Title 42. Public Officers and Employees
Chapter 15. Code of Governmental Ethics
Part II. Ethical Standards for Public Servants
42:1111 Payment from nonpublic sources
A. Payments for services to the governmental entity. (1)(a) No public servant shall receive anything of economic value, other than compensation and benefits from the governmental entity to which he is duly entitled, for the performance of the duties and responsibilities of his office or position.
(b) Any supplementary compensation or benefits provided to an employee of a public higher education institution, board, or system from funds or property accruing to the benefit of the institution, board, or system as approved by the appropriate policy or management board, through an alumni organization recognized by the management board of a college or university within the state or through a foundation organized by the alumni or other supportive individuals of a college or university within the state the charter of which specifically provides that the purpose of the foundation is to aid said college or university in a philanthropic manner shall be deemed for purposes of this Subsection as compensation and benefits from the government to which he is duly entitled.
(c) Any supplementary compensation or benefits provided to the director of the Louisiana State Museum as approved by the board of directors of the Louisiana State Museum through the board or a foundation organized to support any particular museum under the jurisdiction of the Louisiana State Museum whose charter specifically provides that the purpose of the foundation is to aid the museum in a philanthropic manner shall be deemed for purposes of this Subsection as compensation and benefits from the government to which he is duly entitled.
(2) Any supplementary compensation or benefits provided to the commissioner of higher education or to an employee of the Board of Regents from funds or property accruing to the benefit of the board as approved by appropriate policy through a foundation organized to support higher education, including the Board of Regents, the charter of which specifically provides that the purpose of the foundation is to aid higher education in a philanthropic manner shall be deemed for purposes of this Subsection as compensation and benefits from the government to which he is duly entitled.
(3) Any supplementary compensation or benefits provided to a member of the faculty, administration, or staff of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts from funds or property accruing to the benefit of the center pursuant to the approval of the board of directors for use as provided in R.S. 17:1970.27 through a foundation organized to support the center which is chartered specifically to provide aid to the center in a philanthropic manner shall be deemed for purposes of this Subsection as a supplement to his compensation to which he is duly entitled. Such a supplement shall not, however, be considered as regular compensation from his governmental employer nor shall it form any basis for governmentally supported benefits.
(4) Up to five thousand dollars per year to be credited against qualified student loan debt that is provided to a former law student who is an attorney and a public employee through a bona fide Loan Repayment Assistance Program established as a qualified program under the federal Internal Revenue Code and administered by any law school using funds or property accruing to the benefit of the law school or from a foundation which is organized specifically to aid and support the programs of the law school and the charter of which specifically provides that the purpose of the foundation is to aid the law school in a philanthropic manner shall be deemed for purposes of this Subsection as a supplement to his compensation to which he is duly entitled. However, such a supplement shall not be considered regular compensation from the governmental entity which employs him, nor shall it be the basis for governmentally supported benefits.
(5) Any compensation paid to any public school teacher or administrator, including kindergarten through the twelfth grade and postsecondary education instructional faculty and administrators, for proctoring and assisting a bona fide non-profit testing organization in the administration of standardized tests either for student evaluation or for use in admission to college or other educational programs shall be deemed for purposes of this Part as compensation from his governmental entity to which he is duly entitled. Such compensation shall not, however, be considered as regular compensation from his governmental entity nor shall it form any basis for governmentally supported benefits. Moreover, such services shall be deemed for purposes of this Part to be performed for the benefit of his governmental entity, although the time spent in such matters shall not be deemed as hours worked for his governmental entity.
(6) Any award or stipend provided to any public school teacher or administrator for his participation in the National Math and Science Initiative, shall be deemed for purposes of this Part as compensation from his governmental entity to which he is duly entitled. Such an award or stipend shall not be considered regular compensation from his governmental entity nor shall it form any basis for governmentally supported benefits. For the purposes of this Part, the services for which the award or stipend is received shall be deemed to be performed for the benefit of the public school teacher’s or administrator’s governmental entity.
B. Finder’s fees. No public servant shall receive any thing of economic value from a person to whom the public servant has directed business of the governmental entity.
C. Payments for nonpublic service. (1) No public servant shall receive any thing of economic value for any service, the subject matter of which:
(a) Is devoted substantially to the responsibilities, programs, or operations of the agency of the public servant and in which the public servant has participated; or
(b) Draws substantially upon official data or ideas which have not become part of the body of public information.
