Thumbs Down for the Tennessee House

According to an article in the Tennessean, the Tennessee House passed a bill that would allow lawmakers ten days to correct 'errors' in their campaign finance disclosure forms once the Registry of Election Finance warned them of problems.

For example, if they intentionally left out donations and got caught, they could add them in and nothing would happen. The argument is that errors are made, and people who make mistakes should not be subject to public scrutiny.

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Public servants should always be subject to public scrutiny. Yes, they make errors, and that is why there should be flexibility in enforcement. But even errors should lead to reprimands or small fines. Public scrutiny is a good thing, not a bad thing. When legislators want less of it (and the bill passed 89-3), they're probably hiding something. And if they're not, they shouldn't make it look like they are.

Ironically, the bill's sponsor was cited for missing contributions, said it was an error, and was not penalized. Twenty-five legislative candidates were cited by the Registry last year, and the largest penalty it gave was $150. Doesn't seem worth creating loopholes for, and thereby undermining people's trust in their representatives.