A California organization receives $11 million from another group based in Arizona, which received the cash from a separate group, which in turn had it funneled from a fourth, based near Washington, D.C. Drug cartel money headed for an offshore account?  No, just state electioneering in a post-Citizens United world.

The current state of campaign finance affairs, laid out in a report Thursday from Stateline, exemplifies how the growing role of independent national political groups is causing problems for state officials trying to enforce their own election laws. Independent spending had unprecedented influence on state elections this year, with millions of dollars in corporate and other outside money shaping races across the country.

State Integrity news from SII partner Colorado Public Radio:

It’s a pretty sweet deal. Three men facing tens of thousands of dollars in fines for campaign finance violations wound up getting slapped with the equivalent of a parking ticket. But how? Colorado Public Radio takes us through one tale of campaign finance waivers.

Read and hear more from Colorado Public Radio.

State Integrity news from SII partner Colorado Public Radio:

The ongoing controversy about judicial secrecy in the Aurora shooting case has called attention to Colorado's disclosure laws. Judge William Sylvester has sealed documents normally open to the public. Colorado earned a "C" grade in the Investigation's category of "judicial accountability."

Hear more from Colorado Public Radio.

State Integrity news from SII partner Colorado Public Radio:

Reporters playing cat-and-mouse with lawmakers in the Capitol, legislators slipping away to secluded restaurant booths, Colorado's open meetings law looks simple enough on paper, but in real world practice it's no easy matter.

Listen to the discussion from Colorado Public Radio.

By Luis Toro, Colorado Ethics Watch

As the first state to pass a Sunshine Law for government meetings, Coloradans are justifiably proud of our state’s history as a leader in safeguarding open government.  Our guarantees of public access to government records, however, are not so enviable.

For those of us who routinely use the Colorado Open Records Act (“CORA”) as a way of monitoring how state and local governments are serving their constituents, it was no surprise when the State Integrity Investigation gave Colorado an “F” grade on public access to information. Sadly, Coloradans have allowed our state’s well-known aversion to taxation to trump our desire for open government, while aggressive government lawyers have figured out how to game the system to put citizens seeking public records on the defensive.

As government revenue continues to shrink as a result of a 1992 ballot initiative, cash-strapped state agencies and local governments have become more aggressive about shifting the cost of transparency onto members of the public who ask for information.

State integrity news for Colorado, from the Denver Post:

Gov. John Hickenlooper will forgo the traditional in-person address to the legislature when Monday's special session starts. Instead, he is sending lawmakers a letter with a simple message: Coloradans deserve better than they got last week.

"Transparency, accountability and the virtues of good government are compromised when the legislative clock is used to avoid consideration of important legislation," Hickenlooper wrote in the letter to lawmakers. "We owe it to the people we serve to do better."

Read the rest of the story at the Denver Post.

State integrity news for Colorado, from the Denver Post:

A dispute over legislation that would codify public access to voted ballots sheds light on shortcomings in state open records laws in the digital age. Should public records only be open to those who can get to a government office to pick them up?

Under the Colorado Open Records Act, the answer appears to be "yes." That's a disappointing approach, and the latest in a string of incidents that demonstrate the need to update the state open records law.

Read the rest of the story at the Denver Post.

State Integrity News for Colorado, from SII partner Colorado Public Radio:

Colorado is vulnerable to corruption, according to a new survey from The Center for Public Integrity in Washington, DC. Over the past year, researchers rated all 50 states on more than 300 different measures of government transparency, accountability, and enforcement.  Put together those results, and Colorado scores a dismal D.  Colorado Public Radio is partnering with the Center and in the coming months will look into some of the issues those results uncover.

Hear the story from Colorado Public Radio.

Corruption news for Colorado, from the Denver Post:

Secretary of State Scott Gessler adopted a full rewrite of Colorado's campaign finance rules Wednesday, a move critics say is outside of his authority and will allow big money to dominate elections. Gessler said the changes were long overdue and necessary to simplify the rules and to ensure they are in line with recent court decisions.

The rules are scheduled to take effect temporarily on March 7, in order to "provide clarity and guidance sooner during an election year," according to a statement from Gessler's office. They would become effectively permanently March 30, though a legal challenge is expected.

Read the rest of the story at the Denver Post.