Of course we've always known powerful interests spend substantial sums of money trying to influence the Legislature. Now we know exactly how much they spend and for what, thanks to a powerful new tool of democracy the state Commissioner of Political Practices just rolled out.
That tool is an easy-to-used database that allows anyone with a computer and Internet access to pore through the registration information and financial reports lobbyists must file under state law. Check it out at www.lobbysearch.mt.gov.
What good will come from having these records easily available to you? Who knows? Maybe people will gain a greater understanding of who's behind certain legislation and how much behind-the-scenes influence they're exerting. Maybe the ability to peek under the veneer of democracy will give people greater understanding of and confidence in the legislative process. All we really know is that citizens are entitled to know who's twisting arms or pouring drinks in Helena and how much they're doing it.
Like so many required reports of this nature, the records are backward-looking. They reflect filings as of a deadline past - not real-time expenditures. A good goal for the future would be to require daily online filings that bring records up to date at the end of each business day.
The lobbyist database represents a major step forward in the interest of good government. Informed citizens are better citizens, and better citizens could lead to better government. We look forward to gaining online access to all the other financial records and filings handled by the Office of Political Practices. The only argument for not making these records widely available in the past was technological. We now have the technology - the technology to more fully empower citizens. This is progress.
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