States of Disclosure
 
Document Warehouse

Center researchers cut through the red tape to bring you Personal Financial Disclosure reports filed by members of the executive, judicial and legislative branches in the 50 states. Choose a state to go directly to listings:

 
In Your State

Select a state to find details on Personal Financial Disclosures in each branch of government, including:

  • Governors, Judges and Legislators
  • Rules on Gifts, Trips and Honoraria
  • Sample and Actual Disclosure Reports

 

Governors' Disclosure Home

How easy is it to find information on the private interests of governors and other executive branch officials? The Center for Public Integrity researched state requirements on the filing of Personal Financial Disclosures to help the public hold their leaders accountable and determine the potential for conflicts of interest. Find out more about this topic by reading the stories below, selecting a state on the right or comparing the states on the left.
Many States Fail Governors' Disclosures Survey
Top grade eludes all but one
Twenty-one states fail to make basic information about the private financial interests of their governors available to the public, according to a six-month survey of state disclosure laws by the Center for Public Integrity. Four of those — Idaho, Michigan, Utah and Vermont — did not require governors to file financial disclosure reports at all.

Washington was the only state to receive an "A" grade in the Center's analysis because it provided the most information to the public on its governor's personal income and investments. Eight states scored in the "B" range, while 20 states received "Cs" or "Ds."

As the top elected officials in each state, governors sign legislation into law, recommend and approve state budgets, and have wide-ranging powers to appoint department and agency heads and fill board and commission positions. Requiring them to disclose their private financial ties could reveal possible conflicts of interest. >>
States Struggle to Regulate Gifts
Exceptions to laws provide loopholes
How do states balance the role of lobbyists with the danger of improper influence? The Center for Public Integrity reviewed gift laws in all 50 states over four months, searching out and analyzing the relevant statutes and interviewing officials to untangle ethics and disclosure laws.

The survey found that every state monitors the exchange of gifts between lobbyists and officials in some way. The most stringent laws restrict both what officials can receive and what lobbyists can give, and require that all gifts be reported by one or both parties.

At least half the states expressly limit the gift-giving relationship between lobbyists and the governor, as well as lobbyists and state legislators. An additional five states limit lobbyists' gifts to state legislators without placing restrictions on lobbyists' gifts to governors. >>