In Case You Missed It: State Legislature Financial Disclosure Forms Now Online

Last Wednesday, just before the long holiday weekend, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) posted the 2012 financial disclosure reports file by state legislators to its web site.

These documents, which must be filed annually, include information on lawmakers’ financial holdings, investments and income from outside employment, among other information.

These reports have always been “public information,” but were not available via the Internet.  The 2011 Public Integrity Reform Act law requires these forms to be posted to the web for the first time.

The release of this information is renewing the debate over whether the state’s lawmakers should be full-time or part-time.

One sitting official worries that the release of these forms “is an open invitation for identity theft.”