Senate Ends Free After-Hours Transportation For Lawmakers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The leader of the California Senate says he's ending a practice of providing free after-hours transportation to lawmakers in an effort to restore public trust.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon announced Friday that he directed staff to stop offering rides immediately.
The Sacramento Bee reported last week that the Senate hired two part-time employees earlier this year to provide late-night and early morning transportation for lawmakers when they're in Sacramento.
Four lawmakers in the past five years have been accused of drunken driving. The latest was Sen. Ben Hueso, a San Diego Democrat arrested last year for driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
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De Leon, of Los Angeles, said security experts recommended the rides, but he blamed the media for causing confusion about the perk.