Chronicle Editorial

By: 
Chronicle Staff

Pulling back the curtains on accountability
     Though Iowa might rank high compared to other states when it comes to government transparency, a recent report shows there’s still plenty of room for future improvement.
     The Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity recently gave Iowa an overall grade of D-plus in its annual State Integrity Investigation. The assessment rates government transparency by analyzing public records access laws in each state, then compares the data in a categorized report. Surprisingly, the Hawkeye State’s D-plus was good enough for a ninth place tie in the final rankings. That speaks volumes of government transparency across the nation, but by no means is any of it good.
     Reports like these are notoriously critical and thoroughly unsympathetic. However, they serve a vital purpose by highlighting areas of government that need significant improvement. In Iowa, that means better oversight of judicial accountability and monitoring of lobbying interests. Both received failing grades and were the state’s worst-scoring categories.
     Iowa has responded well to poor government accountability reports in the past. As noted in a recent IowaWatch.org article, the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB) was established in 2012 after the state received a failing grade for public records access. The board fields complaints about records requests and alleged open meetings violations, and it can also seek informal resolutions for disclosure requests or conduct formal investigations. It’s capable of biting back at those who break open government laws by issuing civil fines of up to $2,500.
     The IPIB has been a runaway success. Multiple complaints and inquisitions are filed each month by citizens concerned about transparency in local government, and the agency shows no signs of slowing down. According this year’s State Integrity Investigation, our state is now ranked first in public records access thanks in part to the IPIB’s efforts.
     Safeguards like the IPIB are worthwhile steps at improving transparency, but they aren’t the end-all solution to lackluster accountability standards in government. Far too often do elected officials and other bureaucrats hide behind the façade of so-called “sunshine laws” meant to keep the spotlight on government to avoid corruption and other wrongdoing. These policies can include oceans of gray area that allow for broad interpretations of law, which can lead to easy coverups and denials of public records requests. Essentially, the intent of a law can be made completely useless by procedural roadblocks and other hurdles.
     Improving these policies by giving them real teeth is of the utmost importance as Iowa, and the entire nation, looks to improve government transparency in the future. Everyone wants an open government that is held accountable to the public, but often it seems that very government works against those it serves by using legal loopholes to hide information. That should never be the case, and reports like the State Integrity Investigation help shed light on these discrepancies.
     Finishing in the State Integrity Investigation’s Top 10 is noteworthy, but it’s rather bittersweet when that accomplishment comes with a D-plus grade. It’s clear our state can improve despite recent gains at opening up records to the public. By realizing sunshine laws need constant fine-tuning and improvement, the Hawkeye State can continue making strides at strengthening government accountability and transparency, which is what citizens expect anyway.

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