House Minority Leader Chad Campbell released the Government Transparency and Accountability Plan of 2012 this week. The plan lays out steps that the democratic would favor “to restore public confidence in Arizona’s state government” after the bi-partisan Fiesta Bowl scandal.
Key provisions of the Government Transparency and Accountability Plan of 2012 include:
• Supports a Tax Credit Sunset – Democrats will introduce legislation to sunset tax credits, deductions and exemptions every 5 years. Additionally, the auditor general will be required to review the impact and cost of the tax benefits. We should only extend tax benefits that have a proven, positive impact on our economy.
• Introduce Enhanced Financial Disclosure and Gift Ban – Legislation will implement the Maricopa County Attorney’s recommendations following his Fiesta Bowl investigation, putting in place meaningful protections, including a real entertainment gift ban.
• Support Private Prison Accountability and Cost Effectiveness of Government Contracts – We must reinstate the cost comparison analysis and require a comparison of private and public prisons safety records, security issues, recidivism rates, staff experience levels, and training and educational opportunities for inmates so funding decisions can be fully informed and based on the facts.
• Advocate for More Transparency for the Arizona Commerce Authority – The Arizona Commerce Authority has a mission that we all support: create and retain jobs for Arizonans. However, we must not sacrifice transparency and accountability to create jobs. A Democratic Majority will introduce legislation that will subject the ACA to an annual independent audit by a certified public accountant, a betterunderstanding of the interaction between public and private monies utilized by both the ACA and “Team ACA”, and a comprehensive report to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used to actually create jobs.
• Support Disclosure on the cost of Legislation Lawsuits – Require the state to publicly disclose money spent every time the state sues or is sued over legislation – including attorneys’ fees, court costs, and any settlement monies.
Minority Leader Chad Campbell said: “To truly move our state forward we must make our elected leaders accountable and restore transparency to Arizona government – which is exactly what this plan will do.”