1.    The terms of the initial members of the ethics commission must be staggered to ensure no more than two members’ terms expire in one year. The terms of the initial members may be less than four years to accommodate the required staggering of terms.

Terms Used In North Dakota Code 54-66-04

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Individual: means a human being. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See North Dakota Code 1-01-33

2.    Unless the complaint at issue has resulted in the imposition of a penalty or referral for enforcement under section 54-66-09, any portion of a meeting during which commission members discuss complaints, informal resolutions, attempts to informally resolve complaints, investigations, or referrals under this chapter, the identity of an accused individual or complainant, or any other matter arising from a complaint are closed meetings.

3.    The commission shall abide by a code of ethics adopted in a public meeting. The code of ethics must specify when a commission member is disqualified from participating in matters before the commission.

4.    Ethics commission members are entitled to:

a.    Compensation for each day necessarily spent conducting commission business in the amount provided for members of the legislative management under section 54-35-10; and

b.    Payment for mileage and travel expenses necessarily incurred in the conduct of commission business as provided under sections 44-08-04 and 54-06-09.

5.    The director of the office of management and budget shall allocate office space in the state capitol for the ethics commission, or, if office space in the capitol is unavailable, shall negotiate for, contract for, and obtain office space for the ethics commission in the city of Bismarck or in the Bismarck area. The ethics commission’s office space may not be located in the office space of any other government agency, board, commission, or other governmental entity, and must provide sufficient privacy and security for the ethics commission to conduct its business. The director shall charge the ethics    commission an amount equal to the fair value of the office space and related services the office of management and budget renders to the ethics commission.