BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota Democratic lawmakers are attempting once again to form a panel to investigate alleged acts of wrongdoing by politicians.
Democratic House Minority Leader Corey Mock, of Grand Forks, has been unsuccessfully pushing for years to establish an ethics commission in North Dakota, one of only a handful of states without such a panel.
Mock says his bill was not prompted by any ethics problems he has observed. But he believes a law now is better than one enacted later in response to an ethics scandal in the Legislature.
Opponents have argued that an ethics commission isn't required in North Dakota because the Legislature already follows high standards of conduct.
House Majority Leader Al Carlson, of Fargo, calls Mock's bill "a solution in search of a problem."