I happened to find myself on the State Ethics Commission’s web site and decided to take another look at personal financial disclosures filed by public officials, including elected officials (governor and lt. governor, legislators, OHA trustees), along with top appointees in executive branch departments.
The reports covering financial interests during 2011 are due by May 31. Of course, legislators and other officials who delay until the deadline avoid scrutiny of their current financial interests (and potential conflicts) while the legislature is still in session and it would be most useful to be able to identify potential conflicts.
When I looked at this two months ago, only a few legislators had filed complied immediately by filing early (“A handful of legislators lead by example on financial disclosures“).
By and large, procrastination does still seem to be the primary orientation.
Governor Abercrombie and Lt. Gov. Schatz have yet to file their annual disclosures.
Back in February, Senate President Shan Tsutsui was the only member of the Senate to have filed. He’s been joined by Malama Solomon and Suzanne Chun-Oakland, but I think that’s it for now.
Over in the House, Speaker Calvin Say filed just a week after my earlier post on the subject. Also filing in the interim were Denny Coffman, Cindy Evans, Linda Ichiyama, Ken Ito, Dee Morikawa, Karl Rhoads, Cynthia Thielen, and James Tokioka.
By my count, that’s only 15 of the 51 members of the House who have stepped forward and given the public a look at their financial interests.
The proper remedy, in my view, is to require financial disclosures to be filed no later than the opening day of the annual legislative session.
Okay, now I’ve got to go back and read through the disclosures filed to date. That’s the problem with sunshine and “transparency”. It creates a lot of work for concerned members of the public.
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Procrastination is different from trying to avoid accountability and transparency. Besides, for most of us, if something is due at a certain date (taxes, homework, whatever), we tend to do it when it’s due and not weeks or months before.
I would think most legislators are no different.
When I look at the disclosures, most of them haven’t changed in years since, for the most part, they are still living in the same house, have the same job (or are retired), etc.
i agree, to some degree, with charles. but i do wish legislators took the financial disclosure requirements a little more seriously. “hawaiian time” is not exactly helpful in this context.
I have not found that true of sitting politicians — state or county. They tend to add to their holdings and take on new jobs as advisers or consultants.
For legislators, NOW is the time we should know so we can tests assets and financial ties with votes.