Gov. Reynolds Vetoes a Bill That Would Have Made Lobbyists Say Which Laws They're Paying to Kill
The veto hailed as protecting government from paperwork or condemned as protecting government from sunlight, sorted instantly by party
Ink = the flip (fiction). Red = real Republican · Blue = real Democrat.
SANTA FE — The governor vetoed legislation that would have required lobbyists to disclose more about which bills they were working to pass or kill, a measure good-government groups had championed as a modest ray of daylight and the governor rejected as, in effect, one form too many.
Gov. Reynolds framed the veto as a matter of practicality, a rationale supporters accepted as prudent and reformers received as the sound of a door quietly closing on the room where the deals are made.
The Press's sunshine desk confirms that blocking a transparency bill is 'cutting red tape' when your party does it and 'a cover-up' when the other party does, and that the phrase 'the public's right to know' is cherished by each side exclusively while in the minority.
Watchdogs noted the bill would have merely revealed who was paying to shape the laws — information the governor evidently judged the public could flourish without.
Asked why lobbyists should be spared the disclosure, the governor's office said the administration remains fully committed to open government, a commitment it demonstrated by declining to open this particular window.
📜 The Receipts
What actually happened: Reporting on ethics-reform measures blocked in statehouses noted a Democratic governor vetoed a bill that would have required lobbyists to be more transparent about the legislation they were trying to pass or kill.