From Deseret News archives:
Wall Street columnist, Utah lawmaker tout benefits of transparency
Fund weighed in on the current attitudes of the country toward the workings of government and noted that state legislators are taking the initiative ahead of federal leaders in establishing transparency policy.
"We cannot fully comprehend the level of cynicism in this country about government at all levels," Fund said. "Transparency leads to better figuring out what the outcomes (of policy) are ... you can see much more easily where the money is being spent. Washington is the last place you're going to see this."
Fund praised the level of Web-based information currently made available by Utah state government, and noted other states — Kansas, Oklahoma, Hawaii and Texas — that are leading the country in establishing new openness and records access via the Internet.
Niederhauser is a leading advocate in the Utah legislature for exposing the inner-workings of the state government machine, successfully shepherding passage of last year's SB38 which, in part, created a new state financial transparency Web site that is launching in May. The site will offer new levels of searchable details on the financial operations of state government agencies.
Niederhauser is following that effort up with this year's SB18 — a bill that will extend financial reporting mandates to counties, cities and municipal school districts. Niederhauser said the impetus toward open information access in government has become an unstoppable force.
"Just a year and a half ago ... I thought this (transparency effort) was just a little wave," Niederhauser said. "Now ... this is something that is a movement in our country and either get on the train or get run over."
Niederhauser's new legislation seeks to add financial transparency requisites to state political subdivisions in increments, with a proposed first step of adding state universities, school districts and charter schools by May of 2011 and adding counties and municipalities by May of 2012. Each entity would be required to link to the new state financial site, and all reporting would be overseen by a new Utah Transparency Advisory Board — a committee whose formation is also outlined in the bill.
Fund writes a political column for the print version of the Journal as well as their ancillary Web site, opinionjournal.com. He recently updated his 2004 book, "Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy."
E-MAIL: araymond@desnews.com
