Bill > SB120

This bill makes several revisions to Georgia's Ethics in Government Act, including: 1. Renaming the "Ethics in Government Act" to the "Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act". 2. Expanding the definition of "public officer" to include additional state officials and elected county and municipal officials. 3. Allowing the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission to initiate investigations based on complaints from its own staff attorneys. 4. Extending the statute of limitations for violations involving elected officials with longer terms. 5. Increasing the record retention requirements for campaign finance records. 6. Imposing restrictions on how candidates can use surplus campaign funds. 7. Requiring candidates for the state legislature to pay any outstanding fines, fees, or taxes owed to the Commission before qualifying for election. 8. Revising the financial disclosure requirements for public officers and candidates, including expanding the look-back period and requiring the disclosure of income sources. 9. Exempting soil and water conservation district supervisors from the personal financial disclosure requirements. The overall goal of the bill is to strengthen ethics and campaign finance laws in Georgia by enhancing transparency and accountability.