Ethics committee weighs use of legislative office funds for graduation certificates; narrows guidance to constituents

The Legislative Ethics Committee debated whether legislative offices should use state resources to produce and mail graduation certificates and congratulatory letters after staff reported 15,000 graduation-certificate requests were printed and distributed in 2025.

Kevin Reeve told the committee that 2025 requests totaled about 15,000 and that the print shop had produced multiple formats: a simple certificate, letters to graduates and separate letters to parents. Reeve said the practice began as a constituent-engagement tool but that volume and distribution — including to online-school students whose residences may be outside a legislator’s district — raised questions.

Members offered varying views. Representative Elise Galvin and others suggested keeping the practice but narrowing it: make certificates available only to constituents (the parent or graduate who is a resident/registered voter in the legislator’s district). Senator Gary Stevenson and others said recognizing high-school or college graduation is reasonable; some members opposed sending certificates for elementary grades. Several members noted the practice should be paid from a legislator’s office allowance if undertaken.

Committee members asked staff to provide consistent guidance for legislative offices when they receive requests. The chair and members proposed a practical rule: certificates or letters funded with office allowance money should be directed to residents/registered voters within a legislator’s district (this approach would address online schools and homeschool cases where the student’s residence determines eligibility). The committee did not issue a formal binding advisory opinion at the meeting but reached informal consensus that eligibility should be limited to constituents and that the office account is the appropriate funding source.

Committee staff will draft written guidance reflecting that a constituent’s residence (registered voter in the legislator’s district) determines eligibility and circulate it to members for review. Members asked staff to confirm print-shop charges and to clarify whether printed certificates are charged to office allowances or handled differently by the print shop.