Issue Position: Government Accountability

Issue Position

The news out of Washington, D.C., seems to reveal something alarming each day, whether it is a high-level government official pleading guilty to corruption or unprecedented legislative obstruction. Things are not as bad at the state capitol in Saint Paul, but neither have they been perfect. Bills that are nearly one thousand pages long are handed to legislators with little time to read the bill. Votes happen after midnight, making it difficult for the public to follow the legislative process. Political action committees influence our elections but are not required to disclose their sources of funding.

Mike Freiberg has long championed measures to increase government accountability and legislate more effectively and transparently. In the recent legislation session, he has chief authored legislation that would:

Limit the scope of legislation to one subject;
Reduce conflicts of interest by lobbyists;
Prohibit the House from meeting past midnight; and
Require the President of the United States to be elected by popular vote.

If Mike is re-elected, his initiatives to increase government accountability include:

Expanding public access to legislative proceedings;
Reducing the reliance on "garbage" bills of absurd length covering multiple topics; and
Requiring disclosure of campaign spending from special interests.

Source