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FBI probe of Tennessee Legislature makes changes to Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance unlikely

Multiple FBI agents searched legislative offices at the Cordell Hull State Office Building in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. It's unknown what they were searching for. (Stephanie Amador/The Tennessean via AP) Multiple FBI agents searched legislative offices at the Cordell Hull State Office Building in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. It's unknown what they were searching for. (Stephanie Amador/The Tennessean via AP)

By Sam Stockard / Tennessee Lookout February 19, 2021 6 min read

With an FBI investigation hanging over the Tennessee Legislature, changes are improbable in the makeup of the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance.

An idea to merge the Registry of Election Finance and Ethics Commission into one eight-member body is being floated in the Legislature, as reported by the Tennessee Journal.

But it will meet resistance from key lawmakers and members of those panels.

Nashville attorney Tom Lawless, who chaired the registry board for the past year, said he would testify in opposition to a merger with the Ethics Commission if the idea starts to move in the Legislature.

“I don’t think we need any organic changes in the creature. We need modernization and some study to make it more efficient and transparent. Those are today’s buzzwords, but they’re true,” said Lawless, an outspoken Republican on the registry board.