Governor Abercrombie has notified the legislature of the ten bills he intends to veto.

The legislature’s website has a list of the bills, complete with links to the full text of each bill and its legislative history, committee reports, testimony, etc.

As I understand the process, being on the list doesn’t guarantee that a bill will in fact be subject to a veto. There’s more time for politics.

As feared, among the bills targeted for veto is SB2682, which would require public financial disclosures by those who serve on key boards and commissions with substantial power over state policy, including the state land board, the Land Use Commission, Public Utilities Commission, and UH Board of Regents, among others.

Here’s how the conference report on SB2682 described the intent of the measure:

Your Committee on Conference finds that members of the public, especially those who are involved with and may be impacted by a board or commission member’s action, are able to identify and raise concerns about possible conflicts of interest. This measure increases public disclosure to assist in identifying possible conflicts of interest among certain board or commission members.

Disclosure and transparency have never been high on this governor’s priority list, political rhetoric aside. If he does veto this bill, well, you can’t say it’s not like Neil. We all recall his ill-advised lawsuit which attempted to block timely disclosure the names of judicial nominees. He has a track record of bristling at required openness.

But a veto of this disclosure bill, just a month before the primary election, will again put this governor at direct odds with many progressive Democrats, reminding us of his unfortunate bias against open government. That same edge of intransigence is behind some of Abercrombie’s high negatives among voters. And if this election remains as close as polls have indicated, this could end up being a decisive political liability.

Personally, I like Neil. I’ve known him a long time, since days at UH and in the legislature. I campaigned for him when he ran for the Honolulu City Council, and was on his council staff when he won. I contributed to his 2010 campaign. I would like his administration to be successful. I don’t expect him to be perfect. And I don’t expect to agree with all of his decisions.

I would like to hear him say that while some people may find disclosing their personal finances to be difficult or distasteful, it has become accepted as one of the responsibilities of those who want to take on positions of public power and authority. It’s part of the price of power. I would like to hear that the governor has been meeting with the bill’s proponents to educate himself, and his insiders, on its importance. And I would like to hear him tell those who object to the disclosure requirement that he appreciates their past efforts and will be sorry to lose their services, but the public’s interest comes first.