DENVER (KDVR/AP) — The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission has imposed $2,750 in penalties to U.S. Senate candidate and former Gov. John Hickenlooper for violations of state ethics laws.
The commission voted last week that trips Hickenlooper took while governor violated the state’s gift ban in two of six complaints.
Friday, the commission voted 4-0, with one abstaining, to impose a $2,200 penalty for a trip to Connecticut.
Hickenlooper traveled on a jet owned by billionaire Larry Mizel’s company, MDC Holdings, to preside at the commissioning of the USS Colorado, a U.S. Navy submarine. MDC Holdings is a large developer in Colorado. That complaint was approved 4-1 last week, with the chair voting against.
For a separate trip to Turin, Italy for the Bilderberg Meeting — a conference that included government, business and financial leaders — the commission voted 4-1 to imposed a $550 penalty. The complaint regarding travel expenses was approved unanimously last week.
During Hickenlooper’s time as governor, state law put a $59 limit on gifts to elected officials. The limit is now at $65.