PROVIDENCE -- For the seventh year running, the Rhode Island Ethics Commission gave House members an overview of reporting requirements and answered questions from legislators, particularly newcomers who say it's hard to know what's expected of them.

The questions were so numerous, the Ethics Commission's Jason Gramitt stayed nearly two hours.

Though the session was not mandatory, staffers reported that 43 of the 75 House members attended, including 11 of the 16 freshmen.

In a letter to members of the House of Representatives, Speaker William J. Murphy had said he and Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox "encourage your attendance."

Ethics training is regularly provided at the beginning of each session, though some of the new members this year say they'd like to see more extensive workshops, given the problems lawmakers have run into in the past.

The event was held at the end of last Wednesday's House session. Senate officials say they plan to offer similar seminar within the week.