Compared with other states, Washington is a beacon of open government. Specifically, we rank No. 3 among the states in the “State Integrity Investigation” announced recently by stateintegrity.org.But when aligned against the standards established by Washington voters 38 years ago — when Initiative 276 created the Washington Public Disclosure Act — we continue to fall far short of our state’s values. First the good news:
Only five states earned B grades (there were no A’s) on the stateintegrity.org list, which is “a first-of-its-kind, data-driven assessment of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in all 50 states.” And Washington’s 83 numerical grade ranks third behind New Jersey (87) and Connecticut (86). Oregon (C-minus or 73) was rated 14th.
Pretty impressive, right? And we have that 1974 ballot measure to thank for our position as a national role model. Some examples provided by stateintegrity.org of dishonorable practices around the country will disgust any rational constituent of state government: Hundreds of government employees in Georgia accepted gifts from vendors doing business with the state. A North Carolina legislator who co-owned five billboards sponsored and voted on a bill to loosen regulations on billboard construction. An ethics commission established six years ago in Tennessee has yet to issue a single ethics penalty, and complaints are not made available to the public.
The website decries problems around the country such as open records laws “with hundreds of exemptions. Crucial budgeting decisions made behind closed doors by a handful of power brokers. ‘Citizen’ lawmakers voting on bills that would benefit them directly. Scores of legislators turning into lobbyists seemingly overnight. Disclosure laws without much disclosure. Ethics panels that haven’t met in years.”