Va. lawmakers' state pay exempt from disclosure

The 2009 General Assembly was a fiscal nightmare.

By Bill SizemoreJulian WalkerThe Virginian-Pilot© October 26, 2009

But they are all case studies in how members of a citizen legislature navigate the murky shoals of potential conflicts of interest.

The bottom-line defense of lawmakers who go on the public payroll is that if voters find the relationship too cozy, they can vote them out.
To do that, however, voters need to know about it. In Virginia, there is no legal requirement that lawmakers disclose income from state or local government entities.
Lawmakers are required by state law to file an annual disclosure of their financial interests, including sources of income in excess of $10,000 a year. But they are specifically exempted from having to disclose income from state or local government entities. Some do, some don't.

FULL STORY HERE

Comments:

Submitted by grumpy on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 7:09 pm.
Just another version of K Street, good ol' boyz politics at its finest. No oversight entices corruption and greed. Politicians, what they do and how they do it should be an open book since they can't be trusted, Duh!

Submitted by Anold Wiseman on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 5:37 pm.
It seems that our legislature bodies on the national, state, and local levels have become good ol’ boy country clubs for those who have the right clout to get elected. That’s probably why so many lawyers want in to those positions. Can you imagine what our judicial court systems would be like if they were to run their business the same way that they perform their legislative duties. I can imagine that court business would be expensive, underhanded, and that money would have a big influence on the outcome of most cases. Let’s hope that it never comes down to this.

Submitted by theDigit on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 1:22 pm.
Just so we can see the list or our corrupt-, er.. "ethically challenged" public servants double-dipping at the public trough (your wallets)...
Del. Kenneth Plum, D-RestonDel. Bill Janis, R-Henrico CountyDel. Dan Bowling, D-RichlandsDel. David Nutter, R-ChristiansburgDel. Phil Hamilton, R-Newport NewsSen. John Miller, D-Newport NewsSen. Fred Quayle, R-SuffolkSen. William Wampler, R-BristolSen. Tommy Norment, R-James City
Thanks guys, you do us proud. Nice to know who's for sale.

Submitted by dmorgan23464 on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 6:13 pm.
The guys who make the disclosure rules decide to hide their own malfeasance with a loophole.
They know they are doing wrong, that's why they vote to hide what they are doing.
I say vote them all out! Bring new blood in and if/when they get greedy, throw them out as well!

Submitted by Armed on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 8:13 am.
As a state employee responsible for a program budget, I am required under the Code of Virginia, to disclose *all* sources of income, paid travel, honoraria, etc. ...And you mean to tell me that our legislatures are NOT required to disclose the same?! I find this difficult to believe, quite frankly. If true - it would be an outrage.

Submitted by dmorgan23464 on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 6:18 pm.
You are stunned that the guys who make the rules decide for themselves that they don't have to play by the same rules as us normal "peons"? It's an outrage to anyone BUT the good ole boys who are playing with our money.They make the rules requiring full disclosure from everyone - but themselves. That is nothing if not corruption.
Vote them all out!!!

Submitted by Chocolatelab1 on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 7:04 am.
Great article but you failed to use the word hypocrite. All these politicians, regardless of party affiliation are in it for themselves. They're all a bunch of hypocrites.

Submitted by babaloo on Mon, 10/26/2009 at 12:05 pm.
You're right they are all hypocrites, and most of them are crooks. I can no longer trust politicians, nor can I truly trust any major media outlet.
And to all the leftists out there that act like Fox News is the only biased media source... you're either morons or just lying to yourselves. All of big media is biased, Fox news is made to seem like its the only biased company because its the only one that is biased to the Right. CNN, NBC, etc. are LEFT-wing organizations so when contrasting one right-wing company against all the other companies that are left-wing it makes Fox look really biased.