ND SB2034

Ethics commission may issue written advisory opinions to public officials, candidates for elected office, and lobbyists regarding application of North Dakota Constitution Article XIV and state ethics statutes and rules related to transparency, corruption, elections, and lobbying.

Ethics commission must notify requesters within 14 days whether an opinion will be provided and must issue the opinion within 90 days of that notification.

Individuals acting in good faith according to an advisory opinion are protected from criminal and civil penalties if the material facts of their action substantially match the conduct presented in the opinion.

Opinions and requests are open records except that names of persons in the opinions and requests must be exempt from disclosure.

Ethics commission must publish all written advisory opinions on a publicly accessible website.