Joint Finance, In The Budget, Bars Electronic Mailing Of State Officials' Ethics Disclosure Forms

In the "What-do-they-have-to-hide Department," the GOP-dominated Joint Finance Committee inserted into the state budget this eyebrow-raising, non-financial nasty little provision:

No more sending by fax or email a copy of a state official's economic disclosure statement to a taxpayer making the request.

Remember candidate Scott Walker's gaudy canpaign website promises about the need for budgeting and transparency, and the need to get rid of non-fiscal items in the budget altogether?

"In fact I've even proposed - in terms of the budget process, but it would apply to anything - other things that would help transparency," he said. "I don't think there should be any votes in closed caucus, on any issue. If a county board or school board can't discuss a budget in private, then the state Legislature certainly should not. There should not be any closed caucuses on the budget."

What's more, he said, the budget should only entail budgetary items; there shouldn't be any nonfiscal items in it.

Unless Walker vetoes it, the provision will mean you'll have to drive to Madison and request this public information in person.

At $4+ a gallon, that undemocratic provision will keep a lot of officials' economic and conflicts-of-interests hidden.

For out-of-staters, forget it.