Today, the Independent Ethics Commission issued its first letter rulings. The IEC issued the rulings in response to requests from the public.  In Letter Ruling 09-01, the IEC ruled that lobbyists may not circumvent the lobbyist gift ban of Article XXIX of the Colorado Constitution by taking legislators to an exclusive club that does not permit non-members to pay for meals. In Letter Ruling 09-02, the IEC held that the lobbyist gift ban does not prevent a non-profit organization from hosting public officials or employees at an annual luncheon, so long as the organization does not exceed the $50 annual limit on gifts from non-lobbyists.

The IEC is authorized by its rules to issue letter rulings in response to ethics questions from members of the public who are not public officials or employees.

More information regarding the IEC can be found at the IEC website and Ethics Watch's Eye on the IEC.