http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Tucker/Morning%20Edition%2003-19-2012.mp3
A new, comprehensivereport on the transparency and accountability of state governments gives high marks to Connecticut. But the study claims most states are ripe for corruption.
Reporters for the State Integrity Investigation factored in 330 so-called "corruption risk indicators" when assessing the corruptibility of all 50 state governments; things like access to information, lobbying disclosure, ethics enforcement and executive accountability.
No state received an A grade in the report, and only five, including Connecticut earned a B grade. Surprisingly, New Jersey topped the list of most transparent governments with Connecticut coming in at number two with an overall grade of 86.
Paul Stern, who researched Connecticut for the State Integrity Investigation says, after several high profile corruption cases, Connecticut has turned itself around. "When you have a history like Connecticut's where a former governor was corrupt, and the former state treasurer was corrupt and the legislators were substantially financed by lobbyists, there's plenty of room for correcting mistakes."
Connecticut gets high marks for campaign finance, ethics enforcement and how the state buys goods and services, but gets poor marks for judicial accountability.
"Well for one thing, the public information law does not apply to everything judges do," said Stern. "Only to what they refer to as their administrative functions. That means that the stuff that actually takes place in the courtroom isn't accessible through public records."
The State Integrity Investigation ranked Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia as the least transparent state governments.
