Kleckley: Waive fine on teachers in recall
House Speaker Chuck Kleckley asked the state Ethics Board Wednesday to consider waiving $1,000 fines against school teachers who tried to oust him and Gov. Bobby Jindal from office.
“Many times deadlines and other campaign ethics requirements can be unclear to individuals not familiar with the political process. We are fortunate here in America to be able to voice our disagreements, and I strongly believe in protecting those rights,” Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, said in a prepared statement.
The Louisiana Board of Ethics is scheduled to review Friday whether Calcasieu Parish public school teachers Angie Bonvillian and Brenda Romero should each pay a $1,000 fine for missing the deadline on filing a report connected to their recall drives.
The teachers asked the Ethics Board to waive or reduce the fines.
Bonvillian told the board that she and other recall organizers “did not know what they were getting into.” Romero claimed she misunderstood the filing requirements.
Louisiana Republican Party executive director Jason Doré complained to the board about the teachers failing to submit documents to the state on time.
Successful legislation involving private school vouchers and teacher tenure sparked the recall efforts.
Bonvillian chaired the Jindal effort. Romero chaired the effort against Kleckley.
Neither effort generated the needed support for recall elections.