EDITORIAL: Indiana's ethics laws in need of reform

Bennett is alleged to have improperly used state resources to work on his 2012 re-election campaign. An investigation by the state inspector general found that Bennett or his staff used state computer accounts to track his political calendar, respond to political emails and store lists of political donors.

Under an agreement approved by the ethics commission, Bennett will pay a $5,000 fine.

What's really troubling is the investigation's conclusion that Bennett would have been safely within the law if he'd bothered to write a policy that allowed such behavior. As the IG report notes, "Dr. Bennett, as the Superintendent, had the authority to enact written policies that permitted these limited uses of state property for non-official purposes."