Kansas Republican lawmakers back off on dumping ethics boss leading a campaign finance probe

Republican lawmakers on Friday pushed to oust the head of the state ethics commission amid reports that the agency issued dozens of subpoenas in an investigation into possible campaign finance violations.

But criticism of the move was followed by a quick reversal Friday afternoon.

Republican members of a joint House-and-Senate conference committee on Friday urged the adoption of a last-minute amendment to an election bill that would have effectively forced Mark Skoglund to step down as the executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.

The withdrawn proposal would have required the director to be a licensed attorney in good standing for three years prior to assuming the position. Skoglund’s law license lapsed in 2017. He said in an interview that he chose not to renew it.

“It wasn’t needed for my job and it’s an expensive license to maintain,” Skoglund said.

Skoglund’s predecessor, Carol Williams, was not an attorney.