Minnesota senators request public ethics review after advisory sought by Senator Champion; Senator Pappas named interim ethics subcommittee chair

Senator Champion asked the Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethics this morning for a public advisory opinion under Rule 55.2 after recent news reports raised alleged conflicts of interest, and the Rules Committee moved to temporarily replace him with Senator Pappas as chair of the subcommittee while the matter is reviewed.

Senator Murphy told the Senate Rules Committee that Champion "took the action this morning to request of the subcommittee on ethics an advisory opinion and that it be public," and that she and other members of the rules committee acted together to install Senator Pappas as temporary chair so "that work can proceed." The request for an advisory opinion was filed under the chamber's Rule 55.2 procedure, which allows members to ask the ethics subcommittee for a public or private advisory…