Really.
State lawmakers in South Dakota debating the finer points of ethics voted down a proposal that would have prohibited sexual contact with their staff.
The proposal drew criticism from a very unfortunately named representative.
The measure's primary sponsor Sen. Stace Nelson, R-Fulton, told the Joint Committee on Legislative Procedure that specific language was necessary to prevent lawmakers from engaging in inappropriate situations, while opponents said lawmakers are already barred from such behavior under existing rules. [...]
"I'm hesitant to pass something when we get into itemizing every potential wrongdoing that a legislator could commit, lest this become a criminal code rather than a code of ethics," Rep. David Lust, R-Rapid City, said.
The rules for the current legislative session were defeated in committee by a vote of 9 to 4, which I interpret as 9 lawmakers voting to leave open the possibility of sexting their interns and pages.