Remember Richard Foster, that Alaska legislator who couldn't receive a kidney donation because it violated the state's new get-tough ethics law?
Well, he's gonna get his kidney. But it took an act of the state legislature and the governor to make it happen.
Gov. Sarah Palin has signed a bill lifting the $250 limit on "compassionate gifts" that legislators are allowed to receive. (Nobody knows how much a kidney is "worth," but I guess everyone agreed it was more than $250.)
The bill was supported unanimously by lawmakers, which, as Foster noted, is atypical:
"It's pretty unusual for them to support anything unanimously, even Mother's Day," Foster said recently, with a laugh.
Here's hoping the donation goes smoothly and Foster's recovery is speedy.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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