Colorado: Transparency goes down in flames

Colorado SB 57, sponsored by Republican state senator Ted Harvey, would have required schools to post their spending reports online in a searchable database. Revolutionary? No. A good idea? You bet.

Unfortunately, Democrats didn’t think so, and it went down in the House Education committee in a party-line vote, 8-5. According to the Independence Institute, education associations contributed the following amounts to the committee members:

*Name of Rep – Total Amount from Education Lobby Organizations – Vote on SB 57
*Randy Baumgardner – $0 – Yes
*Debbie Benefield – $6,975 – No
*Tom Massey – $500 – Yes
*Michael Merrifield – $5,250 – No
*Karen Middleton – $3,125 – No
*Carole Murray – $0 – Yes
*Cherylin Peniston – $4750 – No
*Kevin Priola – $0 – Yes
*Christine Scanlan – $5,000 – No
*Sue Schafer – $5,750 – No
*Ken Summers – $0 – Yes
*Nancy Todd – $4,650 – No
*Judy Solano – $5,750- No

So do you think those contributions made a difference?

This is an embarrassment to Colorado. Shame, shame, shame on the reps that didn’t vote for open government during SUNSHINE WEEK of all times. I am guessing the voters in your districts may reward you with a similar “no” vote in your next election.

You can read all of the twists and turns at Sunshine Review.

More on the education lobby’s strategy against SB 57 at the COST blog.

Sunshine Week, Volume 2

Here is more Sunshine Week shenanigans:

* Oklahoma - Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs updated their study to show the real costs of education, using standard accounting practices. A study of FY2007 found that taxpayers spent more than $6.5 billion on Oklahoma’s public education system, or $10,942 per pupil. This kind of study is necessary because of the OK Education Association’s initiative to base per-pupil spending on an average of its neighboring states. Real numbers are necessary to give voters correct information on how much of their money is going towards schools. (H/T Edmond Sun)

* Louisiana - The Advertiser pointed out examples of abuses of the Freedom of Information Act and open meetings laws. The editorial ended with this: “We hope that Sunshine Week encourages an ongoing effort to ensure information about how tax dollars are used by government is always accessible and that the public’s business is always conducted in public.” The Advocate also opined for more sunshine.

More again tomorrow.

Sunshine Week in the States, Volume 1

Well, kids, it’s Sunshine Week, which means every news outlet is putting a spotlight on transparency. Here’s a little round-up mix of preachy editorials, investigative work, and updates on what some of my fellow groups are doing to open up this musty government of ours.

* Minnesota- The Minnesota Freedom Foundation wrote an op-ed printed in the Duluth News Tribune that praised work to build a statewide transparency database, but pointed out some very disturbing trends. These concerns include groups circumventing open meetings laws by hosting “workshops”, restricting or banning coverage of the legislature by old and new media outlets, withholding draft documents (including budgets) from the public, and banning citizens from recording government meetings.

* Michigan - Attorney General Mike Cox hosted an hour-long presentation on the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. He said when there is less money to go around, people want to make sure it is being spent wisely.

* Maryland - Marta Mossburg from the DCexaminer.com wrote about some ideas for greater local transparency.

* Mississippi - The Laurel Leader-Call highlighted a few important transparency activists throughout the country, including the creator of WikiFOIA, which is now a portal on Sunshine Review.

More of these tomorrow.

Empower Texans: Disclosure 101

When is a government website NOT a government website? Michael Quinn Sullivan from Empower Texans reports:

OFRG works for greater transparency

The Oklahoman printed an op-ed by Brian Downs from Oklahomans for Responsible Government that advocated greater transparency at both the state and local government. They even cited SunshineReview.org, which sets a standard level of transparency for government websites.

Right now, Oklahoma posts much of its spending online through the Office of State Finance. But according to the Web site SunshineReview.org, Oklahoma lacks two of the six criteria for evaluating spending Web sites: contracts and line-item expenditures. Missouri is the only state that meets all six criteria. Oklahoma lawmakers should push to make our state a leader in transparency.

