If Maryland residents want to view the financial disclosure forms filed by legislators or other officials with the State Ethics Commission, they have to go all the way to Annapolis in person and request to see a paper copy. This despite the fact that these documents have been filed electronically for years. The commission also requires residents to provide their name and address — information which is then forwarded to the official whose records have been requested. By deliberately making it difficult and intrusive for members of the public to monitor public officials’ potential conflicts of interest, the commission is thwarting its own purported goal to prevent public corruption.
So it comes as good news that the Maryland Senate recently passed a bill that requires financial disclosure forms to be made available to the general public online beginning in 2013. In addition to that bill, introduced by Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, an amendment by Sen. Robert Zirkin, D-Baltimore County, would also require county executives, councilmembers and local commissioners to do the same.
