KEY VOTES: SB 188 / HB 540 - Creating an Unaccountable Office of Accountability
House and Senate leadership want to create a new auditing office in the legislative branch. Senate President David Williams describes it as "a good government sort of thing."
If it's good government, then why make it a secretive organization?
Even if there was reason to ignore the existence of the Office of the State Auditor and the Office of Policy and Management, there's no justification for a new office with law enforcement authority, and it's unfathomable why you would try to shield the findings of the "accountability office" from public records and public meetings laws.
At their press conference Friday, Speaker Stumbo suggested he might make some changes to elements that probably wouldn't pass constitutional muster: that the activities of the office would be protected from subpoenas and that the office would hold some authority over the elected offices of Attorney General and State Auditor. Still, no discussion about why an office designed to ensure good government would be exempted from the typical government transparency requirements, lax as they are.
There are many changes required before this is anything other than a bad idea. Sponsors: Representative Greg Stumbo (D-Floyd, 2008 House Rank #88) Senator David Williams (R-Cumberland, 2008 Senate Rank #19)
