On October 26, 2011, the Illinois legislature passed a bill that authorized construction of a multi-billion-dollar smart grid and reshaped how utility companies seek approval for raising electricity rates. Consumer groups opposed the measure, saying it was a handout to utilities.

But the final blow for opponents came three months later when former state Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who had pushed the bill through the legislature only to resign after winning its passage, registered his own lobbying firm and signed his first clients. Prominent among them: Commonwealth Edison, one of the state’s largest utilities.

By Janet Coats

Lobbying is as much a part of the legislative process as roll call votes and committee meetings. Every year, state capitals are filled with legislators and lobbyists, rubbing shoulders as deals are made and laws are thrashed out.

Organizations of all political stripes hire lobbyists to press their case with legislators. In many instances, lobbyists have developed subject matter expertise that adds to the discourse about a particular bill. While the word lobbyists conjures up images of backroom deals and undue influence, their role in the legislative process can be -- and often is -- constructive.

The key to keeping lobbyists in their proper role lies in transparency. Laws that require disclosure of who lobbyists are working for and how much their are paid allow citizens a view into the web of relationships that surround issue advocacy. But the laws are only as good as the enforcement -- and that means regular auditing to ensure accuracy and completness of information.

In the State Integrity Investigations' review of lobbying disclosure laws around the country, North Carolina received an A and a top ranking. It's easy to see why when you review both that state's laws and the methods of enforcement.

North Carolina law ensures several levels of transparency:

• Lobbyists are required to register with the state
• The rules apply to those who lobby the governor as well as the legislature
• Lobbyists are required to report both what they spend to lobby and how much they are paid to do it
• Those who employ lobbyists are also required to report payments to all lobbyists on a quarterly basis
• The secretary of state's office follows up on all these requirements with regular audits. It checks all lobbying reports for completeness, cross-checks all monthy and quarterly reports and compares lobbyist disclosure reports to those of their employers to assure the information is consistent.
• Perhaps most importantly, the information is available to the public. Government watchdogs in North Carolina report that lobbyist disclosure forms are posted promptly on the secretary of state's website, and they were unfamiliar with any cases where a disclosure form was delayed because of sensitive information.

Lobbyists will always be part of the process. The key to balancing the voices of lobbyists with those of individual citizens is disclosure, auditing and availability of information to citizens.

State Integrity news for North Carolina and South Carolina from the Charlotte Observer:

A study by the State Integrity Investigation, which ranks states by their corruption risk, found that both North and South Carolina public record laws fail to provide an appeals process for denied requests or impose penalties on agencies violating public records laws.

North Carolina’s access to public records ranked 43rd and South Carolina ranked 50th in the study, which also evaluated state budget processes, lobbying disclosure and judicial accountability. Both received an “F” in public access to information.

Advocates for open government say the culture of secrecy creates obstacles for both citizens and media organizations seeking public records. These disputes are often only settled after expensive, lengthy lawsuits.

Read more from the Charlotte Observer.

State integrity news for North Carolina from SII partner WFAE:

Recent news of resignations in North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis’ office due to relationships between members of his staff and lobbyists has prompted ethics law questions among some in state politics. The situation has brought up questions about which lobby laws are fair, which don’t make sense, and where more disclosure is needed on the part of the lobby organizations and lawmakers alike. We spend the hour dissecting North Carolina lobby law and talk about what new guidelines might be on the horizon.

Listen to the discussion from WFAE - Charlotte.

State Integrity news for North Carolina from SII partner WFAE:

Just about anything a government official writes down is subject to public records law. . . which means, you can get your hands on it. That includes internal memos, emails officials send and even the minutes from many meetings held behind closed doors.

But, actually getting those documents can sometimes be a challenge.

Read and hear more from WFAE - Charlotte.

State Integrity news for North Carolina from SII partner WFAE:

Before 2006, there were no restrictions on gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers. After several scandals, though, an ethics law was passed. And on one hand, it is very strict about banning those kinds of gifts.

But on the other hand, there are exceptions to that law.

Here’s an example: So, it’s not okay for a lobbyist to buy lunch for a legislator. That’s clear. But it is okay for a lobbyist to buy lunch for groups of lawmakers, even all of them.

Read and hear more from WFAE - Charlotte.

State Integrity news for North Carolina from SII partner WFAE:

Last month, a couple of high profile resignations in House Speaker Thom Tillis's office drew attention to the lobbyist and legislator relationships in Raleigh. In the fallout, reform to the current ethics laws is being discussed, but no one has any answers yet on how to legislate romance.

This report examines the issue of lobby ethics in reports that grew out of a national project called the State Integrity Investigation.

Read and hear more from WFAE - Charlotte.

Early last month, lawmakers in Iowa completed work on a new open records statute. Senate File 430 creates the Iowa Public Information Board, a nine-member commission charged with enforcing the state’s open records and meetings laws.

For good government advocates in the Hawkeye State, the new legislation was cause for celebration — sort of.

Indeed, there were smiles all around as Gov. Terry Branstad signed the law on May 3 in the ornate Capitol Building, surrounded by lawmakers and journalists — many of whom spent six years on the effort. And the law is undoubtedly a victory of sorts for open government in the state, where enforcement was spotty at best, divided among several local and state entities. If a citizen’s request for information was denied, the only option was to sue — a time-consuming and costly course of action. Now, the Board can investigate complaints and bring them to court on citizens’ behalf.

It all sounds good — except for the fine print.

State integrity news for North Carolina, from StarNewsOnline:

A bi-partisan group says it is time to stop allowing politicians to draw new congressional and legislative districts every decade so they stay in power. The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform urged the state Senate on Tuesday to pass legislation now for the next round of redistricting after the 2020 census.

A bill modeled on an Iowa law would direct the General Assembly's non-partisan professional staff to redraw legislative and congressional districts, instead of lawmakers.

Read the rest of the story at StarNewsOnline.

State integrity news for North Carolina, from the Winston-Salem Journal:

Defenders of the Florida trip say it fits into an exception that was inserted into the law that allows public officials to accept gifts (like travel and meals) from lobby groups in connection with their attendance at certain "educational meetings."

This is by any fair assessment a terrible and unnecessary exception. There is simply no good reason that lobbyists or lobby groups of any kind should be allowed to pay for lawmakers to attend meetings anywhere ("educational" or not) — much less in some luxurious, far-off resort.

Read the rest of the story at the Winston-Salem Journal.