SB 17-150

Senate Bill 17-150 restricts public officials from hiring or promoting relatives in their departments or agencies. It also bans them from advocating for the employment of family members in positions under their control. The law doesn't apply to hourly workers and allows exceptions during emergencies like natural disasters. Since it has been signed, this bill is now an active law that public officials must follow to avoid conflicts of interest when hiring or promoting employees.

Official Summary

The bill prohibits a public official from appointing, employing, promoting, or advancing a relative, and from advocating for the appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement of a relative, in or to a position in the state agency in which the public official is serving or over which the public official exercises jurisdiction or control. An individual who is appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced by a public official who is a relative, or who had a relative who is a public official advocate for his or her appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, is not entitled to salary or benefits in connection with state employment. These requirements do not apply to positions in which the employee is paid hourly. The executive director of the department of personnel is authorized to promulgate rules for the temporary employment of individuals whose employment would otherwise be prohibited in the event of emergencies resulting from natural disasters or similar unforeseen events. The bill does not prohibit an individual from being appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced in a state agency in which he or she has a relative who is a public official, so long as the public official did not violate the provisions of the bill and the appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement is accordance with the requirements of the state personnel system specified in the state constitution and the 'State Personnel System Act'. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Votes