Government Accountability: Joint Finance does a Good Thing

In the wake of two convictions in the Wisconsin legislature corruption scandals--convictions, finally, after five years of waiting--the Joint Finance Committee approved SB-1:

The bill (SB 1) would merge the state Ethics Board and Elections Board into the new Government Accountability Board, which would have an enforcement division that, unlike the current boards, could prosecute politicians for criminal violations. Currently, only district attorneys and the state attorney general can pursue criminal law violations. [. . .]

Under the new bill, the governor would appoint four people to the new board based on recommendations from the chief justice of the state Supreme Court and the deans of the Marquette University Law School and the University of Wisconsin Law School. The Senate would have to approve the appointees.

If Doyle signs the bill into law, the Government Accountability Board would be formed immediately. The Elections and Ethics boards would continue to exist until May 1; they would then be abolished, and their staffs--including the long-time executive directors of each board--would be transferred to the Government Accountability Board.

The makeup of the new board would be modeled on the Ethics Board, which is non-partisan. The Elections Board includes representatives from the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties, as well as appointees of the governor and other politicians.

The new board's enforcement division could investigate potential violations of the state's lobbying laws, campaign finance rules and code of ethics for public officials.

At present, the Ethics Board is perhaps the most toothless agency in all of state government: They have no enforcement authority and, in fact, have to seek funding from Joint Finance for every single individual investigation that they wish to pursue, which can put everybody in an awkward position. ("You want money for what?" "To investigate you, sir." "Um, let me think about it.")

I am surprised and disappointed that three Democrats--Milwaukeeans Pedro Colón and Lena Taylor, along with Sen. Russ Decker of Schofield--voted against the bill. Colón noted that the bill would give the new Accountability Board the power "to go all over your life." Given the way things have been going down in Madison over the last few years, I think the scrutiny--or the threat of scrutiny--will be refreshing. A more powerful independent watchdog will, I hope, lead to some cleaner governing.

I do want to acknowledge that among those voting for the bill in Joint Finance was indicted Republican Scooter Jensen, whom I've let have it in a few recent posts for not accepting responsibility for his alleged ethics (and legal) violations the way others have. Kudos to Scooter for that, and to Madison Dem Mark Pocan, the only Democrat on the committee to vote for it. Accountability and ethical governing ought to be a bi-partisan no-brainer.