Complaint Opinion 20-03

Date

06/30/2020

Number

2020 – No. 3

Topic

Special Privileges; Defamation

Respondent

Melanie Morgan

Question/Complaint

Is it a violation of the harassment section of the special privileges statute to send one text containing a legislator's concerns about a constituent to a third-party?

Summary

No. It is not harassment for a legislator to send one text to a third-party expressing concern about a constituent. The majority of the Board further determined that the term “work environment” in the statute is broader than just the employer-employee relationship and includes other persons who work within the legislative workplace. The Board determined it had no jurisdiction over the claims of slander and defamation.

Document

ETHICSCOM2020.03 (PDF 1.88 Megabytes)