By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The state Ethics Commission is telling lawmakers it needs a 20 percent budget increase. If it doesn't get it, the commission says it's investigators may be unable to properly check out potential ethics cases. The Ethics Commission receives complaints against public officials, investigates them and then determines if anything may be wrong. The commission can issue a fine for minor infractions or can refer major infractions to a district attorney or to the attorney general for prosecution. Agency director Jim Sumner has requested one-point-one million dollars for fiscal year 2006 to maintain his current staff and prevent a backlog of cases.