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The Center for Ethics in Government was organized in 1999 to address the most critical, fundamental and far-reaching problem facing state legislatures: the loss of public trust and confidence in representative democracy. The mission of the nonpartisan center is to be a leader in restoring confidence in representative government by promoting ethical behavior for state legislators, staff, lobbyists and advocates.

The center's online research is divided into subtopics that include conflicts of interest, financial disclosures, lobbyist regulation, oversight and gifts. NCSL also has resources on staff ethics, an ethics and lobbying legislation database and a regularly updated breakdown of ethics in the news. 

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Honorarium Restrictions

States are divided between prohibiting and allowing honorarium for legislators. This chart shows how each state and territory deals with the issue.
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Legislator Gift Restrictions

Many states place looser limits on gifts from friends and family than gifts from lobbyists or others with an interest in influencing a legislator.
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Nepotism Restrictions

Nepotism is generally defined as the bestowal of patronage by public officers in appointing others to positions by reason of blood or marital relationship. Several states restrict nepotism by expressly prohibiting public officials from hiring relatives.
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NCSL Ethics Resources

NCSL provides many resources on governmental ethics issues, including 50-state surveys on state laws, a legislation database and informative articles.
Ethics

Lobbyist Registration Requirements

In every legislature in the United States, professional lobbyists must register before lobbying. The requirements vary by state.
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