MADISON — Members of Wisconsin's newly created commission charged with overseeing the state's ethics, lobbying and campaign finance laws were to vote on whether they will allow themselves to make political donations.
Nothing in state law bars members of the new Ethics Commission from donating to the very politicians they are regulating. But the panel was to vote Tuesday on whether to allow donations or ban them for candidates and campaign committees.
Commission members are partisan appointees, unlike their predecessors on the Government Accountability Board who were retired judges and prohibited under the law from donating.
One option before the commission is to refrain from making any contribution to a candidate for state or local office "to avoid the appearance of bias."
All six commissioners have made political donations in recent years.