14-B:2 Committee Established; Membership. –
I. There is hereby established a legislative ethics committee to develop standards for legislative ethics and resolve, through procedures established in this chapter, issues, questions or complaints involving legislators and legislative staff and officers. The committee shall have the power to investigate allegations of improper conduct as set forth in this chapter. The committee shall consist of the following members, at least one of whom shall be an attorney who is a member of the New Hampshire bar:
(a) One house member, appointed by the speaker of the house.
(b) One house member, appointed by the house minority leader.
(c) One public member, appointed by the speaker of the house.
(d) One senator, appointed by the senate president.
(e) One senator, appointed by the senate minority leader.
(f) One public member, appointed by the senate president.
(g) [Repealed.]
(h) One public member, appointed jointly by the speaker of the house, the house minority leader, the senate president, and the senate minority leader.
II. No person registered with the secretary of state as a lobbyist under RSA 15 shall serve as a member of the legislative ethics committee or for 6 months following the expiration of such registration.
III. Appointments to the committee shall be made by December 31 prior to the first legislative session of the biennium. A committee meeting shall be called no later than February 1 in the first legislative session of the biennium. Prior to the first committee meeting, the speaker of the house of representatives and the senate president shall jointly select from the members of the committee a chairperson and vice-chairperson. The members shall serve for the biennium and shall not be removed from the committee for any reason except for good cause by unanimous vote of the remaining committee members. Members shall receive no compensation, except that legislative members shall receive mileage at the legislative rate and public members shall receive mileage at the state employee rate. The committee shall provide the executive branch ethics committee with copies of all publicly issued guidelines, procedures, decisions, and opinions.