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<DIV><FONT size=2>Gee Whiz, I'd have never guessed.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2>W.</FONT></DIV>
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<TD align=right><FONT face="tahoma, sans-serif" size=2>Friday,
November 14, 2008</FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR>
<DIV class=label>Spokane</DIV>
<H2>Washington, Idaho rank far apart on openness</H2>
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<P class=byline><SPAN class=name>Betsy Z. Russell</SPAN><BR>Staff
writer<BR>November 14, 2008</P>
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<H3>Related</H3><STRONG>Document: </STRONG><A
href="http://www.spokesmanreview.com/media/pdf/20081114_IntegrityIndex_08.pdf">"Integrity
Index" survey</A> <BR><BR><STRONG>More state government news:
</STRONG><A href="http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/boise">Eye on
Boise</A> | <A
href="http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/olympia">Eye on
Olympia</A> <BR><BR><STRONG>Discuss:</STRONG> <A
href="http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/hbo/archive.asp?postID=27800">Huckleberries
Online</A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P>BOISE – A new national survey ranks Washington fourth in the nation for
governmental integrity, openness and accountability – and Idaho 44th.</P>
<P>The survey, conducted by the Chicago-based Better Government Association,
compared open records laws, open meeting laws, whistleblower laws, campaign
finance requirements and conflict-of-interest laws, to create a government
“integrity index.”</P>
<P>Idaho scored particularly poorly for its open meeting and conflict of
interest laws. As one of just four states with no requirement for state
legislators to disclose their personal finances, Idaho tied for last place with
a zero score in the conflict-of-interest category, while Washington was ranked
first in the nation.</P>
<P>Idaho state Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, said, “I think we need to
stop and do a little introspective, and ask ourselves what’s going on.”</P>
<P>State Sen. Kate Kelly, D-Boise, who has sponsored ethics legislation, said,
“It doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s just one more indication that this is an
area we need to focus on.”</P>
<P>Though Washington fared well in the 50-state survey, Jason Mercier, director
of the Center for Government Reform in Olympia, said, “This is a good survey of
who’s got the best practices out there, whose laws are worth taking a look at.
But the more interesting question to me is how are states actually implementing
the laws they have on the books.”</P>
<P>Washington has strong open meetings and public records laws, Mercier said.
“The problem: There are violations constantly.”</P>
<P>The state is involved in litigation over violations of the public records
law, he said. “Just because you have a tool in place, that’s half the battle.
Now you have to have elected officials overseeing those tools who’ll execute
them properly.”</P>
<P>Washington has set up a Sunshine Committee to review the numerous exemptions
in its public records law; Mercier said that committee just decided this week to
recommend reversing two state Supreme Court decisions limiting public access to
documents due to attorney-client privilege and work product rules.</P>
<P>The Washington Legislature will receive the committee’s first report of
recommendations this year.</P>
<P>Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said he’s less concerned over national
rankings than over how Idaho’s laws are working for Idaho. “The open meeting law
ought to meet the needs of the respective states – we don’t do business the same
way they do in Washington or Illinois or other locales, we do business the way
we do it here in Idaho,” he said. “I do think we have an affirmative open
meeting law. We are working to refine it.”</P>
<P>The survey ranked Idaho 44th in the nation for its open meeting law, and tied
for last on conflict-of-interest laws in the form of legislative financial
disclosure requirements.</P>
<P>Wasden investigated the State Board of Education in February for possible
violation of the state’s open meeting law but concluded that while the board may
have violated the law, he couldn’t prove, under a recent state Supreme Court
decision, that they’d “knowingly” done so.</P>
<P>“We’re working on some improvements” to the law, Wasden said. “That’s an
issue that we’re trying to address right now. … We’re wrestling with exactly
that.”</P>
<P>Jorgenson said he’s also interested in legislation to improve Idaho’s law. “I
think there is too much gray area in open meetings,” he said.</P>
<P>Wasden said he’s also working to promote compliance with Idaho’s open
government laws. “It’s very important that government in this state operate
under the statutes as they’re written, and it’s important in terms of
maintaining the integrity of our governmental systems and our citizens’ ability
to interact with their government.”</P>
<P>Though Idaho was ranked low in the survey for its open meeting law, the state
ranked highly for its whistleblower laws – 9th in the nation – and was in the
middle of the pack for open records laws, at 24th, and campaign finance rules,
at 29th.</P>
<P>Washington ranked 16th for its open records law, 15th for its whistleblower
laws, 28th for campaign finance requirements, 15th for its open meeting law, and
first for conflict-of-interest laws.</P>
<P>The top-ranked state was New Jersey; the worst was South Dakota.</P>
<P><EM>Betsy Z. Russell can be reached toll-free at (866) 336-2854 or
bzrussell@gmail.com.</EM></P></DIV>
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