Review and Reflection - Ethics in Principle and Practice

On April 23, 2014, the State Senate devoted an entire day to a review and reflection of ethical issues and the Senate Standards of Conduct. The review of "Ethics in Principle and Practice" entailed separate group sessions for Senators only, and for Senate Office Chiefs of Staff, Office Directors and Committee Chief Consultants. Following those group sessions, the material was reviewed in individual office staff meetings.

The group sessions included a presentation on “Strengthening a Culture of Ethics” by Scott Raecker, CEO of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and executive director of Character Counts at Drake University. The nonprofit Josephson Institute in Los Angeles has worked with corporations, governmental agencies and professionals on strengthening standards of conduct in individual and institutional decision-making.

A separate segment involved a panel of local legal experts who presented a variety of hypothetical scenarios to facilitate discussion and dialogue on ethical and legal issues.

The power points used by Mr. Raecker, and those outlining the hypothetical scenarios, are contained in the links below. You will also find a link to the California Senate Standards of Conduct.

Click here for the Senate Members Ethics Review
Click here for the Senate Staff Ethics Review
Click here for “Strengthening a Culture of Ethics”
Click here for the Revised Senate Standards of Conduct
Click here for the Changes to Senate Rules
Click here for the Senate Rule 56 “Blackout” Hypotheticals