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Transparency laws OK’d
5-28-2009 - from Decatur Daily, By Evan Belanger
Gov. Bob Riley signed into law Wednesday two bills sponsored by area legislators, saying the new transparency laws would help usher in an era of openness and accountability in state government.
Signed during a ceremony at the Morgan County Courthouse, the bills were sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and Rep. Mike Ball, R-Huntsville.
The new legislation ensures that an executive order from Riley requiring the state to publish all of its expenditures, contracts, grants and leases on a publicly viewable Web site continues indefinitely.
“Every time we open the books and tell taxpayers exactly how their hard-earned dollars are being spent, we make it that much harder for politicians to waste them or spend them dishonestly,” Riley said.
The bills also require all candidates for public office to file campaign finance reports, even they are unopposed in their election bids.
During the 2006 election, several candidates used that loophole to hide their real campaign contributors by funneling contributions through other legislator’s campaign committees.
Riley thanked Orr and Ball for their work to push the bills through the Legislature last session, but he said there is still more work to be done.
Orr said the bills were only small steps toward a larger goal, and the he plans to push more transparency legislation next session.
After the ceremony, Orr said he would push legislation requiring candidates to file campaign finance reports closer to Election Day, which would eliminate a loophole that allows candidates to withhold some campaign contributions until after the election.
He also called for bans on the transfer funds between political action committees and campaign committees, which would prevent candidates from laundering contributions.
“We have a long way to go with PAC-to-PAC transfers and other issues, but I trust that this will be a small step on a long journey, but a successful journey,” he said.
Ball made similar statements and said that the bills would eliminate the temptation of public officials to conduct unethical practices.
“In the Bible, Jesus said men seek darkness rather than light when their deeds are evil,” he said. “And there is nothing that you can do better against corruption than shine a light on the process.”
The bill-signing ceremony apparently had an impact on two local politicians Wednesday. Questioned afterward, Morgan County Commission Chairman John Glasscock and Decatur Mayor Don Stanford both said they planned to create similar Web sites for the publication of municipal and county expenditures.
Glasscock said the site would not include payroll, but that he would push for the site during meetings in June. Stanford did not give a time frame, but said he would make a transparency Web site one of his top five priorities this term.
Riley also thanked Rep. Mickey Hammon, R-Decatur; Rep. Bill Dukes, R-Decatur, and Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Madison, for their support of the bills.
Riley signed into law last week a bill sponsored by McCutcheon requiring all future governors to disclose the use of state aircraft and the spending of tax dollars from the state’s contingency fund.
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