States of Disclosure

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On the heels of an alleged vote-buying scandal in which 11 people were indicted, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley may hold a special legislative session next month to reform the state’s ethics laws.

A parade of scandals has made ethics a perennial issue in state government there. Alabama received a “C” for its legislative financial disclosure laws in the Center’s States of Disclosure ranking, earning the No. 10 spot on the 2009 list. Twenty states received an “F” in the 2009 rankings.

While Alabama legislators are required to provide a substantial range of information – including outside employment, investments, and real property – the state lags in providing the public easy access to that information. Unlike other states that make filings readily available online, citizens in Alabama must fill out a Request for Access to Commission Records that includes personal information and identification of the records requested. Easier access to online information does not appear to be on next month’s agenda.

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States of Disclosure

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Citing Minnesota’s F grade from the Center for Public Integrity on legislative financial disclosure laws, gubernatorial candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher released a summary of her campaign contributions and a list of her personal financial interests. In the Center’s study, Minnesota ranks 40th out of all 50 states. But proposals suggested by Kelliher could catapult the state into the top 10.

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States of Disclosure

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New York Governor David Paterson is expected to announce a sweeping ethics reform package Wednesday, which is already being hailed as “the most ambitious ever suggested by a sitting governor in New York.” The proposals would create an independent commission to enforce ethics and campaign finance laws, and impose term limits for statewide officials, while revamping the state’s campaign finance system.

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States of Disclosure

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Since the Center began keeping track of state financial disclosure laws in 1999, three states have stood out somewhat notoriously for, well, doing nothing. Idaho, Michigan, and Vermont have consistently finished tied for last — and have received a grade of F — because they have no laws whatsoever requiring any sort of financial disclosure for legislators. Might that change? The answer is different in each of the states. Here’s an update on the state of play.

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States of Disclosure

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Earlier this week the District of Columbia Council unanimously approved emergency legislation to establish the city’s first “Code of Official Conduct.” Chairman Vincent C. Gray proposed the measure to set “unusually high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality” and ultimately prevent conflicts of interest. Council member — and former mayor — Marion Barry, who recently came under fire for allegedly awarding a city contract to his girlfriend, thanked Gray for introducing the measure even though “all of us have followed [the rules] anyway.”

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States of Disclosure

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Citing his state’s poor showing in the Center’s States of Disclosure ranking, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox yesterday proposed an ethics reform package that would require state officials to annually disclose personal financial information. The Center has repeatedly called attention to the fact that Michigan is one of only three states that fails to disclose outside financial interests.

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Staff Writer iWatch

Caitlin Ginley joined the Center in July 2007 as the University of Delaware’s 10th James R. Soles Fellow.