15.
- Lobbyist Regulation,Chapter 2; Article 11.
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New York
New York State Consolidated Laws
- Legislative Ethics Commission: Consolidated Laws, Legislative (LEG), Article 5.
- Powers and Duties of Public Officers: Consolidated Laws, Public Officers (PBO), Article 4.
- For Financial Disclosure scroll to 73a.
- For Code of Ethics, scroll to 74.
- For Bribery, scroll to section 75.
- Lobbying Act: Consolidated Laws, Legislative (LEG), Article 1-A
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North Carolina
North Carolina General Statutes
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North Dakota
North Dakota Century Code
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Ohio
Ohio Revised Code
- Public Officers Ethics: Title 1, State Government; Chapter 102.
- Legislative Lobbying: Title 1, State Government; Chapter 101, General Assembly; 101.70-101.79.
- Retirement System Lobbying: Title 1, State Government; Chapter 101 General Assembly; 101.90-101.99.
- Executive Agency Lobbying: Title 1, State Government; Chapter 121, State Departments; 121.60-121.69.
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Oklahoma
Laws governing the Ethics Commission, the conduct of state officers and state employees, and related statutes requiring lobbyist registration, fees, etc. include, but are not limited to, the following:
- In the Oklahoma Constitution, found on the Oklahoma Legislatures's Web site: Ethics Rules, Ethics Commission and Criminal Penalties, click on Article XXIX, Ethics Commission.
- In the Oklahoma Statutes:
- Title 17, Section 48;
- Title 21, Sections 308 334, 360 and 463;
- Title 68, Section 2358.3;
- Chapter 62--Ethics Commission Act [Sections 4200 through 4248.1 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes [repealed];
- Chapter 62--statutes governing lobbying registration and activities [Sections 4249 through 4258 of the Oklahoma Statutes];
- and Chapter 62--Appendix: Title 257. Ethics Commission [Section 257:1-1-1 et seq. of the Rules of the Ethics Commission, 74 Oklahoma Statutes, Chapter 62, Appendix] [the “Rules”].
Oklahoma Statutes
A document from the Oklahoma Ethics Commission compiles much of the above.
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Oregon
Oregon Revised Statutes
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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes
- Title 65 Pa.C.S.A. Public Officers, Chapter 11, Ethics Standards and Financial Disclosure.
- Title 65 Pa.C.S.A. Public Officers, Chapter 13, Lobby Regulation and Disclosure.
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Rhode Island
Rhode Island General Laws
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South Carolina
South Carolina Code
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South Dakota
South Dakota Codified Laws
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Tennessee
Tennessee Code Annotated
Title 3, Legislature, Chapter 5 Ethics and Lobbying.
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Texas
Texas Government Code
- For the Texas Ethics Commission, scroll to Chapter 571.
- For Personal Financial Disclosure, Standards of Conduct, and Conflict of Interest scroll to Chapter 572.
- For Registration of Lobbyists, scroll to Chapter 305.
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Utah
Utah Code
- Lobbyist Disclosure and Regulation Act, Title 36, Chapter 11.
- Legislative Conflict of Interest, Title 36, Chapter 19.
- Prohibiting Employment of Relatives, Title 52, Chapter 03.
- Offenses Against Administration of the Government, Title 76, Chapter 8
- For bribery, go to 76-8-105.
- For alteration of legislation, go to 76-8-107 and 76-8-108.
- For failure of a legislator to disclose interest in a bill, go to 76-8-109.
See also Joint Legislative Rules. Joint ethics rules are at JR-16.01-JR-16.07.
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Vermont
Vermont Statutes Annotated
For Registration of Lobbyists, go to Title 2, Chapter 11.
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Virginia
Code of Virginia
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Washington
Revised Code of Washington
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West Virginia
West Virginia Code
Public Officers and Employees, Ethics, Conflict of Interest, Financial Disclosure, Chapter 6B.
- Ethics Commission powers and duties begin at Article 2.
- Lobbyist laws begin at Article 3.
- Ethical standards for elected and appointed officials and public employees are at 6B-2-5.
- Financial disclosure requirements begin at 6B-2-6.
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin Statutes
- General Duties of Public Officials. For Code of Ethics for Public Officials and Employees, scroll to Chapter 19 and view statutes 19.41 to 19.59.
- Financial disclosure begins at 19.43.
- Conflict of interest prohibition is at 19.46.
- Honorariums are discussed at 19.56.
- For Regulation of Lobbying, go to Chapter 13, Legislative Branch. Scroll to Subchapter III, 13.61 to 13.75.
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Wyoming
Wyoming Statutes
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