The Commission on Ethics reported high compliance in the latest electronic filing season and approved small but routine administrative rule updates to the instructions for disclosure forms.

Executive Director Carrie told commissioners that as of the Sept. 2 grace-period deadline overall compliance was 97.95 percent, with Form 1 compliance at 97.94 percent and Form 6 compliance at 98.11 percent. Fewer than 800 filers remained delinquent out of more than 36,000–38,000 registered filers, staff said. The commission recently enabled automated notices in its e-filing system: filers who submit late receive an automated fine notice and an electronic link to appeal or to pay the $25-per-day fine.

Staff also reported call-center outreach metrics: call-center representatives placed thousands of outgoing reminder calls and handled several thousand incoming calls to assist filers; staff credited targeted outreach (postcards, calls and emails) with improving compliance and reducing escalations to staff.

On routine regulatory housekeeping, commissioners voted to adopt minor changes to the instructions incorporated into administrative rule chapter 34-8. The updates include (1) calendar-year changes for form instructions; (2) clarified language directing filers to value real property at its market value for ad valorem tax purposes; and (3) insertion of the statutory definition of "household goods and personal effects" into the instructions so filers understand when to aggregate those assets for disclosure.

Why it matters: the near-98 percent compliance rate and the automated fine-and-appeal workflow reduce administrative burdens and speed enforcement. The instruction clarifications aim to reduce confusion and improve the quality of disclosure data.

Next steps: staff will debrief the season, publish metrics and consider whether to continue or modify call-center outreach and other assistance for future filing cycles.