A recent audit by California’s Fair Political Practices Commission revealed that a law requiring disclosure of major donors funding legislators’ sponsored travel has not been effectively enforced. The audit found that the law was only used twice in seven years, despite interest groups spending millions on lawmakers’ travel. The Commission recommended simplifying disclosure requirements to cover more interest groups that fund legislators’ trips.
Elected officials in California can accept unlimited free travel from nonprofits, but these nonprofits are not required to disclose their donors. Critics argue that this practice allows interest groups to buy privileged access to lawmakers outside of public scrutiny.
The audit recommended changes to the disclosure system to increase transparency in sponsored travel. However, any changes to the law would require approval from the Legislature, potentially causing conflict of interest issues.
The audit also revealed that some organizations did not cooperate voluntarily, leading to subpoenas for financial records. The investigation stretched over a year, but resulted in more disclosure forms being filed.
Overall, the audit shed light on the lack of transparency in funding legislators’ travel expenses and the need for more accountability and oversight in the process. It remains to be seen if the Legislature will take action to address these issues and increase transparency in sponsored travel in the future.
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