Joan Barron

This is an old story.

The Center for Public Integrity has given more than one "F" to Wyoming for the state's weak financial disclosure law for legislators - one in 1999 and a second in 2004.

Now the organization has given the state another "F" - this time for weak disclosure laws for the governor.

The center also found disclosure by Wyoming Supreme Court justices lacking.

The main flaws found by the center appear to be twofold - lack of easy access to the reports and lack of requirements for any detailed personal financial income information.

Neither reports from the governor or the Supreme Court are online on their Web sites.

The governor's annual report is available from the Secretary of State's Office while the justices' reports are available from the Supreme Court office.

But the center officials said most people don't even know the reports are available, particularly in the case of the Supreme Court.

The organization's position is that if citizens don't know the personal financial holdings of a legislator, governor, or supreme court justice, they have no way of knowing if that dignitary has a conflict of interest on a bill or a court case.

Wyoming ranked 45th among the 50 states for sparse basic information on the governor's income, assets and potential conflicts of interest.

The forms used by the executive branch to comply with the state's government ethics law requires officials to report gifts of more than $250 in value.

In his report filed Feb. 13, 2007, Gov. Dave Freudenthal declared no personal business interest but listed business interests of his wife, Nancy, in the Davis and Cannon law firm, and in K and N, LLC.

Freudenthal went beyond the legal requirements and reported a number of gifts of less than $250 in value, including various paintings and 12 bottles of wine from the Leucadia National Corp.

The only gift on the list required by law to be reported were three tickets to the Cirque deSoleil show from Steve Ellenbecker, former state energy policy adviser, valued at $450.

Wyoming isn't alone with its flunk grade. About half the states also got F's for gaps in financial disclosures laws for governor.

Washington state was the only state to get an "A" rating.

That state also got the top grade for its legislative financial disclosure laws.

Freudenthal said Friday he wouldn't mind if the law were to require more personal financial information.

He said he doesn't buy the excuse that more thorough reporting isn't needed because in a state as small as Wyoming everyone knows everyone else's business.

As for the Wyoming supremes, the only reports the center had on its web site were from 2005.

In that year Justice William Hill reported receiving $2,500 honorarium for giving the keynote speaker at the Central Wyoming Community College convocation on Sept. 13, 2005.

Only three states do not require judges to report personal financial interests - Idaho, Montana and Utah. Three other states- Alaska, Maryland and Nebraska - require an in-person appearance to view or receive copies of the disclosures.

Idaho is the only state that does not require personal financial disclosures from officials in any branch of its government., executive, legislative or judicial.

They are trusting souls in Idaho.

In Wyoming, reformers have found it a hard slog to influence changes toward more disclosure and accountability.

But the national trend, according to published reports, is moving toward more access, more sunshine.

The trend has not reached Wyoming, at least not yet.

Capital reporter Joan Barron can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or at joan.barron@casperstartribune.net.