A Washington-based watchdog group has awarded Tennessee an “F” for what it says is the state’s weak financial disclosure requirements for state legislators.
The Center for Public Integrity gave Georgia a “B” grade and Alabama a “C” grade in the national rankings.
Tennessee, according to the group, was one of 20 states receiving a failing grade on its conflict-of-interest forms. The state received 57.5 points out of a possible 100. It fell from No. 32 in 2006 to No. 34 this year in terms of its relative ranking among the 50 states.
The nonpartisan center bases its rankings on a 43-question survey that measures public access to information on legislators’ employment, investments, personal finances, property holdings and other activities outside the Legislature.
Disclosures required by Tennessee politicians lost points in a variety of areas. Among them were failing to require legislators to list a value range or amount for their income. Other areas include no requirement to describe entities in which a lawmaker holds investments and no requirement for listing real estate holdings.
“Too many states still get a failing grade when it comes to adequate transparency for their elected public officials,” Center Executive Director Bill Buzenberg said in a statement. “For 10 years now, the Center for Public Integrity has tracked this issue so citizens can know about the potential conflicts of interests in state government. The more information that remains hidden, the less likely the public will know about conflicts and undue influence.”
Under pressure from the 2005 indictment of four sitting legislators and a former member on federal bribery charges, Tennessee lawmakers in 2006 increased reporting requirements for legislators and lobbyists and created the Tennessee Ethics Commission to oversee disclosures and complaints.
Citing the state’s dire economic circumstances and internal issues at the commission, the General Assembly this year merged the agency with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, which oversees campaign finance laws and reporting. Critics warned the move ultimately could weaken ethics enforcement.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...
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