A food fight at Legislative Ethics Board?

Florangela Davila • Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>A food fight at Legislative Ethics Board?</h1>
                <h2><p>The Legislative Ethics Board is considering proposals that would clamp down on Washington House and Senate members’ food freebies. These reforms could require lawmakers to foot the bill or publicly report any meals amounting to $5 or more bought by lobbyists, according to a report in The News Tribune. One</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/florangela-davila-crosscut-com/">Florangela Davila</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>The Legislative Ethics Board is considering proposals that would clamp down on Washington House and Senate members’ food freebies. These reforms could require lawmakers to foot the bill or publicly report any meals amounting to $5 or more bought by lobbyists, <a href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/06/09/3234480/ethics-board-looks-at-lawmakers.html?sp=%2F99%2F296%2F331%2F&ref=avalancheghost.one#storylink=cpy">according to a report in The News Tribune</a>. One proposal would limit free meals to one per week, while others proposals would limit free meals to three or five per year, or ban them altogether.Data reported last year by Associated Press and Northwest Public Radio showed that a half-dozen lawmakers had more than 40 free meals, worth at least $1,000 per lawmaker, over a few months, under a state law allowing “infrequent” meals. There’s no clear definition of “infrequent.” — E.W.</p>
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The Legislative Ethics Board is considering proposals that would clamp down on Washington House and Senate members’ food freebies. These reforms could require lawmakers to foot the bill or publicly report any meals amounting to $5 or more bought by lobbyists, according to a report in The News Tribune. One proposal would limit free meals to one per week, while others proposals would limit free meals to three or five per year, or ban them altogether.Data reported last year by Associated Press and Northwest Public Radio showed that a half-dozen lawmakers had more than 40 free meals, worth at least $1,000 per lawmaker, over a few months, under a state law allowing “infrequent” meals. There’s no clear definition of “infrequent.” — E.W.

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By Florangela Davila

Florangela Davila is Crosscut's former managing editor. She also oversaw arts and culture coverage and hosted the daily "Crosscut Now" news highlights show on KCTS 9. She's a longtime Seattle journali