Lawmakers give ethics commission subpoena power

The Legislature granted a long-standing request to the Alabama Ethics Commission late Wednesday, giving the panel subpoena power for the first time in its history.
The subpoena power is expected to be a strong tool in helping the commission staff investigate ethics complaints against public officials and public employees.
The bill now goes to Gov. Bob Riley for his signature.
The bill would require that reports and statements filed with the commission be made available on the Internet and reduce from five to four, the number of commission members it would take to authorize an investigation or initiate a complaint. The bill also would no longer limit the filing of a complaint to those who have actual knowledge of the allegations contained in the complaint.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen and Markeshia Ricks