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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 center, which is nonpartisan, nonprofit and funded by NCSL's Foundation for State Legislatures, 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. 

Recommended Ethics Resources

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Elected Officials Fiscal Disclosure Series

Ethics laws in many states require elected officials including legislators to disclose financial information as a means of discouraging conflicts between official duties and private interests. These requirements may include personal household member information, income from various sources, any financial ties with a state or public agency, and any gifts or honorarium received.
Ethics

Committees and Commissions: What's the Difference?

Committees and commissions are the two primary types of entities tasked with the oversight of legislative ethics. The two terms may be used interchangeably in some circumstances but they are not the same thing.
Ethics
Table

Gray Areas: Every State Handles Ethics in Its Own Way

State ethics officials handle a gamut of complaints ranging from harassment and workplace discrimination to election expenditures, lobbying gifts and potential conflicts of interest. And every state does things in its own way.

Ethics
State Legislatures News

Ethics in the News 2022

Ethics in the News is a monthly summary of ethics- and lobbying-related articles published in 2022, compiled by NCSL’s Center for Ethics in Government.

Ethics
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