Leaders in the Idaho Legislature are assembling a working group to examine ethics and financial disclosure requirements in the state.
Idaho is one of just three states requiring no financial disclosures for state legislators, other elected officials, and government appointees. So-called “revolving door” laws that prevent officials from immediately hopping into similar roles in the private sector – those too are absent.
Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill (R-Rexburg) says tightening Idaho’s financial disclosure laws has been on his mind for a while. In 2009, the state senate unanimously passed a bill to implement the state’s first disclosure laws but it died in the House where it never got assigned a committee.
According to the Spokesman Review, Hill in the Senate and Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke say they’ll announce Friday which lawmakers will be a part of the working group to explore financial disclosure protocols. Four Republicans and a Democrat from both chambers will be selected to fill the 10-person group.
Two years ago, the Center for Public Integrity’s Integrity Investigation gave the Gem State a D- for its accountability, government ethics and transparency.
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