Jurisdiction? D'OH!: clueless Kelsey's crass compliant kicked-out of TNGA House Ethics Committee

[doeriver]

Ethics committee won't take up complaint against Kent Williams
House group says it lacks authority
http://tennessean.com/article/20090129/NEWS0201/901290361/-1/NLETTER01?source=nletter-news
By Theo Emery
THE TENNESSEAN

The House Ethics Committee decided against hearing a complaint lodged against Speaker Kent Williams on Wednesday, saying the alleged sexual harassment at the heart of the complaint was outside the committee's jurisdiction.

The 12-member committee unanimously agreed not to take up the complaint brought by Rep. Brian Kelsey, a Germantown Republican. Rep. Beth Harwell, a Nashville Republican, made the motion against moving forward.

The decision angered Kelsey, who called the decision a "mockery of ethics."



Rep. Brian K. Kelsey, R-Germantown

"It was the verdict first, and then no trial," he said. "The explanation that the ethics committee doesn't have jurisdiction over ethics is laughable, if it weren't such a tragedy."

Harwell said that the ethics committee was not the correct venue to bring the complaint, and that moreover, the incidents that were the subject of the complaint had been properly resolved two years ago, when they arose.

"I do think that the procedure of bringing it before the ethics committee was the wrong place to bring it," she said.

The committee also approved a motion from Harwell to study how to take up sexual harassment allegations in the future. The House already has an avenue for taking up sexual harassment claims through the House administrative office.

Williams, who was absent from the legislature to attend funeral visitation for the wife of Rep. Les Winningham, said in a statement that he was pleased that the committee had resolved the matter.

"There are serious issues before us and we need serious people to join together to address them," he said. "We must get past the bickering and partisanship. The people of Tennessee expect and deserve our very best as we move forward to address these issues."