Bill eliminates local government conflicts

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INDIANAPOLIS — A bill meant to stem conflicts of interest in local government passed the Indiana House, 70-26, on Monday.

The bill would restrict individuals from holding office in the same local government where they are employed. The bill doesn’t affect the 2012 elections or officeholders serving out their current terms.

A sticking point for many House members was the bill’s inclusion of volunteer firefighters.

State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said the House should trust in the democratic process and that law already requires elected officials to recuse themselves from voting if there are conflicts.

“Particularly, volunteer firefighters is the one that really gets to me. These are people who are not even paid,” Pierce said. “They are giving up time to protect their community and they might have some good understanding of fire protection from training.”

State Rep. Kevin Mahan, R-Hartford City, said the reason professional firefighters are in favor of the bill is because it doesn’t exempt volunteers.

“We did not want to create a system where full-time guys can’t run from office,” Mahan said, “and part-time folks that can.”

Additionally, the bill prohibits new instances of nepotism after July 1 in local government by banning individuals from directly supervising their relatives.