2016-1017 - Laserfiche WebLink

STATE OF LOUISIANA P��' �ous�92_ DEPARTMENT OF STATE CIVIL SERVICE 4 LOUISIANA BOARD OF ETHICS �� u� y1� P.O.BOX 4368 J, * $ BATON ROUGE,LA 70821 qtriirt �,o` (225)219-5600 Men. 0 FAX (225)381-7271 1-800-842-6630 www.ethics.la.gov November 21, 2016 Tabitha Gray Louisiana Department of Agriculture &Forestry 5825 Florida Blvd., Suite 2000 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 Re: Ethics Board Docket No. 2016-1017 Dear Ms. Gray: The Louisiana Board of Ethics, at its November 18, 2016 Board meeting, considered your request for an advisory opinion regarding the possible responsible parties if a public servant has not completed their annual ethics training as required by La. R.S.42:1170(3)(a)(i). You stated that the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has several boards,commissions and employees within the Department. La.R.S.42:1161A provides that every agency head shall file confidential reports with the board on any matters that come to his attention which he believes may constitute a violation of this Chapter which is within the board's jurisdiction. La.R.S. 42:1170A(3)(a)(i) provides that every public servant shall receive a minimum of one hour of education and training on the Code of Governmental Ethics during each year of his public employment or term of office, as the case may be. La. R.S. 42:1170C(1)provides that each agency head of a state agency shall designate at least one person who shall, with the assistance of the board, provide all public servants of that agency information and instruction relative to ethics and conflicts of interest concerning the following provisions: the Code of Governmental Ethics... The agency shall also provide instruction and information to such public servants intended to educate them about the particular ethics laws to which they are subject and the procedures by which such laws are enforced. The Board concluded, and instructed me to inform you,the responsibility of completion of annual mandatory ethics training per La. R.S. 42:1170(3)(a)(i) is born by each public servant. However, each state agency is required to provide instruction and information to the public servants on which ethics laws they are subject to including the completion of the one hour of mandatory ethics training. The responsibility for failure to provide such information or instruction to the agency's employees as required by La.R.S.42:1170C(1)would fall upon the person so designated by each state agency. Further,it is the responsibility agency head to provide agency head reports to the Board when matters come to the attention of the agency head that he believes is a violation of a provision within the AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER