Advisory opinion request from Archie Watson, on behalf of the Maintenance Division of the Shreveport Fire Department (the "Maintenance Division"), as to whether the Code of Governmental Ethics (the "Code") permits the Maintenance Division to hire the son of a current employee. |
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Randy McCollum is currently employed by the Maintenance Division with the role of Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT). He has been employed in that role for 15 years. Austin McCollum, son of Randy McCollum is interested in applying for employment with the Maintenance Division. If hired, he would have the role of EVT. Randy McCollum is approaching promotion to the rank of EVT II. If Austin McCollum was hired, and Randy McCollum was promoted, Randy McCollum would be Austin McCollum's direct supervisor.
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La. R.S. 42:1112B(1) states that no public servant shall participate in a transaction involving the governmental entity in which, to his actual knowledge, any member of his immediate family has a substantial economic interest. La. R.S. 42:1112C allows a disqualification plan to be developed in accordance with rules adopted by the Board to remove a public servant from participating in transactions that would otherwise present violations of Section 1112 of the Code. La. R.S. 42:1119A states that no member of the immediate family of an agency head shall be employed in his agency. La. R.S. 42:1102(2)(a)(i) defines "agency" to mean a department, office, division, agency, commission, board, committee, or other organizational unit of a governmental entity. La. R.S. 42:1102(3) defines "agency head" to mean the chief executive or administrative officer of an agency or any member of a board or commission who exercises supervision over the agency. La. R.S. 42:1102(13) defines "immediate family" as the term relates to a public servant to mean his children, the spouses of his children, his brothers and their spouses, his sisters and their spouses, his parents, his spouse, and the parents of his spouse. La. R.S. 42:1102(18)(a) defines "public employee" to mean any person, whether compensated or not who is: (i) an administrative officer or official of a governmental entity who is not filling an elective office; (ii) appointed by any elected official when acting in an official capacity, and the appointment is to a post or position wherein the appointee is to serve the governmental entity or an agency thereof, either as a member of an agency, or as an employee thereof; (iii) engaged in the performance of a governmental function; (iv) under the supervision or authority of an elected official or another employee of the governmental entity. La. R.S. 42:1102(19) defines "public servant" to mean a public employee or elected official.
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Adopt proposed advisory opinion.
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Assigned Attorney: |
Charles Reeves |
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