Amendment X: Denver Post follows up on Colorado ethics violations

Thanks to the work of our friends at the Independence Institute, Governor Bill Ritter has been forced to comply with ethics requirements that allow the public to know of conflicts of interest from him and his Cabinet. After filing just one of 15 required disclosures over the last three years, Ritter is now reissuing the Executive Order that he failed to follow, with a huge exception.

The new executive order closely mirrors the 1999 executive order issued by former Gov. Bill Owens, though it rescinds a section requiring gift disclosures and puts monitoring authority in the hands of the Independent Ethics Commission in deference to Amendment 41. It does not require retroactive disclosures for the past three years.

Both the new and old order extend to Cabinet heads and members of the governor's staff.

So, if you get caught breaking the rules, just pass a new rule and pretend the last three years didn't happen.