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Advisory opinion request regarding whether V.J. St. Pierre, Jr. may accept registration and financial assistance from Kijang County to attend the Kijang Forum for Safety and Prosperity with Nuclear Installations. |
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V.J. St. Pierre, Jr. is the Parish President for St. Charles Parish. Mr. St. Pierre has been invited to attend an international forum, the Kijang Forum for Safety and Prosperity with Nuclear Installations, in South Korea. The forum is related to safety procedures at nuclear power plants, several of which are located in St. Charles Parish. The Mayor of Kijang County has offered to provide registration and financial assistance to cover flight, accommodations, local transportation and industrial touring.
Kijang County has no contractual or other financial relationships with St. Charles Parish.
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La. R.S. 42:1115A(1) prohibits a public servant from soliciting or accepting, directly or indirectly, any thing of economic value as a gift or gratuity from any person or from any officer, director, agent, or employee of such person, if such public servant knows or reasonably should know that such person has or is seeking to have a contractual, business or financial relationship with the public servant's agency.
La. R.S. 42:1111A prohibits a public employee from receiving anything of economic value, other than compensation and benefits from the governmental entity to which he is duly entitled, for the performance of the duties and responsibilities of his office or position.
Ethics Board Docket No. 2003-022 and 1997-298: In both of these opinions, the Board stated that since a foreign government [China], not a private entity, was paying for the expenses to travel to a meeting in China, no apparent violation of the Code would be presented by the elected officials and public employees attending the trip at the expense of the Chinese government.
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Adopt the proposed advisory opinion.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Tracy Barker |
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