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A letter to the editor of the Daily Bee found it "curious" that Rep. Heather Scott voted against the financial disclosure bill proposed by the chair of the Idaho Legilature's State Affairs Committee, Tom Loertscher.
The bill would have required candidates for city, county, state and legislative office to file detailed annual personal financial disclosure information, plus several data points about their spouses. Twelve of the fifteen committee members rejected it for legitimate concerns.
Rep. Scott's question, which the letter writer seems to have a problem with, actually addressed a core issue: why, if the bill applied to all candidates for elected office, were school board members not included in the requirements. "Wouldn't we want transparency for everyone, instead of just some?"
Makes perfect sense. School boards are publicly elected officials with power over multi-million dollar taxpayer funds, and equally important, they approve what and how our children are taught.
So either we include them in the financial disclosure requirement or we drop the requirement. Holding only some of our elected officials accountable is disciminatory legislation.
I thank Rep. Scott for cutting to the core of this problematic piece of legislation with one well-stated question.
BARBARA BLOCK
Bonners Ferry