On the local level, Oklahoma falls behind most states in even the lowest forms of transparency. Of the state’s 77 counties, 48 have no Web site at all. Of those that do, only Payne and Rogers counties have their full budgets posted online. Clearly more needs to be done to make local governments more transparent.

In difficult economic times, transparency is an easy answer to make sure taxpayers are getting enough bang for their buck. Groups like Oklahomans for Responsible Government, Americans for Prosperity-OK, and Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs are doing their part to remind government officials of that priority.

Related: Check out Oklahoma’s Open Books website.

Illinois: Still the land of pork and subterfuge

Just when I think Illinois is finally on the right track, I take a quick look at the headlines and my hopes are dashed. What’s today’s news? Well, pork and hidden information.

The list of Illinois earmarks in the federal budget have finally been released. In my opinion, these are among the most outrageous:

* $237,500 for the repair and restoration of the Rialto Square Theater in Joliet
* $95,000 for History Makers, Chicago, for a digitization project
* $49,000 for security cameras for Jasper County School District
* $47,500 for the Easter Seals’s playground expansion and remodeling project in Ottawa
* $900,000 for astronomy equipment in Adler Adler Planetarium (background here)
* $786,000 for salaries and expenses for crop production and food processing in Peoria
* $2,077,000 for salaries and expenses for National Center for Food Safety and Technology

Let me say this: I am fundamentally against earmarks. However, I understand they were the grease in the wheels of Obama’s budget legislation. I get it. What I DON’T get is why my tax dollars are funding theaters, digitization projects, security cameras for a school district with 3300 students, playgrounds, astronomy equipment, salaries, and operational expenses. Local projects should be funded with local money. State projects should be in the regular budget of its parent agency. If a congressman has ideas on how to prioritize, he or she should sit down with agency staff and have those discussions.

And… as if the pork isn’t enough, IL Comptroller Dan Hynes is refusing to release audit findings and financial reports of a trust fund believed to be worth $300 million. The fund used to be administered by the Illinois Funeral Directors Association (IFDA), but was taken over by the comptroller’s office. Funeral directors fear financial mismanagement will leave them on the hook for millions of dollars. The Sun-Times reports:

Hynes also won’t release correspondence his office received last year from Regions Bank, which considered taking over the trust but backed out.

In 2006, Hynes ordered the IFDA to submit weekly reports on the association’s progress in becoming a licensed fiduciary. The comptroller’s office is also refusing to release those reports.

Why won’t Hynes release the documents? Well, his financial information officer says it’s that pesky IL Freedom of Information Act that doesn’t mandate their release. This subterfuge is twice as frustrating when a person realizes that Hynes has been held up as a transparency leader in Illinois for putting a contracts/campaign contribution database online. In fact, on that website, Hynes states:

“I believe that government should be an open book and that all public officials are accountable to the citizens they serve. As such, we all have an obligation to lead by example and to conduct business in an open and honest manner.”

OH REALLY??

State Representative Dan Brady has an idea of how to go about that.

“Provide the documents, answer the questions,” said state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, who still holds a funeral home director’s license from the state. “It’s not only reasonable to ask, it’s imperative to ask. It’s imperative for some 49,000 Illinois residents who put their trust in the IFDA that they get answers.

This isn’t their (the comptroller’s) money…. The people have a right to know.”

I’m glad someone gets it.

Senator Coburn reveals earmarks

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn is a known crusader against wasteful, secret, and pork-barrel spending and earmarks. He did the nation a favor this week when he posted an Omnibus Highlights and Numbers section on his website.

Interesting facts about this legislation:

Total Spending in the Omnibus:
According to CBO, the omnibus will cost $410 billion, $32 billion (8.4%) more than FY 2008 spending. The legislation is 1,128 pages long. Each page is equal to $363 million in spending.

