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)