Supporters of a proposed Ethics Commission in Vermont say they're disappointed that their plan didn't pass this session, but are already looking ahead to next year.
Vermont is one of the few states in the country that doesn't have an ethics commission.
The original plan was to have a five-person board work with an executive director to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by lawmakers and members of the executive branch.
The proposal was scaled back to a half-time director who would refer cases to the attorney general's office. The Senate passed the bill late in the session, but the House didn't have time to take it up.
Washington Sen. Anthony Pollina was the lead sponsor of the Senate bill.
"I think what some of the senators didn't quite understand is that when you lose trust of citizens," said Pollina, "you have a system that becomes corrupted because people don't believe it in as much anymore."
Pollina says he hopes that this issue will become a top priority for Legislative leaders next year.