Excluding emergency appropriations, the bill is:
• $19 billion (4.9%) more than President Bush’s request
• $19 billion (4.9% more than the cost of extending the continuing resolution
• $32 billion (8.4%) more than last year

Earmarks:
Total omnibus earmarks: 8,570
Total cost: $7.7 billion

The three previously enacted FY 2009 spending bills included a total of 2,321 earmarks, costing $6.6 billion.

Total FY 2009 earmarks: 10,891
Total FY 2009 earmark spending: $14.3 billion

Good grief.

H/T: Oklahoma Center for Public Affairs- compiled list of earmarks

Also… as a plug for our friends at American Majority, Senator Coburn is the keynote speaker at a special dinner on March 27th. I hope you will join me in supporting American Majority’s mission of recruiting activists that believe in fiscal restraint. Sen. Coburn could use some back-up!

Gov Bobby Jindal rejects stimulus dollars for Louisiana

In an interview with David Gregory on Meet the Press, Governor Bobby Jindal states he is not accepting his entire cut of the stimulus package in order to keep Louisiana competitive. Also, he does not philosophically agree with the stimulus package. He advocates for more tax cuts and “targeted temporary spending”.

Jindal emphasizes that the best way to grow the economy is through tax cuts.

“I think we just have a fundamental disagreement here. I don’t think the best way to do that is for the government to tax and borrow more money. I think the best thing they could’ve done, for example, was to cut taxes on things like capital gains, the lower tax brackets, to get the private sector spending again.”

He questions how certain spending project in the bill will even stimulate the economy.

“What would be more helpful from Washington is less unnecessary spending. How does $300 million for federal cars, $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, how is spending like that going to help our economy? How’s that stimulus?”

Governor Jindal rejected stimulus dollars for unemployment insurance because it would result in raising taxes on businesses.

“The $100 million we turned down was temporary federal dollars that would require us to change our unemployment laws. That would’ve actually raised taxes on Louisiana businesses. We as a state would’ve been responsible for paying for those benefits after the federal money disappeared.”

California’s lack of transparency in handling its Budget Crisis

There were many voiced concerns over lack the lack of transparency in the passing of the California budget agreement according to a LA Times article and KPBS radio interview. During the making of the plan to ameliorate California’s budget crisis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and five legislative leaders effectively locked out input from other lawmakers and the public.

Democrat state senator Darrell Steinberg said,

“No one likes the secrecy of the big five…it’s not the way the process should happen…”

Republican state senator Roy Ashburn said,

“It’s an abuse of power to have it done in secret, and deliberately so, is unacceptable.”

Emily Rusch, a public transportation advocate at the California Public Interest Research Group said,

“it was very hard to engage in the budget process…”

You can check out information about the California State Budget on Sunshine Review.

Carbondale: Restoring my faith in government

Although national figures such as Barack Obama, John McCain, Tom Coburn, and Bobby Jindal have been forceful advocates for government transparency, the message doesn’t always seem to filter down to the municipal level. This morning, I began my workday by reading and an article in the Alva Review-Courier by Helen Barrett titled “What are We Hiding?“. The article laments the lack of openness in the Alva, Oklahoma city council, including possible violations of the Oklahoma Open Meetings law.

The very purpose of instituting the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act clearly states in the opening paragraph that “It is the public policy of the State of Oklahoma to encourage and facilitate an informed citizenry’s understanding of the governmental processes and governmental problems.”

If even the boards appointed to help direct different departments of government are prohibited from knowing information without going through a big ordeal, it makes one wonder, “what are we hiding?”

Exactly.

But then… cities were somewhat redeemed in my mind when I saw a press release from Mayor Brad Cole, who is an outstanding up-and-coming public servant of Carbondale, Illinois. Mayor Cole commissioned a redesign of the city website recently, and proactively sought to include every single item on the Sunshine Review Transparency Checklist.

Congratulations, Mayor Cole and the city of Carbondale, and thanks for restoring this transparency advocate’s faith in local governments. I guess now you aren’t only the “Capitol of Southern Illinois”, but also the current “Transparency Capitol of The Entire State of Illinois”. Now go have a Don Taco to celebrate.