Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Governor Bev Perdue signed the 2010 ethics bill into law on Monday. Media outlets especially praised new provisions that will help them by allowing more access to government meetings and to state personnel records; both provisions are compromises from more far-reaching proposals. The new law has a host of other provisions to increase disclosure of government affairs, including information about state contracts, campaign contributions, and the campaign involvement of many political appointees, plus a few new restrictions and penalties. Overall, it’s a substantial package of reforms to improve open, honest government, but as the Fayetteville Observer notes, there’s important work still to be done.