Maine gets “F” on lawmaker disclosures
Maine's laws governing financial disclosures by state lawmakers have earned a failing grade.
The Center for Public Integrity, a Washington, D.C., good-government group, gave Maine and 19 other states failing marks on providing public access to legislators' financial information, according to its "States of Disclosure" report. The study bases its rankings on a 43-question survey that covers employment, investments, personal finances, property holdings and other activities.
Maine's poor performance has prompted the state's top two lawmakers to seek a review of those laws in January, according to the Bangor Daily News. House Speaker Hannah Pingree (D-North Haven) said legislation proposed two years ago requiring greater disclosure was watered down during the lawmaking process.
Maine, like most states, requires financial disclosure statements from lawmakers, but does not require as much information as many others, particularly regarding disclosure of real property holdings, the paper reported. The full report is available online at www.publicintegrity.org.
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