Idaho's state capital of Boise is not Washington, D.C., and happily Gem State politics haven't sunk into the swamp of corruption created by tens of millions of dollars in tainted lobbying money circulating in the veins of the nation's capital.
Yet, a gaping hole exists in Idaho's laws covering lobbyists and their duty to report spending activities with state lawmakers.
The hole is that lobbyists are not required to report expenses connected with lobbying statewide officials, such as the governor and executive branch officials.
Lawmakers should close that loophole now and for ample reason.
Recent disclosures reveal that Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's former chief of staff, Phil Reberger, had been hired by major corporations to help shove through programs of the governor's, such as the $1.6 billion "Connecting Idaho" road project. The Associated Press uncovered e-mails linking the governor and Reberger, including one asking for Reberger's help.
The public had no inkling of what, if anything, Reberger spent lobbying.
So far, 280 lobbyists have registered for the 2006 legislative session. What's good for lobbyists bending the ears of lawmakers should surely be good for lobbyists working the other end of the Capitol.
This is not a question of casting suspicion on lobbyists, but simply adding to government's openness and accountability.
Longtime lobbyist John Watts says it best. "Anytime you're working on behalf of a private sector business, if you're working with the government and dealing with the people's money, then everybody has a right to know who's working with whom."
