Here's a New Year's resolution for North Dakota lawmakers: Pass transparency provisions for political campaigns as well as state and local governments.
The time is right. In Doug Burgum our state has a governor who is promising to reinvent government, making it more accessible and efficient. A big part of his pitch is using technology to collect and disseminate public information. The Legislature should take Burgum's rhetoric and turn it into policy. For instance, a revamp of campaign finance reporting is badly needed. There are holes in the data reported—state lawmakers don't have to report the money they spend — and the reports themselves are too few and far between. Read more…