Sunlight Weekly Round-up: Of Tax Breaks and Transparency
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Zubedah Nanfuka
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Jun 24, 2011, 12:43:30 PM6/24/11
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Hello all,
This week's round-up is from Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, Georgia and Washington State. With a few promising developments such the tax breaks transparency newly minted law in Oregon, there is cause for celebration by our open government advocates. However, Georgia's ethics conundrums leave a lot to be desired. Read the entire round-up at the Sunlight Foundation blog here: http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2011/06/23/sunlight-weekly-round-up-of-tax-breaks-and-transparency/
Politics
of disclosure is at play in Minnesota. A conflict on what should and
should not be disclosed is brewing between the Governor’s office and the
legislature. Local open government award recipient Rich Neumeister, who
is certain there is secrecy in both state and local government in the
state is making some suggestions: make data public; including all
communication between the governor and the legislature. A legislature
expert himself, Neumeister is well aware that it may not be under the
Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, but it is still answerable to
the public and should therefore be transparent. Details on Open Secrets. http://opensecretsmn.blogspot.com/2011/06/government-should-be-more-open-on.html
Details
on the value of tax breaks in Oregon will now soon be available for the
public to see. The state’s governor, John Kitzhaber has signed into
law, House Bill 2825, which will require all information on tax breaks
given to business -- including their names, addresses and the reasons
why they are receiving the breaks -- to be posted on this website.
According to Mark Robyn, the breaks have been likened by policy wonks,
to government spending even though they receive less oversight.
Nonetheless, taxpayer watchdog and consumer advocacy groups are
welcoming the transparency news on Tax Policy blog. http://www.oregon.gov/transparency/ http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/27377.html
A bill sponsored by Michael T. Morley is causing a stir in Utah. HB 220 - also commonly known as “We are a Republic” - is according to Curt
Bentley, the latest form of contempt for the ordinary voter. Citing the
previous disregard of public records laws with the introduction of HB
477, Bentley critics Utah’s caucus system as one that does not prevent
indifference towards voters but instead renders them powerless to
influence election results. Read more as he writes about the thin line
between republicanism and guardianship and what democracy has to do with
both on Utah Political Summary http://le.utah.gov/~2011/bills/hbillint/hb0220.htm http://utahpoliticalsummary.com/2011/06/republic-v-democracy-and-utah%E2%80%99s-caucus-system/
Stacey
Kalberman, Georgia’s Ethics Commission executive secretary, revealed
earlier on that she was being forced to resign in order to stop an
ethics investigation of Gov. Nathan Deal. Now, journalism award winner,
Jay Bookman, shares the details of the Commission’s meeting that led up
to the former executive’s announcement of her resignation. Bookman adds
that the pleasantries between the Ethics Commission and Kalberman only
created more suspicion from the members of the press who feel that the
Commission is not being transparent about the governor’s investigation. Jay Bookman has more. http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/06/17/transparency-commission-all-too-transparent/
Washington
state Governor Christine Gregoire will now continue to withhold records
from a public records request under the rubric of the executive
privilege. In a superior court ruling, over a lawsuit filed by the
Freedom Foundation against the governor, a judge ruled that the
executive privilege, that exempts the governor from disclosing public
records does apply. Dennis Box blogs that a follow up ruling to decide
if the executive privilege is indeed part of 300-plus recognized
statutory exemptions in the Public Records Act has been scheduled. More
on News Notes. http://blogs.covingtonreporter.com/newsnotes/superior-court-judge-rules-governors-executive-privilege/213/