House Speaker Brian Bosma calls for ethics probe of Rep. Eric Turner
Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma called Thursday for an ethics probe into a top GOP lawmaker’s role in killing a measure bad for his family’s business.
In a letter, Bosma requested that the House ethics committee determine whether fellow GOP Rep. Eric Turner broke any rules when he helped quash a proposed nursing home moratorium that his son and daughter had lobbied against.
Bosma’s request is the first of its kind in years and comes two days after Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody asked Bosma to investigate the matter.
Turner, a Cicero Republican, abstained from voting on the proposed moratorium, but behind closed doors he passionately urged fellow Republicans to kill the measure during private caucus meetings, according to four GOP lawmakers.
Those lawmakers, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak about private caucus meetings, said they thought Turner had a conflict of interest and that his efforts to stop the moratorium were inappropriate.
Several witnesses to the discussions told The Indianapolis Star on Thursday that Bosma was present when Turner spoke and that on at least one occasion Bosma suggested that Turner stop talking.
Some of those witnesses also told The Star they thought Bosma and other leaders should have been more firm in restraining Turner’s lobbying on the issue.
In his letter, Bosma does not say whether he thinks Turner’s actions were appropriate. He was unavailable for comment Thursday, a spokeswoman said.
The temporary moratorium would have halted new nursing home development — a necessary step because of low occupancy rates, proponents say.
But a coalition led by Carmel-based health care facility developer Mainstreet Property Group opposed the measure, arguing that it would stifle economic development and hurt job creation.
Turner’s 36-year-old son, Zeke Turner, is the chairman and CEO of Mainstreet. He testified against the measure during a House committee hearing and has said the moratorium would threaten 24 skilled nursing properties the firm planned to build.
Eric Turner was an early investor in Mainstreet, and his daughter lobbies for the firm.
Turner has declined to return repeated phone calls from The Star. Mainstreet officials also declined to comment.
In his letter, Bosma also asked the ethics committee to consider revisions to House rules or the statute regarding forms lawmakers must fill out disclosing their personal financial interests.
House ethics rules ban lawmakers from sponsoring or voting on legislation that “might reasonably be expected to directly result in a substantial increase of his or her non-legislative income.”
The rules do not address caucus debate or other forms of clout a lawmaker might bring to bear on an issue.
Turner is the second-highest ranking member of the House and carried some of the session’s most important and controversial legislation, including a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and a package of business tax cuts. He is also one of the Republican caucus’s top fundraisers. His campaign has contributed nearly $215,000 to the Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee over the past 10 years.
As for the financial disclosure forms, they require lawmakers and their spouses to list their employers, businesses and stock holdings of more than $10,000. But they don’t require lawmakers to disclose their roles or ownership stakes.
Turner’s form says he is a member of Mainstreet Capital Partners LLC, a predecessor of Mainstreet Property Group. But it leaves unclear what financial stake, if any, Turner has in Mainstreet Property Group.
The House ethics committee has six lawmakers, three from each party. Rep. Greg Steuerwald, R-Avon, is the committee’s chairman.
The House Code of Ethics requires the chairman “to promptly call a meeting of the committee to consider the matter.” But the code does not outline what actions the committee can take.
Steuerwald declined to comment on the case, saying he hadn’t received Bosma’s letter. He said this is the first time the ethics panel has been asked to launch an inquiry in at least three years.
“We haven’t had anything like this,” he said. “We will address it timely and do what we’re supposed to do.”
But Steuerwald said he had concerns about the bipartisan ethics committee probing secret party caucus meetings.
“Are we going to get involved in issues that happen in a caucus?” he said. “Those are private confidential meetings and are intended to be private confidential meetings.”
Call Star reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.