(2) No public servant and no legal entity in which the public servant exercises control or owns an interest in excess of twenty-five percent, shall receive any thing of economic value for or in consideration of services rendered, or to be rendered, to or for any person during his public service unless such services are:
(a) Bona fide and actually performed by the public servant or by the entity;
(b) Not within the course of his official duties;
(c) Not prohibited by R.S. 42:1112 or by applicable laws or regulations governing nonpublic employment for such public servant; and
(d) Neither performed for nor compensated by any person from whom such public servant would be prohibited by R.S. 42:1115(A)(1) or (B) from receiving a gift.
(3)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, and specifically the provisions of this Section, an employee of the office of the clerk of court may research public records, prepare chains of title, or perform any other title abstract related work, for compensation from nonpublic sources, with the approval of the clerk of court, provided such services are not performed during the employee’s assigned working hours and do not interfere with the performance of his assigned duties.
(b) No clerk of court shall receive any compensation or any portion of compensation received by any employee from nonpublic sources for the performance of any services related to the preparation of chains of title or any other title abstract related work approved by the clerk of court to be done by an employee during his nonworking hours.
(c) A willful violation of this Paragraph shall subject the clerk of court to a conviction of a misdemeanor and a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than two thousand dollars.
(d) The clerk of court of each parish in conjunction with the parish governing authority shall promulgate rules and regulations for the use of its facilities, records, and equipment by all abstractors, including deputy clerks, regarding availability, costs, and procedures.
(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (2)(d) of this Subsection, an elected official shall not be prohibited for a period of not more than ninety days following the first day of his initial term of office from receiving compensation from a person from whom he would be prohibited by R.S. 42:1115(A)(1) from receiving a gift for the completion while in office of any contract or subcontract which was entered into prior to his initial election to office, provided that such contract or subcontract is written and includes established terms for compensation and completion and that such contract or subcontract shall not be renewed after his initial election. Within thirty days of taking office, the elected official shall file a written notice of such contract or subcontract with his governmental entity and the Board of Ethics, setting forth the nature of the contract or subcontract, the established completion date, and the established compensation therefor.
D. Payments for future services. No public servant shall receive, directly or indirectly, any thing of economic value during the term of his public service in consideration of personal services to be rendered to or for any person subsequent to the term of such public service; however, a public servant may enter into a contract for prospective employment during the term of his public service unless otherwise prohibited by R.S. 42:1116.
E. Payments for rendering assistance to certain persons. (1) No public servant, and no legal entity of which such public servant is an officer, director, trustee, partner, or employee, or in which such public servant has a substantial economic interest, shall receive or agree to receive any thing of economic value for assisting a person in a transaction, or in an appearance in connection with a transaction, with the agency of such public servant.
(2)(a) No elected official of a governmental entity shall receive or agree to receive any thing of economic value for assisting a person in a transaction or in an appearance in connection with a transaction with the governmental entity or its officials or agencies, unless he files a written statement with the board prior to or within ten days after initial assistance is rendered.
(b) For purposes of this Paragraph, “transaction” shall not include a ministerial transaction. “Ministerial transaction” means a transaction that involves routine, administrative communications intended to obtain service, information, or assistance from a public employee whose duties are established in plain and unmistakable terms by law, rule, or regulation.
(c) The contents of the written statement required by this Paragraph shall be prescribed by the board and shall include a certification by the elected official filing it that the information contained in the statement is true and correct to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief. The statement shall be a public record.
(d) The board shall review all statements filed in accordance with this Paragraph. If the board determines that a statement is deficient or may suggest a possible violation of this Part, it shall, within ten days of the receipt of such statement, notify the elected official filing the statement of its findings. Such notification shall be deemed confidential and privileged and shall be made public only in connection with a public hearing by the board for an alleged violation of this Part where such would be relevant to the alleged violation for which the elected official is being investigated.
Acts 1979, No. 443, § 1, eff. April 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1983, No. 403, § 1; Acts 1983, No. 697, § 1; Acts 1986, No. 359, § 1; Acts 1992, No. 1123, § 1; Acts 1995, No. 74, § 1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 2004, No. 722, § 1; Acts 2006, No. 517, § 1, eff. June 22, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 773, § 1, eff. June 30, 2006; Acts 2008, No. 245, § 1; Acts 2008, No. 690, § 1; Acts 2010, No. 525, § 4, eff. June 24, 2010; Acts 2014, No. 227, § 1, eff. May 28, 2014; Acts 2015, No. 263, § 2, eff. Jan. 12, 2016; Acts 2017, No. 388, § 1, eff. June 23, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 183, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2019.