Jolted by a February corruption scandal involving two of their own, state legislators were poised to take a big swing at restoring the public’s trust in politicians and the political process. But instead of a home run, which initially looked possible, runners were left on base.

A disappointing example was Senate Bill 555, intended to stop political fundraising during legislative sessions, a blatant “pay to play” practice that should have been banned long ago. While legislators did pass a version of the bill to ban fundraising events for state and county officials during legislative session, they failed to prohibit the asking for, or accepting of, political contributions during session. The weakened bill doesn’t quash the possibility, let alone the appearance, of quid pro quo between donors and legislators during active lawmaking.

A stronger measure that would have outlawed any legislator fundraising during the annual 60-day session was among more than a dozen supported by the new Commission to Increase Standards of Conduct. That entity was created by legislators in February after then-Rep. Ty Cullen and former Sen. Kalani English were charged with taking cash and other bribes to advance or influence public-policy legislation. Both have pleaded guilty, and will be sentenced in July.

In the coming months, the commission will hold public meetings to assess existing state laws and rules relating to ethical conduct of public officers and employees, then deliver a final report, including proposed legislation, by Dec. 1 to the Legislature. The public must take this prime opportunity to weigh in on good-government improvements.

Despite the underwhelming action on SB 555, other commission-endorsed bills to improve government processes did pass. Among ones that the governor is urged to sign:

>> SB 665, which makes intentionally providing false information about those paying for a campaign ad a Class C felony, and allows for jail time in addition to fines for violators.

>> SB 3252, which caps costs on the making of copies of government records, and provides a fee waiver for records requested in “the public interest.”

>> House Bill 1475, requiring all state lawmakers and employees to complete ethics training every four years. That’s a good start — and ethics training also should be extended to lobbyists.

>> SB 3172, which requires that any electronic audio or video recording of a board meeting be maintained as a public record.