§139.  Political payroll padding

A.  Political payroll padding is committed when any public officer or public employee shall, at any time during the six months preceding any election for governor:

(1)  Increase the number of public employees in his office, department, board, agency, or institution more than five percent over the average number of such employees for each of the first six months of the twelve months next preceding the election; or

(2)  Increase the payroll or other operating expenses of his office, department, board, agency, or institution more than fifteen percent over its average amount of such expenditures for each of the months of the first six months of the twelve months next preceding the election.

B.  The provisions of this Section shall not apply where the increases are necessitated by flood, invasion by a common enemy, or other public emergency.

C.  Whoever commits the crime of political payroll padding shall be imprisoned for not more than five years with or without hard labor or shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars or both.

Amended by Acts 1980, No. 454, §1; Acts 2014, No. 791, §7.