Wisconsin Watch Media Partners Center (https://partners.wisconsinwatch.org/tag/government-accountability-board/)
The Center for Public Integrity’s State Integrity Investigation report, which provides state-by-state data on laws and practices that deter corruption and promote accountability and transparency, will launch Nov. 9.
Newly released numbers show that lobbying in Wisconsin during the tumultuous 2011-12 legislative session totaled $62.9 million — not exactly chump change, but lower than the session before.
In Wisconsin, any paid representative of an interest group who works to influence state law or policy must register with the state Government Accountability Board and file twice-yearly reports. But if a person works to help an interest group secure a state government contract has no registration or reporting requirement.
The mining bill in the past legislative session drew more than 8,500 hours of lobbying activity by more than 50 groups. Sullivan’s role this time around seems as key as any of those efforts. But Sullivan is not a lobbyist.
Welcome to the byzantine world of elections law, where accusations always exceed enforcement.
Many states’ ethics agencies aren’t provided with the resources and independence needed to carry out their responsibilities, according to a new report that casts Wisconsin’s efforts in a favorable light.
We may lack true super PACs in Wisconsin, but we certainly do have super spending.
Wisconsin receives a C- in a nationwide ranking of states’ accountability and risk of corruption. The State Integrity Investigation, released today, ranks Wisconsin 22nd, with a score of 70 percent — a score boosted by the creation in 2008 of the state Government Accountability Board to help clean up government.
More than one hundred people or groups paid fines for violating Wisconsin’s campaign finance and ethics laws in the past three years. The violator list reads like a Who’s Who of Wisconsin politicians, and includes some noteworthy outsiders as well.
The backdrop for many of Wisconsin’s current ethical controversies is an unprecedented flow of money into the state’s political machinery. With last year’s Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case, some loopholes in the state’s campaign finance laws have grown even wider.
For Wisconsin residents, 2011 was the kind of year that helps explain why the Chinese consider “May you live in interesting times” to be a curse. Amid all of the hubbub and strife, many of us found ourselves hoping that things would get a bit less interesting. As Wisconsin was thrust into the national limelight, the intersection of money and politics became a busy place.
Scott Walker got elected mainly with the support of Wisconsin residents. But if there’s a recall election, whoever wins will have many out-of-state donors to thank.
Nearly half of the $5.1 million raised by the embattled Republican governor since July 1 came from outside of Wisconsin.