OCG Institute Launches CLEAN RI
The Coalition for Legislative Ethics and Accountability Now
WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND, June 19, 2015/OCG Institute/-
Rhode Island is once again rocked by corruption in our political system. OCG Institute, the education arm of Operation Clean Government, is creating CLEAN RI, a coalition of organizations to support the strengthening of Ethics Commission oversight of the members of the Rhode Island General Assembly.
“The research is quite clear,” said Bill Felkner, CLEAN RI project coordinator. “Corruption negatively impacts our economy and culture. We must restore impartial legislative oversight and restore honor to our state.”
In 1986 the citizens of Rhode Island voted overwhelmingly to create an Ethics Commission to hold our public servants accountable to a Code of Ethics, but in 2009 the Courts took away that portion of the oversight that applied to members of the General Assembly. The OCG Institute has created CLEAN RI to educate the public about the benefits of restoration of that oversight of state legislators.
“How many more House Speakers, how many more legislators need to resign in disgrace before we admit there is a problem?” asked Margaret Kane of the OCG Institute. She continued, “Of greater concern are the others who are not caught because of the lack of oversight. We as a State need to clean up our act.”
About OCG Institute
The OCG Institute is a non-partisan nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the people of Rhode Island on issues related to government ethics and the electoral process.
Contact:
Margaret Kane, President, Operation Clean Government
(401) 339-5095
Bill Felkner, Project Coordinator, OCG Institute
(401) 474-1893
www.cleanri.org