FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
July 28, 2016
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Under Mike Pence, Indiana Scored a D- on Transparency and Accountability
Center for Public Integrity gave failing grades to Pence administration for FOIA laws
MICHIGAN — With Mike Pence campaigning in Michigan, voters should be aware that Indiana received a failing grade on transparency and accountability from the Center for Public Integrity. The Great Lakes State also received a failing grade under the control of Gov. Rick Snyder, creating a link between the two Midwest governors and their lack of concern for the values that Michiganders hold dear.
In November 2015, the Center for Public Integrity gave Indiana a D- for the state’s overall accountability, transparency and ethics laws. It took “high-profile ethics scandals” to rock the state before Pence finally signed a bill requiring more financial disclosure from lawmakers, and yet, he took no action to reform the state’s failing-grade open records laws.
“We’ve seen the damage that can be caused to a state when elected officials fail to live up to pledges of transparency and accountability, the disastrous Aramark contract and the Flint Water Crisis were examples of those broken promises,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “It shouldn’t take getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar to spur reforms hold elected officials accountable to the public — they need to be values that you fight for every single day. We haven’t seen that from Mike Pence and Michiganders should take note. When a presidential candidate like Donald Trump is embroiled in scandals for failing to pay people he’s owed money to and his VP choice comes from a state that has a lackluster record on accountability, we should all be concerned about their supposed ethics.”
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