Across various states, proposed ethics reforms aimed at increasing transparency and accountability faced significant opposition in 2025. Bills requiring disclosure of cryptocurrency holdings by lawmakers were stalled in Virginia, while New Mexico's governor vetoed legislation mandating greater transparency from lobbyists. North Dakota lawmakers continued to limit the power of their state's ethics commission, despite voter-established oversight. Many proposed bills to tighten gift limits, strengthen conflict-of-interest rules, and expand financial disclosure requirements were ultimately derailed. Experts note an increasing trend of weakening ethics standards, with some attributing this to a shifting cultural norm. State ethics commissions are reportedly facing more creative attacks from those seeking to undermine their authority. Louisiana passed a law that made it harder for its ethics board to launch investigations, raising the threshold for inquiry. South Carolina saw a bill to exempt government appointees from filing financial statements, which was met with resistance. Oregon Senate Republicans proposed dissolving the state’s ethics commission, but the measure failed. Texas lawmakers attempted to combat misinformation in political ads, but related bills did not pass due to free speech concerns. Connecticut's efforts to expand conflict-of-interest provisions stalled, facing arguments of being too punitive. Maine's bill to disclose lobbyist donations on behalf of legislators died in committee, deemed impractical by critics. Despite these setbacks, some states did enact reforms, such as Maine's mandatory waiting period for legislative staff to become lobbyists and Rhode Island's prohibition against bid-rigging.