Edmonds: Expand public disclosure

UPDATED: 11:07 a.m. Tuesday with more links

Senate President Beth Edmonds wants to give lawmakers a few more forms to fill out.

She presented a bill to increase public disclosure to the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee Monday, which would require legislators and executive branch officials to disclose the following:

-Real estate holdings with values more than $10,000

-Investment interests over $2,500

-Directorships and other positions in non-profit organizations or for-profit business

Edmonds' testimony can be heard here. On Monday, the committee also heard a bill expanding the meanings of conflict of interest and undue influence as they apply to lawmakers. Both bills will go to work session Thursday.

Edmonds submitted her bill in response to a Center for Public Integrity report, which faulted Maine for its disclosure laws. Maine got an ‘F’, ranking 42nd. These are areas the center faulted the state for, along with making the forms available online, something Edmonds’ bill also would require.

“I’m not submitting this bill to imply that Maine legislators or executive officials are hiding their financial interests or acting inappropriately…” Edmonds wrote in her testimony. “The purpose of the bill is to increase public confidence in the processes of government.”

At Monday’s public hearing, no one came out against the bill. After the hearing, Sen. Lisa Marrache, D-Waterville and chairwoman of the LVA committee, didn’t mention any problems, saying she was “all for disclosure.”

Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Ethics Commission, also testified, taking a neutral stance. He pointed out a couple of technical problems with the language.

Jon Bartholomew of Common Cause Maine was among those in favor of the bill. In his written testimony, he said that having the disclosure information available online in crucial.

“Most citizens of Maine cannot easily travel to Augusta any old time and check records by hand,” Bartholomew wrote. “It is also time consuming to research this information by mail requests. The press also needs this capability so as to quickly do research when under a deadline.”