Ethics bill sharply divides state House Republican caucus

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An ethics bill that would prohibit lawmakers from accepting lobbyist contributions during the legislative session finally passes in the state House.<br/><br/>Republican House members

Friday, March 17th 2006, 6:02 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An ethics bill that would prohibit lawmakers from accepting lobbyist contributions during the legislative session finally passes in the state House.

Republican House members huddled in a private caucus for more than two hours Thursday to discuss their differences over the measure. The closed-door meeting followed contentious debate over the legislation among Republicans.

A majority of GOP House members eventually voted with Democrats in passing the bill 86-to-3.

State House Speaker Todd Hiett says there was a lot of pressures on lawmakers regarding the issue because of its sensitivity.

Aside from barring lawmakers from accepting contributions, the bill would also bar candidates for statewide or county offices and any candidate committee from accepting contributions during the four-month legislative session.